Endotoxins are common indoor biocontaminants. Their levels have been shown to link to many sources and factors. One of them is cockroach infestation but the role of cockroaches and contamination mechanisms are unclear. We hypothesized that not only is cockroach infestation a sign of poor hygiene, but it also contributes to indoor endotoxins via fecal contamination. In this study, different cock...

OBJECTIVE To assess the association between the proportion of buildings positive for Aedes aegypti larvae measured by means of building infestation rate and dengue incidence rate. METHODS Autochthonous dengue cases were selected and building infestation rates assessed in the coverage areas of health districts in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, from October 1997 to May 2001. After grouping...

a nine month old infant was taken to a rural medical center due to hematemesis and melena. the bleeding persisted in spite of active management with gastric lavage, intravenous cimetidine, antiacid therapy and blood transfusion for four days' duration. the patient was referred to our center for further evaluation and management. on arrival he was pale and ill looking with active bleeding f...

Introduction This study was conducted in Brazil and Colombia,where dengue is endemic and vector control programs use chemical insecticides. Methods We identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices about dengue and determined the infestation levels of Aedes aegypti in one Brazilian and four Colombian communities. Results The surveys show knowledge of the vector, but little knowledge about diagn...

Feeding under constant cold conditions resulted in a marginal shortening of feeding period and a major shortening of the subsequent developmental phase of all stages of Ixodes rubicundus Neumann 1904, the Karoo paralysis tick. Paralysis occurred in laboratory rabbits when nymphae were fed on them under constant warm, constant cold and fluctuating ambient winter conditions. This paralysis was fo...

Biochar addition to soil not only sequesters carbon for the long-term but enhances agricultural productivity. Several well-known benefits arise from biochar amendment, including constant provision of nutrients, increased soil moisture retention, decreased soil bulk density, and sometimes the induction of systemic resistance against foliar and soil borne plant pathogens. However, no research has...

Over two growing seasons, Isomate GBM-Plus tube-type dispensers releasing the major pheromone component of grape berry moth, Paralobesia viteana (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), were evaluated in vineyards (Vitis spp.) in Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania. Dispensers were deployed in three different density-arrangement treatments: 124 dispensers per ha, 494 dispensers per ha, and a comb...

The degree to which plant pathogen infestation occurs in a host plant is expected to be strongly influenced by the level of species diversity among neighbouring host and non-host plant species. Since pathogen infestation can negatively affect host plant performance, it can mediate the effects of local biodiversity on ecosystem functioning.We tested the effects of tree diversity and the proporti...

Fungi are the most frequently observed pathogens of mite populations, helping to control them on different crops. Twenty-five samples of leaves were collected from rubber tree plantations adjacent to two fragments of Cerrado vegetation. Each rubber tree plantation had 25 plants selected for sampling and seven leaves from around each tree top were collected up to seven to eight meters above grou...