Evidence of Experimental Vertical Transmission of Emerging Novel ECSA Genotype of Chikungunya Virus in Aedes aegypti

Background

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has emerged as one of the most important arboviruses of public health significance in the past decade. The virus is mainly maintained through human-mosquito-human cycle. Other routes of transmission and the mechanism of maintenance of the virus in nature are not clearly known. Vertical transmission may be a mechanism of sustaining the virus during inter-epidemic periods. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine whether Aedes aegypti, a principal vector, is capable of vertically transmitting CHIKV or not.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Female Ae. aegypti were orally infected with a novel ECSA genotype of CHIKV in the 2^nd gonotrophic cycle. On day 10 post infection, a non-infectious blood meal was provided to obtain another cycle of eggs. Larvae and adults developed from the eggs obtained following both infectious and non-infectious blood meal were tested for the presence of CHIKV specific RNA through real time RT-PCR. The results revealed that the larvae and adults developed from eggs derived from the infectious blood meal (2^nd gonotrophic cycle) were negative for CHIKV RNA. However, the larvae and adults developed after subsequent non-infectious blood meal (3^rd gonotrophic cycle) were positive with minimum filial infection rates of 28.2 (1∶35.5) and 20.2 (1∶49.5) respectively.

Conclusion/Significance

This study is the first to confirm experimental vertical transmission of emerging novel ECSA genotype of CHIKV in Ae. aegypti from India, indicating the possibilities of occurrence of this phenomenon in nature. This evidence may have important consequence for survival of CHIKV during adverse climatic conditions and inter-epidemic periods.     

A review on fisheries and conservation status of Asian horseshoe crabs

Horseshoe crabs are the only extant xiphosurans and are believed to be morphologically unchanged for more than 200 million years. Of the four extant species namely, Limulus polyphemus, Tachypleus tridentatus, Tapinauchenius gigas and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, the latter three are found in Asian waters. Recent evidences showed that Asian horseshoe crabs are facing serious threats such as degradation of their spawning grounds and habitat, environmental pollution, overexploitation as a culinary delicacy and biomedical bleeding practices. Baseline data on the distribution and existing population of the wild horseshoe crabs remain poorly known in several Asian regions. Several studies have clearly revealed that pressure due to over-fishing of wild stock has increased tremendously in the last decade. Due to an increase in demand for Tachypleus Amebocyte Lysate (TAL) analogous to Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) in the United States, there is an urgent need to comprehensively address their fishing and conservation measures in the Asian region. This review addresses the overall studies on three species of Asian horseshoe crabs in relation to their fishing practices, local exploitation of their wild stock either for human consumption (or) by biomedical industries. The authors have structured the discussion on an international scale to address the existing problems in fishing and conservation of horseshoe crabs. Since no specific regulatory force or legislative protection act or a policy to preserve their natural stock are available to this date, this paper strongly recommends representative countries to include horseshoe crabs under their wildlife protection act to avoid further unsustainable exploitation of their wild populations.     

Development and in vitro characterization of a bivalent DNA containing HN and F genes of velogenic Newcastle disease virus

Newcastle disease (ND) is highly contagious, economically important viral disease affecting most of avian species worldwide. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) has single stranded negative sense RNA genome which encodes for six structural and two non-structural proteins. Envelope glycoproteins i.e. hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) and the fusion (F), elicit protective immune response. In this study, HN and F genes of velogenic (virulent) strain were amplified and cloned at multiple cloning sites A and B, respectively into pIRES bicistronic vector for use as bivalent DNA vaccine against ND. The recombinant plasmid was characterized for its orientation by restriction enzyme digestion and PCR. Expression of HN and F genes was assessed in transfected Vero cells at RNA level using RT-PCR in total RNA as well as protein level using IFAT, IPT and western blot using NDV specific antiserum. All these experiments confirmed that HN and F genes cloned in recombinant pIRES.nd.hn.f are functionally active. The recombinant construct is being evaluated as DNA vaccine against ND.     

Sleep/wake dependent changes in cortical glucose concentrations

Most of the energy in the brain comes from glucose and supports glutamatergic activity. The firing rate of cortical glutamatergic neurons, as well as cortical extracellular glutamate levels, increase with time spent awake and decline throughout non rapid eye movement sleep, raising the question whether glucose levels reflect behavioral state and sleep/wake history. Here chronic (2–3 days) electroencephalographic recordings in the rat cerebral cortex were coupled with fixed‐potential amperometry to monitor the extracellular concentration of glucose ([gluc]) on a second‐by‐second basis across the spontaneous sleep‐wake cycle and in response to 3 h of sleep deprivation. [Gluc] progressively increased during non rapid eye movement sleep and declined during rapid eye movement sleep, while during wake an early decline in [gluc] was followed by an increase 8–15 min after awakening. There was a significant time of day effect during the dark phase, when rats are mostly awake, with [gluc] being significantly lower during the last 3–4 h of the night relative to the first 3–4 h. Moreover, the duration of the early phase of [gluc] decline during wake was longer after prolonged wake than after consolidated sleep. Thus, the sleep/wake history may affect the levels of glucose available to the brain upon awakening.     

Anthocyanin pathway in rice (Oryza sativa L): identification of a mutant showing dominant inhibition of anthocyanins in leaf and accumulation of proanthocyanidins in pericarp

The present study has surveyed a collection of indica rice (Oryza sativa) lines for tissue-specific anthocyanin pigmentation pattern, which has also been used for a genetically meaningful classification. This classification helped predict probable genotypes of rice lines and, in the process, a leaf blade-specific dominant inhibitor of pigmentation (Ilb) was predicted and its presence later confirmed in two lines. We ascribe most tissue-specific accumulation of anthocyanins to the presence of a different set of Pl alleles. Cyanidin, as a major pigment, and peonidin, as a minor pigment, were detected in purple-pigmented tissues. Further, the floral organ-derived tissues always contained a higher level of anthocyanins and, correspondingly, a relatively increased proportion of peonidin. One line, N22B, with a brown pericarp was identified and shown to accumulate proanthocyanidins, but with no anthocyanins, in the pericarp. We propose that the accumulation of proanthocyanidins is due to a block in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway in rice at the anthocyanidin synthase-mediated conversion of leucoanthocyanidin to anthocyanidin.     

ESSs with two types of players II (intra- and interspecific competition between haploid species)

The investigation of strategy evolution resulting from animal behavior is continued using a new approach to multispecies evolutionary games. A different interpretation of the known result that contestants in asymetrical games choose pure strategies is proven. This leads to a classification of all evolutionarily stable strategies (ESS) when there is no selection from interspecific competitions. In case the dimension of the strategy space is restricted as in a diallelic haploid model, the phase portrait of the evolutionary dynamics is illustrated. The results are then compared with the previous approach and to models of sex dependent selection in randomly mating diploid species.     

Study of LDH variants amongst the Mundas in Ranchi district,Bihar, India

Summary LDH variants were tested for in 392 bloods samples taken from Christian and non-Christian Munda groups, of Ranchi, Bihar by the filter paper technique. Six cases of LDH Cal-1 variant were detected (1.53%). This result is compared with that obtained in Hindu upper caste and Hindu lower caste of West Bengal, and the Munda population was found to be closer to the lower caste people than the upper caste (t=1.752, 0.05> P>0.025).

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Zusammenfassung 392 Blutproben von Mundas aus christlichen und nichtchristlichen Gruppen, aus Ranchi (Bihar) wurden mit Hilfe der Filterpapiertechnik gesammelt und auf LDH-Varianten gestestet. 6 Fälle (1,53%) der Variante LDH Cal-1 wurden entedeckt. Dieser Wert wird verglichen mit dem von Hindus höherer und niederer Kasten aus West-Bengalen. Die Mundas ähneln den unteren Kasten mehr als den höheren (t=1,752; 0,05> P>0,025).

     

Cytodiagnosis of granulocytic sarcoma presenting as superior vena cava syndrome in acute myeloblastic leukemia. A case report.

We describe a rare case of acute myeloblastic leukemia presenting with superior vena cava syndrome due to a mediastinal granulocytic sarcoma. The morphologic diagnosis of granulocytic sarcoma was obtained from computed tomography-guided fine needle aspiration cytology. This is the second such case described in the world literature.