Cockroaches are among the most ancient winged insects, the earliest fossils dating back to about 400 million years. Several conflicting phylogenies for cockroach families, subfamilies, and genera have been proposed in the past. In addition, the relationship of Cryptocercidae to other cockroach families and the relationship between the cockroach, Cryptocercus punctulatus, and the termite, Mastot...

Methods Patients of cockroach allergy and healthy controls were selected following American Thoracic Society guidelines. DCs were differentiated from peripheral blood monocytes of patient and control subjects and stimulated with Per a 10. Cells were evaluated for surface markers by flow cytometry and cytokines detected in culture supernatants by ELISA. Autologous DC-T cell cocultures were done ...

Insects are nature’s engineering marvels. They can perform marvellous feats such as jumping many times their own body length, lifting many times their own body weight, moving around even with multiple missing limbs and doing all this with amazing efficiency. It is little wonder then that roboticists have been attempting to replicate nature’s design feat in robots. The primary thrust in the area...

Natural hemagglutinin activity against vertebrate erythrocytes is present in the hemolymph of the cockroach Blabarus craniifer. The hemagglutinin titer against rabbit erythrocytes is high, whereas sheep and horse red cells agglutinate weakly. Hemagglutinin activity was depressed by the complement inhibitor, cobra venom factor. Cockroach hemagglutinin is heat-labile; all activity is destroyed by...

BACKGROUND Cockroaches and mice, which are common in urban homes, are sources of allergens capable of triggering asthma symptoms. Traditional pest control involves the use of scheduled applications of pesticides by professionals as well as pesticide use by residents. In contrast, integrated pest management (IPM) involves sanitation, building maintenance, and limited use of least toxic pesticide...

The prevalence of allergic diseases, especially asthma and allergic rhinitis, has dramatically increased during the last decades. Mite and cockroach, which are the most common allergens in house dust, are the major indoor allergens in asthmatic and allergic rhinitis patients. The aim of this study was to compare the association between age of dwelling and some other home characteristics in asth...

An experimental 2.15% imidacloprid gel bait containing approximately 44% water was evaluated in laboratory and field studies against the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L). In continuous exposure tests, toxicity and presumably bait consumption varied with cockroach stage, deprivation of competitive food, and temperature. The LT50 values for cockroaches provided with competitive food rang...

BACKGROUND The German cockroach, Blattella germanica is a major hygienic pest and mechanical vector for pathogenic agents in hospitals and residential areas. The development of insecticide resistance is a serious problem in controlling of this pest. Toxicity of four commonly used insecticides (permethrin, cypermethrin, malathion and chlorpyrifos) against two hospital- collected strains of the G...

PURPOSE To assess the effectiveness of a pilot integrated pest management (IPM) program in controlling cockroaches in an apartment complex, without pesticide sprays. METHODS A brief educational session and booklet were provided to tenants. Non-spray pest control methods were promoted. A telephone questionnaire was administered at pre- and post-test to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices...

The fine structure of the tergo-coxal muscle of the cockroach, Leucophaea maderae, has been studied with the electron microscope. This muscle differs from some other types of insect flight muscles inasmuch as the ratio of thin to thick filaments is 4 instead of the characteristic 3. The cockroach flight muscle also differs from the cockroach femoral muscle in thin to thick filament ratios and d...