Colonization and bionomics of the sandfly Phlebotomus kazeruni from Sinai, Egypt

Phlebotomuius kazeruni (Diptera: Psychodidae) females were collected by light-trap in southern Sinai, Egypt, and this sandfly species was colonized for the first time as a laboratory strain, maintained by the procedures of Modi & Tesh (1983). Laboratory-reared females did not lay eggs autogenously; they blood-fed more readily (P=0.02) on a hamster (37%) than a human (22%) during 1 h exposure. Fecundity of hamster-fed females was significantly greater than for those fed on human blood: 69.4 +/- 5.8 vs. 45.2 +/- 8.1 eggs/female from the first gonotrophic cycle. Pre-oviposition and egg incubation periods were significantly less for females fed on hamster compared with human blood, but the larval development and pupation periods were not affected by this difference in bloodmeal source. Egg to adult survival was equivalent (38%) for progeny of females blood-fed on hamster or human. The mean generation time of progeny from females fed on hamster (51.9 +/- 1.0 days) or human (53.3 +/- 1.7 days) was not significantly different. The sex ratio of adult male:female progeny was similar (P=0.2) for both hosts: 42:58% from hamster, 46:54% from human blood-fed female parents. Evidently P. kazeruni from Sinai is sufficiently anthropophagic to be a potential vector of Leishmania from rodents to humans.     

Chemical Contamination of California Drinking Water

Drinking water contamination by toxic chemicals has become widely recognized as a public health concern since the discovery of 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane in California''s Central Valley in 1979. Increased monitoring since then has shown that other pesticides and industrial chemicals are present in drinking water. Contaminants of drinking water also include naturally occurring substances such as asbestos and even the by-products of water chlorination. Public water systems, commercially bottled and vended water and mineral water are regulated, and California is also taking measures to prevent water pollution by chemicals through various new laws and programs.     

ITS 2 sequences heterogeneity in Phlebotomus sergenti and Phlebotomus similis (Diptera,Psychodidae): possible consequences in their ability to transmit Leishmania tropica

An intraspecific study on Phlebotomus sergenti, the main and only proven vector of Leishmania tropica among the members of the subgenus Paraphlebotomus was performed. The internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences of 12 populations from 10 countries (Cyprus, Egypt, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Portugal, Spain, Syria, and Turkey) were compared. Samples also included three species closely related to P. sergenti: Phlebotomus similis (three populations from Greece and Malta), Phlebotomus jacusieli and Phlebotomus kazeruni. Our results confirm the validity of the taxa morphologically characterised, and imply the revision of their distribution areas, which are explained through biogeographical events. At the Miocene time, a migration route, north of the Paratethys sea would have been followed by P. similis to colonise the north of the Caucasus, Crimea, Balkans including Greece and its islands, and western Turkey. Phlebotomus sergenti would have followed an Asiatic dispersion as well as a western migration route south of the Tethys sea to colonise North Africa and western Europe. This hypothesis seems to be well supported by high degree of variation observed in the present study, which is not related to colonisation or to intra-populational variation. Two groups can be individualised, one oriental and one western in connection with ecology, host preferences and distribution of L. tropica. We hypothesise that they could be correlated with differences in vectorial capacities.     

Visible Spectral Linearisation, Gradient Shift and Normalisation in Quantifying Carambola Acidity

Color alteration is one of the major indicators of the maturity and level of ripeness of fruits. A strong relationship also exists between the color and acidity of fruits. Three different spectral analyses have been conducted in the visible region of the measured spectrum to quantify the acidity or pH of B10 carambola. Spectral linearisation, gradient shift, and normalisation analyses within the wavelength range of 550 and 675?nm have been applied on the spectra of intact carambola samples. These two wavelength points are selected because of their best response and strong link to carotenoid and chlorophyll contents in carambola. The spectra are measured through reflectance and interactance measurement techniques. High coefficients of determination (R² >0.7) generated for all analyses indicate that a strong relationship exists between the presented color analyses and the acidity of the carambolas. Interactance has a better accuracy and precision in measuring the carambola acidity compared with the reflectance technique.