According to the World Health Organization’s reports, leishmaniases in humans are caused by 20 species of protozoa, belonging to the genus Leishmania1. The parasites are transmitted by the bite of a female tiny, 2–3 mm long insect vector, the phlebotomine sandfly1. Leishmaniasis endemic areas in Kenya are—West Pokot, Kitui, Machakos, Meru, Koibatek and Kajiado districts2–6. Kala-azar (Visceral ...

Pollen is one of the primary causes of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in urban centers. In the present study, the concentrations of 39 different pollens in the Santiago de Chile metropolitan area over the period 2009-2013 are characterized. The pollen was monitored daily using Burkard volumetric equipment. The contribution of each type of pollen and the corresponding time trends are evaluated. Th...

Low productivity of pilosae type lentils grown in South Asia is attributed to narrow genetic base of the released cultivars which results in susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stresses. For enhancement of productivity and production, broadening of genetic base is essentially required. The genetic base of released cultivars can be broadened by using diverse types including bold seeded and earl...

The sycamore lace bug, Corythucha ciliata (Say) (Hemiptera: Tingidae), is an important invasive exotic pest of Platanus (Proteales: Platanaceae) trees in China. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of temperature on C. ciliata in the laboratory so that forecasting models based on heat accumulation units could be developed for the pest. Development and fecundity of C. ciliata...

Bunias orientalis and Erigeron annuus are two alien herbal plant species invading native ecosystems in Lithuania. Both species have similar introduction and invasion history but differ in their life history traits and strategies of reproduction. We used random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) data to compare the genetic diversity in invasive populations of these species. 42 RAPD bands were iden...

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the major public health problems in northwest Ethiopia, mainly in Libo-Kemkem and Metema districts, where Phlebotomus orientalis is the most probable vector of the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the physiological age, host preference and vectorial potential of P. orientalis in the highland and lowland foci of the region. Sand flies were col...

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a rapid method with high specificity and efficiency under isothermal condition using a set of four specifically designed primers that recognize six distinct sequences on the target gene. In this study, a LAMP method was developed for specific detection of Babesia orientalis in water buffalo (Bubalus babalis, Linnaeus, 1758). Four primers were des...

The C-banding karyotype of the jerboas Allactaga tetradactyla, Jaculus jaculus jaculus, and Jaculus orientalis was described and interspecific relationships were discussed. Despite the conservation of a relatively small amount of C-heterochromatin located at the centromeric region of some chromosomes in all karyotypes, a striking loss of C-heterochromatin was clearly observed in J. orientalis. ...