An investigation on medical arthropoda was conducted from 3-30/8/2002 at 4 study sites: A Roang, Hong Van, Ta Rut and Hung Phung in Ho Chi Minh road (Quang Tri and Thua Thien – Hue segments). 3 species of flea (Siphonaptera), 3 species of ticks (Ixodidae), 6 species of mite (Trombiculidae) and 19 species of tiggs (Gamasoidea), 38 species of Culicinae and 19 species of Anopheles were collected. These belong to 8 families, 2 classes: Acarina and Insecta. Medical arthropoda with epidemiological function such as flea: Xenopsylla cheopis, tick: Leptotrombidium (L) deliense, Garhliepia (W) chinensis, mite Orthonyssus bacoti, mosquito Aedes albopictus, Culex tritaeniohyncus
Epidemiology ; Arthropods ; Invertebrates

BACKGROUND: Several inhalant allergens are newly identified from arthropods including insects or arachnids recently. Aphids (Heteroptera: Aphididae) are widespread sucking insects, which are parasitic on numerous host plants such as various crops, trees and weeds. Among aphids, Aphis gossypii is a particularly polyphagous species that has been described on almost 300 host plants from various botanical families. Thus A. gossypii is found throughout the country and is a species anyone can easily contact. It is unknown whether aphids have a role in the pathogenesis of respiratory allergy. OBJECTIVE: We assumed that aphids can act as an inhalant allergen on the hypothesis that numerous allergenic materials are released from aphids and become airborne. Using a representative species, A. gossypii, this study was performed to evaluate the antigenicity of an aphid allergen in patients with respiratory allergic diseases. METHODS: Skin prick test with crude extracts of A. gossypii and 50 common inhalant allergens was performed for 225 subjects with respiratory allergic diseases (bronchial asthma and/or rhinitis). A. gossypii-specific IgE (sIgE) were detected by means of ELISA, and IgE- binding components were identified by SDS-PAGE with immunoblot analysis. RESULTS: Of the 225 enrolled subjects, 37 (16.4%) subjects showed positive skin reactivity to A. gossypii. Of them, 17 (7.6%) subjects had A. gossypii-sIgE by ELISA. The SDS-PAGE of A. gossypii extracts showed various protein bands ranging from 9 to 200 kd. Of them, diverse IgE-binding pattern was noted for individual subject by immunoblot analysis. The inhibitory ELISA results indicated that IgE binding to A. gossypii was partially inhibited by the allergenic extracts of house dust mite (HDM), cockroach, or other aphid (Acyrthosiphon kondoi). Finally, A. gossypii-bronchial challenge test was conducted for one asthmatic farmer with skin reactivity to A. gossypii and strong job-related symptoms, but showed no significant response. CONCLUSION: A. gossypii can elicit IgE response in some patients with respiratory allergic diseases. A. gossypii may have a cross-reactivity with HDM and cockroach. Further study will be needed to evaluate its clinical significance in respiratory allergy patients.
Allergens ; Aphids* ; Arachnida ; Arthropods ; Asthma ; Cockroaches ; Complex Mixtures ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Insects ; Pyroglyphidae ; Skin ; Trees

The serotonergic system in vertebrates and invertebrates has been a focus for over 50 years and will likely continue in the future. Recently, genomic analysis and discovery of alternative splicing and differential expression in tissues have increased the knowledge of serotonin (5-HT) receptor types. Comparative studies can provide useful insights to the wide variety of mechanistic actions of 5-HT responsible for behaviors regulated or modified by 5-HT. To determine cellular responses and influences on neural systems as well as the efferent control of behaviors by the motor units, preparations amenable to detailed studies of synapses are beneficial as working models. The invertebrate neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) offer some unique advantages for such investigations; action of 5-HT at crustacean NMJs has been widely studied, and leech and Aplysia continue to be key organisms. However, there are few studies in insects likely due to the focus in modulation within the CNS and lack of evidence of substantial action of 5-HT at the Drosophila NMJs. There are only a few reports in gastropods and annelids as well as other invertebrates. In this review we highlight some of the key findings of 5-HT actions and receptor types associated at NMJs in a variety of invertebrate preparations in hopes that future studies will build on this knowledge base.
Alternative Splicing ; Aplysia ; Drosophila ; Gastropoda ; Insects ; Invertebrates ; Knowledge Bases ; Neuromuscular Junction ; Serotonin ; Synapses ; Synaptic Transmission ; Vertebrates

Chigger mites are parasites of rodents and other vertebrates, invertebrates, and other arthropods, and are the only vectors of scrub typhus, in addition to other zoonoses. Therefore, investigating their distribution, diversity, and seasonal abundance is important for public health. Rodent surveillance was conducted at 6 districts in Shandong Province, northern China (114–112°E, 34–38°N), from January to December 2011. Overall, 225/286 (78.7%) rodents captured were infested with chigger mites. A total of 451 chigger mites were identified as belonging to 5 most commonly collected species and 3 genera in 1 family. Leptotrombidium scutellare and Leptotrombidium intermedia were the most commonly collected chigger mites. L. scutellare (66.2%, 36.7%, and 49.0%) was the most frequently collected chigger mite from Apodemus agrarius, Rattus norvegicus, and Microtus fortis, respectively, whereas L. intermedia (61.5% and 63.2%) was the most frequently collected chigger mite from Cricetulus triton and Mus musculus, respectively. This study demonstrated a relatively high prevalence of chigger mites that varied seasonally in Shandong Province, China.
Animals ; Arthropods ; Arvicolinae ; China* ; Cricetinae ; Cricetulus ; Humans ; Invertebrates ; Mice ; Mites* ; Murinae ; Neptune ; Parasites ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Rats ; Rodentia* ; Scrub Typhus ; Seasons ; Trombiculidae* ; Vertebrates ; Zoonoses

Seafood is one of the common causes of food allergies to adults. The sea hare Aplysia kurodai is a marine mollusk which belongs to invertebrate gastropod that has been consumed as a food in Korea. Cases of acute toxic hepatitis after ingestion of sea hares have been reported, but few cases of allergic reactions to sea hare have been reported in the literature. A 33-year-old man was referred to our Emergency Department due to urticaria and periorbital/perioral swelling after eating sea hares. Approximately 10 years ago, he experienced similar allergic reactions to it. Skin prick and intradermal tests showed strong positive responses to crude sea hare allergen extract. He was diagnosed with food allergy to sea hares. We herein report the first case of sea hare allergy after ingestion.
Adult ; Angioedema* ; Aplysia ; Drug-Induced Liver Injury ; Eating* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Gastropoda ; Hares* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Intradermal Tests ; Invertebrates ; Korea ; Mollusca ; Seafood ; Skin ; Urticaria*

Angiostrongylosis is roundworm disease caused by Angiostrongylus. Angiostrongylus including 20 species parasitize mainly in mouse, among which two species cause disease in human are Angiostrongylus cantonensis and Angiostrongylus costaricensis. Angiostrongylus cantonensis was found by Chen H.T in 1935 in China. For pediatric case records that having meningitis syndrome with symptoms of fever, headache, paralytic, cerebrospinal fluid clear or unclear but eosinophil increasing highly, it needs to think of meningitis caused by parasites and do immune test to Angiostrongylus to identify the cause. Early treatment will have good results and avoid severe consequences
Meningoencephalitis ; Angiostrongylus

Microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) have been found in most organisms during the last decade. Since large-scale sequences are being generated, especially those that can be used to search for microsatellites, the development of these markers is getting more convenient. Keeping SSRs in viewing the importance of the application, available CDS (coding sequences) or ESTs (expressed sequence tags) of some eukaryotic species were used to study the frequency and density of various types of microsatellites. On the basis of surveying CDS or EST sequences amounting to 66.6 Mb in silkworm, 37.2 Mb in fly, 20.8 Mb in mosquito, 60.0 Mb in mouse, 34.9 Mb in zebrafish and 33.5 Mb in Caenorhabditis elegans, the frequency of SSRs was 1/1.00 Kb in silkworm, 1/0.77 Kb in fly, 1/1.03 Kb in mosquito, 1/1.21 Kb in mouse, 1/1.25 Kb in zebrafish and 1/1.38 Kb in C. elegans. The overall average SSR frequency of these species is 1/1.07 Kb. Hexanucleotide repeats (64.5%-76.6%) are the most abundant class of SSR in the investigated species, followed by trimeric, dimeric, tetrameric, monomeric and pentameric repeats. Furthermore, the A-rich repeats are predominant in each type of SSRs, whereas G-rich repeats are rare in the coding regions.
Animals ; Anopheles ; genetics ; Bombyx ; genetics ; Caenorhabditis elegans ; genetics ; Drosophila melanogaster ; genetics ; Expressed Sequence Tags ; Genome ; Invertebrates ; genetics ; Mice ; genetics ; Microsatellite Repeats ; genetics ; Zebrafish ; genetics

A 40-year old male, Filipino, farmer, from Bakun, Benguet, presented with a 9 months history of itchiness of right ear. He reported that he was able to collect 4-5 insects every time he cleans his ear. Consult was done with an Ears, Nose and Throat specialist and video-otoscopic examination revealed multi pie animate foreign body (mites) at different stages of development. The patient underwent 5 sessions of ear flushing with warm water at intervals of 2 weeks for 3 months. Collected insects were referred to an entomologist and were identified as Suadasia pontifica Oudemans, belonging to family: Acaridae. Follow up consult after 5 sessions of ear flushing revealed complete removal of mite infestation of his right ear. Patient was instructed to do ear flushing twice daily using warm water mixed with 70% isopropyl alcohol to eradicate any eggs left behind. No other medications were given. Based on Philippine Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Health Research and Development Information Network, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, this is the first reported case of human otoacariasis in the Philippines.
Mites ; Acari

The nineteenth century neuroscience studied the instinct of animal to understand the human mind. In particular, it has been found that the inheritance of unconscious behavior like instinct is mediated through ganglion chains, such as the spinal cord or sympathetic nervous system, which control unconscious reflexes. At the same time, the theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics (hereafter ‘IAC’) widely known as Lamarck's evolutionary theory provided the theoretical frame on the origin of instinct and the heredity of action that the parental generation's habits were converted into the nature of the offspring generation. Contrary to conventional knowledge, this theory was not originally invented by Lamarck, and Darwin also did not discard this theory even after discovering the theory of natural selection in 1838 and maintained it throughout his intellectual life. Above all, in the field of epigenetics, the theory of ‘IAC’ has gained attention as a reliable scientific theory today. Darwin discovered crucial errors in the late 1830s that the Lamarck version's theory of ‘IAC’ did not adequately account for the principle of the inheritance of unconscious behavior like instinct. Lamarck's theory regarded habits as conscious and willful acts and saw that those habits are transmitted through the brain to control conscious actions. Lamarck's theory could not account for the complex and elaborate instincts of invertebrate animals, such as brainless ants. Contrary to Lamarck's view, Darwin established the new theory of ‘IAC’ that could be combined with contemporary neurological theory, which explains the heredity of unconscious behavior. Based on the knowledge of neurology, Darwin was able to translate the ‘principle of habit’ into a neurological term called ‘principle of reflex’. This article focuses on how Darwin join the theory of ‘IAC’ with nineteenth century neuroscience and how the neurological knowledge from the nineteenth century contributed to Darwin's overcoming of Lamarck's ‘IAC’. The significance of this study is to elucidate Darwin's notion of ‘IAC’ theory rather than natural selection theory as a principle of heredity of behavior. The theory of ‘IAC’ was able to account for the rapid variation of instincts in a relatively short period of time, unlike natural selection, which operates slowly in geological time spans of tens of millions of years. The nineteenth century neurological theory also provided neurological principles for ‘plasticity of instinct,’ empirically supporting the fact that all nervous systems responsible for reflexes respond sensitively to very fine stimuli. However, researchers of neo-Darwinian tendencies, such as Richard Dawkins and evolutionary psychologists advocating the ‘selfish gene’ hypothesis, which today claim to be Darwin's descendants, are characterized by human nature embedded in biological information, such as the brain and genes, so that it cannot change at all. This study aims to contribute to reconstructing the evolutionary discourse by illuminating Darwin's insights into the “plasticity of nature” that instincts can change relatively easily even at the level of invertebrates such as earthworms.
Animals ; Ants ; Brain ; Epigenomics ; Ganglion Cysts ; Heredity ; Human Characteristics ; Humans ; Instinct ; Invertebrates ; Nervous System ; Neurology ; Neurosciences ; Oligochaeta ; Parents ; Psychology ; Reflex ; Selection, Genetic ; Spinal Cord ; Sympathetic Nervous System ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation ; Wills

A female patients with ages of 3 admitted urgently in the Institute of ophthalmology in 12/2001 due to the a white spot in the right eye. The examination, paraclinical tests diagnosed as a worm invaded into the ocular anterior chamber that damaged the iris. The patients operated emergency after 3 hours of hospitalization. The results have shown that the causative agent was Angiostrongylus wantonness (male) with opaque, length of 15 mm its stem covered by smooth peal, circle head and obvious teeth.
Anterior Chamber ; Angiostrongylus cantonensis