Impact of climate change on vector- and rodent-borne infectious diseases.

Background: Endemic and imported vector- and rodent-borne infectious agents can be linked to high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, vector- and rodent-borne human diseases and the effects of climate change are important public health issues. Methods: For this review, the relevant literature was identified and evaluated according to the thematic aspects and supplemented with an analysis of surveillance data for Germany. Results: Factors such as increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and human behaviour may influence the epidemiology of vector- and rodent-borne infectious diseases in Germany. Conclusions: The effects of climatic changes on the spread of vector- and rodent-borne infectious diseases need to be further studied in detail and considered in the context of climate adaptation measures.

Methods for Testing Repellents Against Bed Bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae).

Bed bug repellents should not only prevent humans from being bitten but impede an infestation of personal belongings. Only a few test proposals for evaluating the efficacy of repellents against bed bugs have been published so far. In the present study, two test systems were assessed for efficacy testing with five potential bed bug repellents (cinnamon oil, icaridin, N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), permethrin, and margosa extract). The first test setup was a harborage choice test system that consisted of a crystallizing dish with a treated and an untreated harborage. Sixty minutes and 24 h after treatment, DEET, icaridin, and cinnamon oil showed the highest repellency with a median proportion of at least 99% repelled bed bugs. The second test system was a barrier test. Bed bugs were attracted by CO2 and heat to cross filter papers treated with the potential repellents. The repellency of substances was significantly lower in comparison to the harborage choice test, except for DEET. The latter showed the highest repellency (97%) against bed bugs 24 h after application compared to controls. Results show that bed bugs are less sensitive to repellents when searching for a bloodmeal than when searching for a shelter.

Detection of target-site and metabolic resistance to pyrethroids in the bed bug Cimex lectularius in Berlin, Germany.

Knockdown-resistance (kdr) against pyrethroids in bed bugs (Cimex lectularis) is associated with the presence of several point mutations in the voltage-sensitive sodium channel α-subunit gene and/or an increased metabolic detoxification by cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs). In the present study, pyrosequencing assays were developed to quantify the presence of the kdr substitutions (V419L or L925I substitution) in bed bugs in Berlin, Germany. In 14 of 17 bed bug field strains, pyrosequencing revealed the presence of the substitution L925I with allele frequencies between 30% and 100%. One field strain additionally carried the substitution V419L with allele frequencies of 40% in males and 96% in females. In seven of the 17 field strains, mRNA levels of four CYP genes were examined using RT-qPCR. Relative to a susceptible laboratory reference strain, five field strains showed significantly higher mRNA levels of cyp397a1 with 7.1 to 56-fold increases. One of these strains additionally showed a 4.9-fold higher mRNA level of cyp398a1 compared to the reference strain, while cyp4cm1 and cyp6dn1 showed no significant differences. Our findings indicate that multiple resistance mechanisms are present in German C. lectularius populations simultaneously.

A Novel Simulated-Use Test for Determining the Efficacy of Insecticides Against Bed Bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae).

The common bed bug Cimex lectularius L. has undergone a worldwide expansion in recent years, due to increased opportunities for dispersal and development of insecticide resistance. For successful control, efficacy testing of products against bed bugs and determination of insecticide resistance under practical conditions are of outstanding importance. A new test system mimicking the practical use situation of residual insecticides was developed and evaluated. Bed bugs were attracted by CO2 and heat to cross surfaces treated with alpha-cypermethrin and bendiocarb. In contrast to the complete efficacy of alpha-cypermethrin (less than 1% surviving bed bugs [with one exception of 5%]), only 45.3, 46, and 29% of insecticide-susceptible bed bugs showed lethal damage 7 d after contact with freshly bendiocarb-treated wallpaper or insecticide aged for 1 or 2 wk. Results show that the efficacy of different insecticides can be assessed with this new test system. Moreover, susceptibility to deltamethrin of five bed bug field strains, collected from infested apartments in Berlin, Germany, was determined in a filter paper contact bioassay. Resistance ratios (RRs) ranged between 4.3 and 20.7. In the novel simulated-use test, efficacy of alpha-cypermethrin was tested against the bed bug strain with the highest RR. In contrast to the insecticide-susceptible laboratory strain, alpha-cypermethrin was not effective against the field strain, where 26-50% of the bed bugs survived and even laid eggs. These results provide evidence for the presence of practically relevant pyrethroid resistance in bed bugs in Germany.

Rat cytomegalovirus (RCMV) English isolate and a newly identified Berlin isolate share similarities with but are separate as an anciently diverged clade from Mouse CMV and the Maastricht isolate of RCMV.

The genome of the rat cytomegalovirus (RCMV) English isolate (MuHV-8) differs significantly from the RCMV Maastricht isolate (MuHV-2) and other cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) in its size, base composition and genomic content. Analysis of the RCMV-Berlin isolate, MuHV-8, revealed that the two MuHV-8 isolates are highly similar in genome size and content, indicating that the smaller genome size (202 946 bp) compared to other known CMVs was not the result of an accidental deletion during passage in tissue culture. Surprisingly, the proteins encoded in MuHV-8 shared more overall similarity with their orthologues from mouse CMV (MuHV-1) compared to their orthologues in rat CMV (MuHV-2). Phylogenetic analyses of conserved viral genes showed that the two MuHV-8 isolates are from the same species and represent a unique clade that is distinct from other rodent CMVs.

Efficacy of anticoagulant-free alternative bait products against house mice (Mus musculus) and brown rats (Rattus norvegicus).

The attractiveness and efficacy of four anonymous anticoagulant-free alternative rodenticides (active ingredients cellulose or plaster) were tested on wild strain groups of house mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus) and brown rats (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout) in laboratory choice and no-choice experiments. In no-choice tests, the rodenticide product was offered ad libitum to the animals for 21 days (mice) and 10 days (rats), respectively. In choice tests, the rodenticide product and non-poisoned food were offered for 28 days (mice) and 14 days (rats). Two products with cellulose (C1 and C2) as the active ingredient were tested against both mice and rats. In two no-choice tests with mice, all animals died within 14 days (C1) and 21 days (C2); in a third no-choice test, 11% (2/18) of mice survived (C1: 21 days). In all three tests, numerous incidents of cannibalism were observed. The attractiveness of cellulose baits was tested for one product (C1) in three trials against normal food pellets. In all trials, bait consumption was low and all mice survived (15-34 days). Two no-choice trials with cellulose baits (C1) were conducted on groups of Rattus norvegicus; 11 of 12 rats survived the bait feeding period and no cannibalism or sign of aggression between conspecifics was observed. Two plaster-based (CaSO4 0.5H2O) products (P1 and P2) were tested against both mice and rats; in no-choice tests, only one mouse (n= 20) and no rats (n= 8) were killed, although the baits proved to be attractive for rats and mice in choice tests. The results of these experiments suggest that neither cellulose-based nor plaster-based rodenticides are suitable agents for the control of Mus musculus and Rattus norvegicus.

Pheromones in the life of insects.

Life in insect societies asks for a permanent flow of information, often carried by rather simple organic molecules. Some originate from plants as odours of blossoms or exudates from trees. Especially important are the intra- and interspecific combinations of compounds produced by the insects themselves. These are called pheromones or ecto-hormones and serve a variety of tasks. The paper deals mainly with honeybee pheromones, but takes also into consideration those of wasps and hornets. Effects of pheromones are monitored ethologically by direct observation and filming as well as in a more quantitative manner with using direct and indirect calorimetry. In all experimental set-ups alarm pheromones were used as controls. They show an up to fourfold increase of activity after a few seconds, determined for small groups of insects as well as for a whole hornet nest placed in a 25-l calorimeter. A variety of cosmetics like soaps, shampoos, lotions and perfumes are included in the investigations because of repeated reports about unwarranted insect attacks which are said to be provoked by such products. None of the applied substances provoked a significant reaction of the bees (p > 0.05). A short appendix discusses the still questionable existence of pheromones in man, which were confirmed under laboratory conditions, but not yet for daily life.

Changes in temperature and light alter the flight speed of hornets (Vespa crabro L.).

Although the principal mechanisms of insect flight are well understood, knowledge about the influence of environmental factors on flight performance is scarce. We show that ambient temperature (TA) and illuminance have an influence on the flight performance of hornets. Moreover, the regulation of flight speed at different environmental conditions is sex specific. In roundabout experiments with tethered hornets, the flight speed of workers was independent of TA, while that of drones was negatively correlated with TA. We hypothesize that the reasons for these differences may lie in sex-specific cooling mechanisms; workers might regulate their body temperature through forced heat loss, whereas drones might reduce their heat production rates. At low illuminance, workers reduced their flight speed, whereas drones did not. Reduced flight speed at low illuminances is probably a behavioral mechanism of compensation for disadvantages caused by changing neuronal processes in the sensory neurons in darkness.

Nest odor dynamics in the social wasp Vespula vulgaris.

We investigated nest odor dynamics in the common yellow jacket, Vespula vulgaris. In six isolated colonies, we tested the aggression rates toward dead nestmates that had been stored for 10 min, 10 and 19 days outside their colonies at -76 degrees C. The aggression rate increased from about 12% toward recently killed nestmates up to 30% toward nestmates killed 19 days before the experiment. Obviously, the conserved nest odor profile of the nestmates frozen for several days did not match with that of their colony anymore. This indicates a change of the nest odor within the colony. In a second experiment, we kept two colonies each in one nest box with a complete separation of both neighbor nests by a solid wall inside the box for 28 days. In confrontation experiments, the colony members treated dead foragers from the neighbor nest as aggressively as dead foreign, non-neighbor workers (about 39% each) whereas only about 14% reacted aggressively toward dead nestmates. Seventeen days after the replacement of the solid wall by a metallic grid, which allowed no physical contact but air exchange between the two neighbor colonies, the aggression rates toward foreign workers and nestmates remained relatively unaffected whereas it decreased significantly toward dead neighbors to about 11%. These results suggest a nest odor dynamic caused by volatiles transferred between two adjacent colonies, resulting in an equalization of the former colony specific nest odors. A change of nest odor dynamics influenced by volatiles was so far described only for one ant species at all.

Cuticular lipids as trail pheromone in a social wasp.

We investigated the origin and composition of the chemical trail of the common yellow jacket Vespula vulgaris L. (Vespidae) and found that an artificial trail made from an extract of cuticular lipids from V. vulgaris foragers was biologically as active as a trail laid naturally by the foragers. Chemical analysis of natural trail extracts and the behaviourally active cuticular extracts by coupled gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed that the majority of cuticular hydrocarbons were also present in the trail extract at similar ratios. Thus, bioassay data and chemical analysis provide strong evidence that these cuticular hydrocarbons act as a trail pheromone in V. vulgaris.