The mechanism of resistance to lindane and hexadeuterated lindane in the Third Yumenoshima strain of house fly

The factors which cause lindane resistance in the Third Yumenoshima strain, a strain of house flies highly resistant to insecticides, were studied using hexadeuterated lindane. Hexadeuterated lindane has the same physicochemical properties as lindane, but the former is much less biodegradable than the latter. The LD₅₀ ratio of lindane to hexadeuterated lindane in this strain, deuterium isotope effect on LD₅₀ values, was larger than that in S_NAIDM, a susceptible (nonresistant) strain. The penetration rates of labeled and nonlabeled lindane through the insect cuticle were about the same for both strains. Thus, penetration rate does not cause resistance. The metabolic degradation of lindane in the resistant strain in vivo occurred much faster than in the susceptible strain. This was also the case for lindane degradation processes in vitro such as microsomal oxidation and glutathione conjugation. In both strains, significant isotope effects were observed in the degradation rates in vitro of labeled and nonlabeled lindane. Therefore, principal biodegradation and detoxication pathways should include reactions which cleave the CH bonds. When the much less biodegradable d₆ counterpart of lindane was applied to both strains, the susceptible strain became much more highly intoxicated than the other within 20 to 30 min. This indicates that a combination of both greater degradability and probably lower sensitivity at the action site are the main factors underlying resistance in the Third Yumenoshima strain.     

Insecticidal activity and microsomal metabolism of biooxidizable lindane analogs

The insecticidal activity of lindane analogs, in which some chlorine atoms were replaced by other groups susceptible to microsomal oxidative metabolism, was determined against mosquitos, house flies, and German cockroaches. When tested with a synergist, piperonyl butoxide, one of the methylthio analogs was as active as lindane, whereas several others were also highly active. By examining the ratio of synergized and unsynergized LD₅₀ values (synergistic ratio value), the highly insecticidal methylthio, methoxy, and methyl analogs appear to undergo metabolic detoxication effectively in house flies. By means of in vitro metabolism experiments using microsomal fraction from house fly abdomen, the methoxy, ethoxy, and methylthio analogs were shown to be metabolized rapidly at similar rates. The synergized insecticidal activities of these compounds against various insect species relate linearly with each other, suggesting that the oxidative degradation is inhibited by the synergist to a similar extent and that the transport process to the site of action is not a limiting factor in determining the relative insecticidal activity.     

Protein requirement of laying Japanese quail.

1. Two feeding experiments were conducted to determine the crude protein requirement of laying Japanese quail. Birds were fed to provide 293 kJ ME and 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 g protein/d. 2. As protein intake increased from 2 to 5 g egg production increased. 3. Quadratic relationships between protein intake and egg production and protein intake and egg weight were derived. 4. To maintain a production of 90 eggs/100 bird d and an egg weight of 9.3 g required 4.9 g protein and approximately 264 kJ ME/d.     

Preparation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against an avian reovirus

Thirteen monoclonal antibodies against avian reovirus strain Uchida were derived. Of the 13 antibodies, three (MAb1, MAb2, and MAb3) had the ability to neutralize the infectivity of the virus. MAb1 neutralized strains Uchida, CS-108, and TS-142 equally. MAb2 neutralized the same three strains, but the activity of neutralization was 10 times higher against Uchida than against CS-108 and TS-142. MAb3 neutralized only strain Uchida. It seems that MAb1 and MAb2 have a rather broad neutralization activity and that MAb3 has a type-specific activity. These data indicate that there are both type-specific and more broadly specific neutralization epitopes in avian reovirus particles, as in mammalian reoviruses. In Western blot analysis, MAb1 bound to a sigma protein of strain Uchida, so it was suggested that this protein carries the epitope of the less specific neutralizing activity.     

Synergism and stability of acetamiprid resistance in a laboratory colony of Plutella xylostella

The involvement of metabolic enzymes in the resistance of a laboratory colony of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L), to the neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid was determined with the synergists piperonyl butoxide (PBO), which suppresses the activity of cytochrome P-450 monooxygenases, and S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate (DEF), an inhibitor of esterases, using the leaf-dipping method. Both PBO and DEF enhanced the insecticidal activity of acetamiprid significantly in the resistant P. xylostella strain but not in a reference strain, suggesting that cytochrome P-450 monooxygenases and esterases play an important role in the resistance of P. xylostella to acetamiprid. The resistant P. xylostella strain was also reared without further exposure to acetamiprid to determine the stability of resistance. Maintaining the resistant strain for seven generations in the absence of selection pressure resulted in a drop in resistance ratio from 110 to 2.42, indicating that acetamiprid resistance in P. xylostella is not stable.     

Isolation of a human erythrocyte-adapted substrain of Babesia rodhaini and analysis of the merozoite surface protein gene sequences

Babesia rodhaini is a rodent hemoparasite closely related to B. microti, the major causative agent of human babesiosis. We tested the infectivity of B. rodhaini for human erythrocytes by using the SCID mouse model in which the circulating erythrocytes were replaced with those of humans. Initially, parasites grew very poorly in the mouse model, but a variant capable of propagating in human erythrocytes emerged after an adaptation period of three weeks. In an attempt to identify parasite proteins involved in the alteration of host cell preference, an expression cDNA library of B. rodhaini was constructed and screened with immune mouse sera. Although we were able to obtain three merozoite surface protein (MSP) genes, sequences of these genes from both the parental strain and human erythrocyte-adapted substrain were identical. Our results suggest that B. rodhaini has potential ability to infect human erythrocytes, but development of this ability may not be brought about by an amino acid change in MSPs.