Coptotermes gestroi (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Brazil: possible origins inferred by mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II gene sequences

The Asian subterranean termite, Coptotermes gestroi, originally from northeast India through Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Indonesian archipelago, is a major termite pest introduced in several countries around the world, including Brazil. We sequenced the mitochondrial COII gene from individuals representing 23 populations. Phylogenetic analysis of COII gene sequences from this and other studies resulted in two main groups: (1) populations of Cleveland (USA) and four populations of Malaysia and (2) populations of Brazil, four populations of Malaysia, and one population from each of Thailand, Puerto Rico, and Key West (USA). Three new localities are reported here, considerably enlarging the distribution of C.?gestroi in Brazil: Campo Grande (state of Mato Grosso do Sul), Itajaí (state of Santa Catarina), and Porto Alegre (state of Rio Grande do Sul).     

Genotype by environment interaction in Nelore cattle from five Brazilian states

Records from 75,941 Nelore cattle were used to determine the importance of genotype by environment interaction (GEI) in five Brazilian states. (Co)variance components were estimated by single-trait analysis (with yearling weight, W450, considered to be the same trait in all states) and multiple-trait analysis (with the record from each state considered to be a different trait). The direct heritability estimates for yearling weight were 0.51, 0.39, 0.44, 0.37 and 0.41 in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso, São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul and Minas Gerais, respectively. The across-state genetic correlation estimates between Goiás and Mato Grosso, Goiás and Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Minas Gerais, and Mato Grosso do Sul and Minas Gerais ranged from 0.67 to 0.75. These estimates indicate that GEIs are biologically important. No interactions were observed between Goiás and São Paulo, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso and São Paulo, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso and Minas Gerais, or São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul (0.82 to 0.97). Comparison of single and multiple-trait analyses showed that selection based on the former was less efficient in the presence of GEI, with substantial losses (up to 10%) during selection.     

Genetic characterization of cassava (Manihot esculenta) landraces in Brazil assessed with simple sequence repeats

Based on nine microsatellite loci, the aim of this study was to appraise the genetic diversity of 42 cassava (Manihot esculenta) landraces from selected regions in Brazil, and examine how this variety is distributed according to origin in several municipalities in the states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Amazonas and Mato Grosso. High diversity values were found among the five above-mentioned regions, with 3.3 alleles per locus on an average, a high percentage of polymorphic loci varying from 88.8% to 100%, an average of 0.265 for observed heterozygosity and 0.570 for gene diversity. Most genetic diversity was concentrated within the regions themselves (H_S = 0.52). Cluster analysis and principal component based scatter plotting showed greater similarity among landraces from São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul and Amazonas, whereas those from Minas Gerais were clustered into a sub-group within this group. The plants from Mato Grosso, mostly collected in the municipality of General Carneiro, provided the highest differentiation. The migration of human populations is one among the possible reasons for this closer resemblance or greater disparity among plants from the various regions.     

Chromosomal rearrangements as the source of variation in the number of chromosomes in Pseudis (Amphibia, Anura)

A cytogenetic study of Pseudis specimens from three localities in Rio Grande do Sul State, the southernmost Brazilian, was performed to identify karyotypic characteristics that could account for differences in vocalization pattern and body size. Individuals from around Tainhas were compared to those of São Jerônimo and Eldorado do Sul. Specimens from these latter two localities were identified as Pseudis minuta, while those from the former were classified as Pseudis sp. (aff. minuta). The populations from São Jerônimo and Eldorado do Sul had 2n?=?24 chromosomes, classified as metacentric, submetacentric and subtelocentric. The population from Tainhas had 2n?=?28 chromosomes, with four pairs of telocentric chromosomes. Modelling of these 28 chromosomes and testing for fusion in the centromeric/telomeric regions yielded a karyotype of 2n?=?24 chromosomes, similar to that of the other populations. The similarity was reinforced by the location of the NORs and heterochromatin. The Tainhas population showed an increase in heterochromatin, as seen by the presence of additional C-bands, especially in the telocentric chromosomes. These data suggest that the two karyotypes described in this work had a common ancestry. There is evidence that the differentiation of these karyotypes may have occurred by chromosome fission and heterochromatin addition. Based on the present karyotype (2n?=?28) and on morphological and vocalization studies by other researchers, we conclude that the Tainhas population may represent a new species.     

Length–weight relationships for freshwater fish species from the Pantanal of the Negro River,Brazil

The present study describes the length‐weight relationships (LWRs) of 28 species captured in Santa Virgínia Bay, in the Pantanal of the Negro River, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, over 3 years (1999 to 2001). The study provides the first references on LWRs for thirteen of these species.     

Genetic variation of new 21 autosomal short tandem repeat loci in a Chinese Salar ethnic group

In the present study, we reported the allele frequencies for new 21 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci, including D6S474, D12ATA63, D22S1045, D10S1248, D1S1677, D11S4463, D1S1627, D3S4529, D2S441, D6S1017, D4S2408, D19S433, D17S1301, D1GATA113, D18S853, D20S482, D14S1434, D9S1122, D2S1776, D10S1435 and D5S2500 loci. Forensic statistical parameters were estimated from a sample set of 120 unrelated healthy individuals from the Salar ethnic group in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County of Qinghai province, China. A total of 151 alleles were observed at 21 STR loci in the population, and their allele frequencies were in the range of 0.004–0.554. All STR loci showed a high degree of genetic polymorphisms, and the combined probability of exclusion, combined power of discrimination and combined probability of matching for all 21 STR loci were 0.9999993134, 0.99999999999999999991739 and 8.2607 × 10⁻²⁰, respectively. For all the 21 STR loci in the Salar ethnic group, the observed genotypic data showed no significant deviation from those expected under the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The allele frequency distributions for the 21 autosomal STR loci were compared between the Salar group and its neighboring populations and significant differences were detected among these populations at D1S1677, D2S441, D3S4529, D4S2408, D6S1017, D11S4463, D12ATA63, D14S14343, D18S853, D19S433 and D22S1045 loci.     

Genetic characterization of residual <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triatoma infestans</Emphasis> populations from Brazil by microsatellite

In spite of long-term efforts to eliminate Triatoma infestans (Klug 1834) from Brazil, residual foci still persist in the states of Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul. Data on the genetic variability and structuring of these populations are however lacking. Using nine microsatellite loci, we characterized one residual T. infestans population from Bahia and four from Rio Grande do Sul, and compared them with bugs originally from an older focus in São Paulo; 224 bugs were genotyped. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 5 to 11. Observed and expected heterozygosities per locus ranged, respectively, from 0 to 0.786 and from 0 to 0.764. Significant departures from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, mainly due to heterozygote deficits, were detected in all loci and in most populations. Global indices estimated by AMOVA were: Fis was 0.37; Fst was 0.28; and Fit was 0.55; overall indices with p?=?0.00 indicated substantial differentiation. Inter-population Fst ranged from 0.118 to 0.562, suggesting strong genetic structuring and little to no gene flow among populations. Intra-population Fis ranged from 0.301 to 0.307. Inbreeding was apparent in all populations except that from Bahia—which might be either linked by gene flow to nearby unsampled populations or part of a relatively large local population. The overall pattern of strong genetic structuring among pyrethroid-susceptible residual T. infestans populations suggests that their persistence is probably due to operational control failures. Detection and elimination of such residual foci is technically feasible and must become a public health priority in Brazil.     

Soil organic carbon stock change due to land use activity along the agricultural frontier of the southwestern Amazon,Brazil, between 1970 and 2002

The southwestern portion of the Brazilian Amazon arguably represents the largest agricultural frontier in the world, and within this region the states of Rondônia and Mato Grosso have about 24% and 32% of their respective areas under agricultural management, which is almost half of the total area deforested in the Brazilian Amazon biome. Consequently, it is assumed that deforestation in this region has caused substantial loss of soil organic carbon (SOC). In this study, the changes in SOC stocks due to the land use change and management in the southwestern Amazon were estimated for two time periods from 1970–1985 and 1985–2002. An uncertainty analysis was also conducted using a Monte Carlo approach. The results showed that mineral soils converted to agricultural management lost a total of 5.37 and 3.74 Tg C yr^?1 between 1970–1985 and 1985–2002, respectively, along the Brazilian Agricultural Frontier in the states of Mato Grosso and Rondônia. Uncertainties in these estimates were ±37.3% and ±38.6% during the first and second time periods, respectively. The largest sources of uncertainty were associated with reference carbon (C) stocks, expert knowledge surveys about grassland condition, and the management factors for nominal and degraded grasslands. These results showed that land use change and management created a net loss of C from soils, however, the change in SOC stocks decreased substantially from the first to the second time period due to the increase in land under no‐tillage.     

Polymorphic distribution and forensic effectiveness study of eight miniSTR in Chinese Uyghur ethnic group

We obtained the allelic frequencies and forensic efficiency data for eight mini short tandem repeat loci including Penta E, D12S391, D6S1043, D2S1338, D19S433, CSF1PO, Penta D and D19S253 loci from a sample of 128 unrelated Uyghur individuals from China. The amplification products of the eight STR loci are <240 bp in size. A total of 94 alleles were observed and the corresponding allelic frequencies ranged from 0.0039 to 0.3438 in the present study. Observed genotype distributions for each locus do not show deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium expectations. The combined power of discrimination, combined power of exclusion and combined matching probability of the eight STR loci equaled to 0.999999999963373, 0.9997770 and 3.6627 × 10^?11, respectively. Because of the small fragment length of PCR products and the high degree of polymorphisms, the eight STR loci are highly beneficial for the forensic analysis of degraded DNA samples which are commonly observed in forensic cases. The STR data of the Uyghur group were compared with the previously published population STR data of other groups from different ethnic or areas, and significant differences were observed among these groups at some loci.     

Vernonia longicuspis (Compositae: Vernonieae), a new combination from Bolivia

A new combination is provided in Vernonia (Compositae: Vernoniae), V. longicuspis (Dematt.) D. J. N. Hind, based on Lessingianthus longicuspis Dematt., recently described from Bolivia (Santa Cruz) and Brazil (Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul).     

Development of Genomic SSR Markers and Molecular Characterization of Magnaporthe oryzae Isolates from Wheat in Brazil

Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of wheat blast, was characterized on a molecular level with 38 newly isolated genomic SSR loci. Among the 31 wheat isolates analyzed, 15 polymorphic loci were detected, with an average of 1.7 alleles per locus, 28.9% of them being highly or reasonably informative. The number of polymorphic loci was higher in isolates from Londrina in the Brazilian state of Paraná and Coromandel in Minas Gerais compared with Goiânia in Goiás and São Borja in Rio Grande do Sul. The rice isolate was clearly different from the wheat isolates, and the size difference in polymorphic SSR loci between one isolate from wheat and one isolate from rice was associated with the number of repeats. Some isolates collected from different states and in different years demonstrated similarities of 100%. The markers developed here are useful for the genetic analysis of M. oryzae isolated from wheat, and isolates representing the variability detected in the field can be used to search for better wheat blast resistance.     

A new sand fly, Lutzomyia campograndensis sp. n. (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) from the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

During studies of the phlebotomine sand fly fauna of Campo Grande, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, a new species was captured with CDC light trap and is described here. The new species resembles Lutzomyia lutziana (Costa Lima) and is named Lutzomyia campograndensis sp. n. after the type locality.     

Genetic structure in Brazilian breeding colonies of the Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja, Aves: Threskiornithidae)

Roseate Spoonbills (Platalea ajaja, Linnaeus) are wading birds present in two of the most important Brazilian wetlands: the Pantanal wetlands and Rio Grande do Sul marshes. Natural populations of these species have not been previously studied with variable nuclear molecular markers. In order to support decision making regarding the management and conservation of these populations, we estimated and characterized the distribution of genetic variability among five Brazilian breeding colonies. The average observed heterozygosity in Brazilian Roseate Spoonbill populations (Ho = 0.575) did not differ significantly from the value determined in a U.S. wild-caught sample of 15 individuals, using data generated by the same set of microsatellite loci. Considering that the U.S. population underwent a recent reduction in size, we discuss this result supposing that the U.S. population was not genetically affected or that both populations had suffered a bottleneck. Global F(ST) indicated the lack of genetic differentiation among colonies, indicating the occurrence of past and/or present gene flow among them. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that most of the genetic variation is distributed within the colonies. Results are explained by a recent origin of colonies or by high levels of gene flow. Management decisions should take into consideration the fact that, even in the presence of high genetic exchange, ecological adaptations to different environments are important for species survival.     

Abundance of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) and urban transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

The outspread and urbanization of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, lead us to undertake the present study over diversity and abundance of sand flies in the urban area to compare with previous search carried out during 1999/2000, before the identification of the disease in the human population.The captures were carried out with automatic light traps, weekly, from February 2004 to February 2005 on three sites including a forested area (Zé Pereira), two peridomicilies (shelters of domestic animals and cultivation areas), and intradomicilie. In the present study 110 collections were obtained during 13 months for 1320 h of collections, resulting in 5004 specimens, 3649 males and 1355 females belonging to the 20 following species: Brumptomyia avellari, Brumptomyia sp., Bichromomyia flaviscutellata, Evandromyia lenti, E. termitophila, E. cortelezzii, E. borrouli, Lutzomyia sp., L. longipalpis, Micropygomyia quinquefer, N. antunesi, N. whitmani, Pintomyia christenseni, Pi. damascenoi, Psathyromyia aragaoi, Ps. campograndensis, Ps. hermanlenti, Ps. shannoni, Pychodopygus claustrei, and Sciopemyia sordellii. L. longipalpis was the most abundant species in the anthropic environment with 92.22% of the captures. This shows an increase of sixty times in the density of L. longipalpis compared to the last sand fly evaluation in 1999/2000. The high density of L. longipalpis in Campo Grande is the main factor of risk in transmission of the disease to human in the urban area. The capture of N. antunesi, typical specie from Amazonian region, in Mato Grosso do Sul is reported for the first time.     

Microbial resistance of Salmonella agona from various regions of Brazil

The object of the investigation was the evaluation of the susceptibility to antibiotic and chemotherapeutic agents of 240 strains of Salmonella agona isolated from different sources (human, food and environment) obtained from five Brazilian states (Minas Gerais, S?o Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Sul). The presence of R factors in 26 representative strains of the sample was also determined.     

The variation of 15 autosomal microsatellite DNA loci in five indigenous populations of South Siberia

The allele frequencies of 15 autosomal STR loci (D3S1358, vWA, FGA, TH01, TPOX, CSF1PO, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, D16S539, D2S1338, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, and D19S433) included into the AmpFlSTR SGM Plus and AmpFlSTR Profiler Plus kits (Applied Biosystems, United States) were determined for five indigenous populations of South Siberia: Buryats, Altaians, Tofalars, Sojots, and Khakassians (N = 261). No significant differences in allele frequencies were found between the populations. The combined power of discrimination of the STR loci was determined for every population.     

Microsatellite Polymorphisms in Cassava Landraces from the Cerrado Biome, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Using nine microsatellite loci, we investigated genetic structure and diversity in 83 Brazilian cassava accessions, including several landraces, in the Cerrado biome in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. All nine loci were polymorphic, averaging 6.00 alleles per locus. Treating each of seven municipalities as a cassava group or population, they averaged 3.5 alleles per locus, with 97% polymorphic loci, high values for observed heterozygosity (0.32) and gene diversity (0.56). Total genetic variability was high (0.668), and most of this genetic variability was concentrated within municipalities (0.577). Cluster and structure analyses divided accessions into two major clusters or populations (K = 2). Also, a significant genetic versus geographic correlation was found (r = 0.4567; P < 0.0260). Migratory routes in the Cerrado are considered main contributors to the region’s high cassava diversity and spatial genetic structure, amplifying interactions between traditional farmers and the evolutionary dynamics of this crop.     

MICA polymorphism in South American Indians

We have studied the MICA alleles of 196 unrelated subjects from three South American Indian tribes (Toba, Wichi and Terena). They are members of isolated tribes located in the Gran Chaco area in northeastern Argentina and in Mato Grosso do Sul in South Central Brazil. Of 55 previously known alleles, nine were observed in South American Indians, compared with 16 that were found in North American Caucasians, suggesting a more restricted allelic distribution of MICA in these tribes. In South American Indians, MICA*00201 was the most frequent allele, with a gene frequency of 33% in Toba, 47% in Wichi and 44% in Terena. MICA*00201, MICA*027 (external domain sequence like MICA*008/TM allele A5) and MICA*010 accounted for more than 90% of all the MICA genes in South American Indians. In North American Caucasians, MICA*00801 (*008/A5.1) accounted for 42% of the genes and was the most common allele. We observed a high degree of linkage disequilibrium between certain alleles of MICA and of HLA-B in the South American Indian populations. Phylogenetic trees constructed using gene frequencies of the transmembrane short tandem repeats in the populations reported here, and in other populations taken from published reports, suggest that South American Indians are more closely related to Asians than to Europeans.     

Detection of Leishmania DNA in phlebotomines captured in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Over the past years, leishmaniases have become a public health issue in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, particularly in Campo Grande, the state capital. The purpose of this study was to detect the presence of Leishmania DNA in the population of phlebotomine sandflies using DNA amplification by PCR. Insect captures were carried out from 4 pm. to 7 am for 4 consecutive days each month from October 2005 to September 2006 in 16 neighborhoods located in 7 urban regions of Campo Grande. Traps were placed indoors and in the vicinity of households. As many as 971 males and 203 females were collected. One hundred and five naturally fed females were identified and grouped as 1- to 4-specimen pools. DNA extraction was carried out using whole insects. Lutzomyia longipalpis predominated, accounting for 99.15% of the phlebotomines captured. Also found was Nyssomyia whitmani, the vector of tegumentary leishmaniasis. Abundance was greatest in the vicinity of households (69.8% of the phlebotomines captured). As revealed by PCR, parasites were present in 1.9% of the Leishmania spp. specimens investigated and confirmed for visceral leishmaniasis.     

Ixodid fauna and zoonotic agents in ticks from dogs: first report of Rickettsia rickettsii in Rhipicephalus sanguineus in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, mid-western Brazil

Ticks from 148 dogs from the urban area of the municipality of Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, were collected, classified and analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the identification of Rickettsia spp., Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp. A total of 2015 ticks were collected. The species Rhipicephalus sanguineus (98.9 %) and Amblyomma cajennense (1.1 %) were identified. Molecular analysis revealed that no tick samples were infected by T. cruzi. Regarding Leishmania spp., tick samples from 36 dogs spread across all regions of the municipality were positive for L. chagasi. One tick sample was positive for Rickettsia spp. (gltA gene) in the PCR reaction. This sample was submitted to further PCR based on the ompA gene and the amplicon was sequenced. Identity of 100 % was found with homologous sequences of R. rickettsii available in GenBank. This paper is the first to report the natural infection of R. sanguineus by R. rickettsii in the municipality of Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, mid-western Brazil.