Insecticide resistance in vector mosquitoes in China

Because of their special behaviour, physiology and close relationship with humans, mosquitoes act as one of the most important vectors of human diseases, such as filariasis, Japanese encephalitis, dengue and malaria. The major vector mosquitoes are members of the Culex, Aedes and Anopheles genera. Insecticides play important roles in agricultural production and public health, especially in a country with a huge human population, like China. Large quantities of four classes of insecticides, organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids, are applied annually to fields or indoors in China, directly or indirectly bringing heavy selection pressure on vector populations. The seven major species of vector mosquito in China are the Culex pipiens L. complex, C. tritaeniorhynchus Giles, Anopheles sinensis Wied., A. minimus Theobald, A. anthropophagus Xu & Feng, Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Ae. aegypti L., and all have evolved resistance to all the above types of insecticide except the carbamates. The degree of resistance varies among mosquito species, insecticide classes and regions. This review summarizes the resistance status of these important vector mosquitoes, according to data reported since the 1990s, in order to improve resistance management and epidemic disease control, and to communicate this information from China to the wider community.     

基于磁光图像的飞机铆钉缺陷识别

针对飞机铆钉磁光图像的识别问题,提出了一种基于模糊支持向量机的裂纹有无和裂纹方向自动识别的新方法。该方法首先对铆钉磁光图像进行预处理得到铆钉二值化图像;然后采用阈值法求取铆钉中心;最后将由铆钉中心发出的星形射线矢量作为特征,采用模糊支持向量机方法对铆钉有无裂纹和裂纹方向进行分类。其中,支持向量机的核宽及惩罚常数采用网格法进行选取,并结合模糊隶属度函数解决多类分类问题中存在的错分和拒分现象。实验结果表明,使用训练获得的支持向量机分类器识别裂纹缺陷取得了很好的效果,能够满足自动检测的高实时性要求。     

Control methods against invasive Aedes mosquitoes in Europe: a review

Five species of invasive Aedes mosquitoes have recently become established in Europe: Ae. albopictus, Ae. aegypti, Ae. japonicus japonicus, Ae. koreicus and Ae. atropalpus. These mosquitoes are a serious nuisance for people and are also competent vectors for several exotic pathogens such as dengue and chikungunya viruses. As they are a growing public health concern, methods to control these mosquitoes need to be implemented to reduce their biting and their potential for disease transmission. There is a crucial need to evaluate methods as part of an integrated invasive mosquito species control strategy in different European countries, taking into account local Aedes infestations and European regulations. This review presents the control methods available or in development against invasive Aedes mosquitoes, with a particular focus on those that can be implemented in Europe. These control methods are divided into five categories: environmental (source reduction), mechanical (trapping), biological (e.g. copepods, Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis, Wolbachia), chemical (insect growth regulators, pyrethroids) and genetic (sterile insect technique and genetically modified mosquitoes). We discuss the effectiveness, ecological impact, sustainability and stage of development of each control method. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

Aphid stylet activities during potyvirus acquisition from plants and anin vitro system that correlate with subsequent transmission

The behavioural events associated with acquisition of tobacco etch potyvirus by starvedMyzus persicae during single, electrically-recorded penetrations of plants or a Parafilm membrane were compared. Twenty nine percent of aphids acquired virus from plants and subsequently transmitted to test plants. Stylet puncture of the plasmalemma, indicated by a potential drop (pd) to the intracellular signal voltage level, occurred during 84% of penetrations, and virus transmission was always associated with this behavioural event during acquisition. Periods of intracellular stylet tip location, known as pd phase II, ranged from 3.6–12.2s, and always comprised three consecutive sub-phases, designated II1, II2 and II3. Ninety six percent of pds included distinct pulses during phase II3. A waveform which closely resembled these pulses was produced by 59% of aphids that probed a virus suspension through a Parafilm membrane; nineteen percent of the aphids subsequently transmitted membrane-acquired virus and transmission was significantly associated with the occurrence of the phase II3-like pulses during acquisition. The duration of occurrence of recorded phase II3 pulses, either on plants or thein vitro system, did not influence the virus transmission efficiency of aphids. The association of virus uptake from aqueous suspension with a particular behavioural activity is discussed as evidence for the ingestion-egestion hypothesis for nonpersistent transmission. Starved aphids acquiring virus from infected leaf tissue or thein vitro system had significantly higher transmission efficiencies than non-starved aphids. Starved and non-starved insects were electrically-recorded penetrating the artificial membrane, and again there was a clear difference in transmission efficiency (starved aphids, 26%; non-starved aphids, 2%). The higher transmission efficiency of starved insects could not be explained by behavioural differences, and the results lend support to the hypothesis that non-behavioural factors determine the enhancement of potyvirus transmission by preacquisition starvation.Abbreviations BMV Beet mosaic virus - EMF Electromotive force - HAT Highly aphid-transmissible - HC Helper component - pd Potential drop - PVY Potato virus Y - TEV Tobacco etch virus     

人工培养液在植原体昆虫介体筛选中的适用性

研究了一种人工培养液对各种常见的昆虫(主要是叶蝉)的亲和性和适用性.结果表明,该人工培养液适于本试验中大多数昆虫的人工饲养.用此方法,悬钩子广头叶蝉Macropsis.ftscula Zetterstedt和桤树广头叶蝉Oncopsis alniSchrank分别被再次确认为悬钩子矮化植原体和桤树黄化植原体的传播介体;田旋花麦蜡蝉Hyalesthes obsoletus Signoret再次被确认为葡萄黄化(stolbur)植原体的传播介体.此前,上述三种叶蝉已被传统的人工接种方法鉴定为相应植原体的传播介体.危害桤树的河谷树叶蝉Allygus modestus Scott尽管虫体DNA检测结果经常为阳性,但迄今其人工培养液的检测结果都是阴性,因此,我们认为河谷树叶蝉不是桤树黄化植原体的传播介体.Eppendorf管人工培养液饲养法不仅适用于潜在的植原体介体昆虫的筛选鉴定,而且可用于介体昆虫的生物防治研究.此外,本研究首次发现自然感染了葡萄上的一种被德国人称为"Vergi-lungskrankheit"植原体(AY组)的草地脊冠叶蝉Aprodes makarovi Zachvatkin.     

Control of potato virus Y (PVY) in seed potatoes by oil spraying,straw mulching and intercropping

Potato virus Y (PVY) is the potato virus with the highest economic impact on seed potato production. Insecticides are efficient in controlling aphids, which are the vectors of this virus, but rarely limit virus spread in the field. Straw mulching and mineral oil spraying are known as alternatives to insecticides to reduce PVY incidence, but important year‐to‐year variation in efficacy has been observed with both of these techniques. Preliminary studies revealed the efficacy of intercropping in controlling PVY spread, but more data are needed to validate this observation. A four‐year field trial was conducted in Switzerland to assess the potential synergistic effect of combining mineral oil spraying with straw mulching to increase the protection of seed potato crops against PVY spread. Furthermore, the efficacy of intercropping with oat and hairy vetch was examined as a novel way to control in‐field PVY spread. The present work demonstrates that the modes of action of mineral oil and straw mulching are complementary and reduce the year‐to‐year variation observed with oil and straw when used alone as PVY control agents. The results also demonstrate the efficacy of intercropping for the control of PVY, and the mode of action of this novel control method is discussed. Overall, this work shows that it is possible to increase the protection of potato fields against PVY spread by combining control strategies with different modes of action that complement each other, such as mulching, oil spraying and intercropping.     

New aphid vectors and efficiency of transmission of Potato virus A and strains of Potato virus Y in the UK

The aphid‐transmitted viruses Potato virus Y (PVY) and Potato virus A (PVA) commonly affect seed potatoes in the UK. The transmission efficiency for aphid species is used to calculate a potential transmission risk and is expressed as a relative efficiency factor (REF). These REFs have not previously been calculated for UK strains of viruses or aphid clones. Using a previously published method, REFs have been calculated for the aphid species and viruses commonly occurring in UK potatoes. The efficiency of transmission of Myzus persicae is nominally set to a REF of 1 and REFs for other species are calculated relative to this. These data represent the first set of REFs calculated for PVA transmission. Macrosiphum euphorbiae (REF 0.91) was almost as efficient as M. persicae at PVA transmission. The data were further analysed to compare transmission rates of PVY and PVA using a binomial (logit) generalized mixed model to take into account the potential influence of variation in virus titre between leaves. This approach found that there is little variation between the efficiency of transmission between clones of each aphid species or between strains within a virus species. This is a first report that Aphis fabae, Metopolophium dirhodum, Sitobion avenae, Acyrthosiphon pisum and Cavariella aegopodii have the ability to vector PVA. This study also represents a first report that C. aegopodii has the ability to vector PVY and confirms the potential of S. avenae, A. fabae, M. euphorbiae and Rhopalosiphum padi as important PVY vectors.     

利用桥梁载体策略构建水稻条斑病菌T3SS基因诱导表达检测体系

 水稻条斑病菌(Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, Xoc)侵染水稻,引起细菌性条斑病(bacterial leaf streak, BLS)。Xoc主要依靠hrp基因簇(T3SS基因)编码的III型分泌系统(type III secretion system, T3SS)将效应蛋白注入水稻细胞中,激发寄主水稻的感(抗)病性。为了准确在Xoc中进行T3SS基因表达调控的分析,本研究设计出桥梁载体策略,将目标基因的启动子或者功能片段构建在高拷贝的桥梁载体,获得融合表达元件,通过亚克隆的方式将融合元件转入骨架载体上,获得用于转录表达和蛋白表达分析的载体。为了验证该策略的可行性,选取hrpG、hrpX和hrcC基因构建了相应的启动子探针载体和蛋白表达载体,将这些载体导入毒性调控子基因trh、lrpX和zur的突变体中,GUS活性测定、荧光定量PCR以及蛋白免疫杂交结果显示:在trh、lrpX和zur的突变体中,hrpG、hrpX和hrcC的转录表达水平、mRNA水平和蛋白表达水平呈现一致。这表明这套桥梁载体策略能够有效应用于T3SS基因转录表达和蛋白表达的分析。综上所述,运用桥梁载体能够克服低拷贝载体DNA遗传操作效率低的缺陷,这一策略也适用于毒性相关基因调控机理的研究,这将为Xoc-水稻互作研究提供高效的工作系统。     

利用桥梁载体策略构建水稻条斑病菌T3SS基因诱导表达检测体系

 水稻条斑病菌(Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, Xoc)侵染水稻,引起细菌性条斑病(bacterial leaf streak, BLS)。Xoc主要依靠hrp基因簇(T3SS基因)编码的III型分泌系统(type III secretion system, T3SS)将效应蛋白注入水稻细胞中,激发寄主水稻的感(抗)病性。为了准确在Xoc中进行T3SS基因表达调控的分析,本研究设计出桥梁载体策略,将目标基因的启动子或者功能片段构建在高拷贝的桥梁载体,获得融合表达元件,通过亚克隆的方式将融合元件转入骨架载体上,获得用于转录表达和蛋白表达分析的载体。为了验证该策略的可行性,选取hrpG、hrpX和hrcC基因构建了相应的启动子探针载体和蛋白表达载体,将这些载体导入毒性调控子基因trh、lrpX和zur的突变体中,GUS活性测定、荧光定量PCR以及蛋白免疫杂交结果显示:在trh、lrpX和zur的突变体中,hrpG、hrpX和hrcC的转录表达水平、mRNA水平和蛋白表达水平呈现一致。这表明这套桥梁载体策略能够有效应用于T3SS基因转录表达和蛋白表达的分析。综上所述,运用桥梁载体能够克服低拷贝载体DNA遗传操作效率低的缺陷,这一策略也适用于毒性相关基因调控机理的研究,这将为Xoc-水稻互作研究提供高效的工作系统。     

Measures aimed at controlling the invasion of Simulium damnosum Theobald s.l. (Diptera: Simuliidae) into the Onchocerciasis Control Programme Area. III. Searches in the Upper Niger Basin of Guinea for additional sources of flies invading south‐eastern Mali

Abstract

Very large breeding sites of the onchocerciasis vector, Simulium sirbanum were discovered along the Rivers Niger, Mafou, Kouya, Niandan and Milo in the Upper Niger Basin of Guinea. Flies reared from these breeding sites and caught biting man nearby were found to be in the same size range as those collected in the south‐eastern Mali invasion zone of the Onchocerciasis Control Programme Area. The periodicity of the Mali invasion appeared to be related to the hydrological conditions in the Upper Niger Basin during the early monsoon. During this period, rising water levels greatly increase vector breeding in the principal rapids of the Niger and its tributaries which lie upwind and to the south‐west of the invasion sites in south‐eastern Mali. The Mali invasion ceases towards the height of the rainy season when many of these rapids are flooded. It was concluded that the very large breeding sites associated with the principal rapids in the Upper Niger Basin were the main sources of the S. sirbanum invading south‐eastern Mali.     

Effects of lambda-cyhalothrin on mosquito larvae and predatory aquatic insects

Agricultural insecticides can affect mosquito production in rice fields by controlling mosquitoes, disrupting biological control or contributing to selection of insecticide resistance. The duration of insecticidal activity of the pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin was quantified on predatory insects in rice fields and on three kinds of mosquito larva: a pyrethroid-susceptible strain of Culex tarsalis Coquillet, a pyrethroid-resistant strain of Cx pipiens L. (sensu lato) and non-resistant Cx pipiens s.l. Lambda-cyhalothrin killed most caged, susceptible mosquitoes for up to 21 days. It killed fewer resistant Cx pipiens s.l., but suppressed their survival for over a week. Lambda-cyhalothrin suppressed field populations of predatory insects through day 29. Agricultural use of lambda-cyhalothrin can provide incidental mosquito control. However, the pyrethroid persisted in sediment and gradually decreased in activity, which could contribute to selection of pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes. Because caged mosquitoes showed good survival before predators recovered, disruption of biological control is possible. It is therefore advisable for growers and mosquito control agencies to communicate about pesticide use.     

中国植物弹状病毒研究进展

弹状病毒含有单链负义RNA基因组,寄主范围比较广泛,能侵染无脊椎动物、脊椎动物以及植物等寄主,对人类的健康、农作物产量和自然生态系统造成严重威胁。植物弹状病毒主要根据复制场所分为细胞质弹状病毒属Cytorhabdovirus和细胞核弹状病毒属Nucleorhabdovirus,其基因组由单股负链RNA组成。此外,Dichorhavirus和Varicosavirus病毒属是两个新鉴定的植物弹状病毒属,其特征是具有二分体基因组。本文着重介绍危害我国农作物的几类植物弹状病毒,对它们的病理学、病害流行、基因组信息以及传播媒介进行概述,为中国植物弹状病毒病害的研究提供理论依据。     

瘿螨传播植物病毒病害的研究进展

瘿螨是植物病毒病的一类传播媒介。根据国内外大量最新资料,从瘿螨生物学,为害和病毒不的角度较为详尽地分析了小麦线条花叶病毒,小麦斑点花叶,黑麦草花叶病,冰草花叶病,葱属植物病毒,小麦糜疯病,黑醋栗退化病,无花果花叶病,桃花叶病,樱桃斑驳花叶,蔷薇丛簇病和木豆不孕花叶病这１２种已被确认为瘿螨所传播的病毒病的特点,症状,病毒特性和防治方法,帮助人们进一步了解螨传病毒。     

Leafhoppers Exitianus atratus and Amplicephalus funzaensis transmit phytoplasmas of groups 16SrI and 16SrVII in Colombia

The phytoplasmas of groups 16SrI (‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’) and 16SrVII (‘Ca. Phytoplasma fraxini’) have been associated with phytoplasma diseases in several urban tree species in Bogotá, Colombia and surrounding areas. The insect vectors responsible for this phytoplasma transmission are unknown. The objectives of this study were to test for the presence of phytoplasmas in leafhopper species (Cicadellidae) collected in areas with diseased trees and to determine the phytoplasma transmission ability of two of these species. Leafhoppers of nine species were collected at two sampling sites and tested by nested or double nested PCR using primers for the 16S rRNA gene. The amplicons were subjected to RFLP and/or sequencing analysis. Phytoplasmas of group 16SrI were detected in morphospecies MF05 (Haldorus sp.), group 16SrVII in MF07 (Xestocephalus desertorum), MF08 (Empoasca sp.) and MF09 (Typhlocybinae), and both groups 16SrI and 16SrVII in MF01 (Empoasca sp.), MF02 (Typhlocybinae), MF03 (Scaphytopius sp.), MF04 (Amplicephalus funzaensis) and MF06 (Exitianus atratus). Transmission tests to uninfected bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris) were performed using field collected A. funzaensis and E. atratus individuals in separate assays. After 5 weeks, the test plants exposed to individuals of both species of leafhoppers showed symptoms, suggesting phytoplasma infection. Phytoplasma groups 16SrI and 16SrVII were detected in the two groups of exposed plants, indicating that A. funzaensis and E. atratus were able to transmit both groups of phytoplasmas. This is the first report of insect vectors for phytoplasmas of group 16SrVII in the world and of 16SrI in South America.     

Stage-specific action of juvenile hormone analogs

The discovery of juvenile hormones (JH) and their synthetic analogs (JHA) generated excitement and hope that these compounds will replace first- and second-generation insecticides that have not so desirable environmental and human safety profiles. However, JHAs used commercially during the past four decades did not meet these expectations. The recent availability of advanced molecular and histological methods and the discovery of key players involved in JH action provided some insights into the functioning of JHA in a stage and species-specific manner. In this review, we will summarize recent findings and stage-specific action of JHA, focusing on three commercially used JHA, methoprene, hydroprene and pyriproxyfen and economically important pests, the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, and the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens, and disease vector, the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti.     

基于支持向量机的石羊河流域径流模拟适用性评价

基于VC维和结构化风险最小理论的支持向量机方法因具有较好的学习和泛化能力而在预测预报领域得到广泛的应用。文中选取当月平均降水量、上月平均降水量以及当月平均相对湿度、平均最高气温和平均最低气温五个预报因子,采用Gridsearch算法优化参数,建立了基于支持向量机的月径流预报模型,并将其应用于石羊河流域八个子流域,定量分析其适用性。结果表明:模型在率定期和验证期模拟的平均Nash-Sutcliffe效率系数分别为0.831和0.806,相对误差分别在6%和5%以内;除个别峰值模拟较小之外,流量序列整体模拟效果较好;模型在丰水时段模拟值小于实测值,枯水时段模拟值大于实测值,在平水时段和枯水时段的模拟效果要优于丰水月份。因此,支持向量机模型在石羊河流域具有较好的适用性,可用于该流域的中长期水文预报。