Effectiveness of community outreach HIV prevention programs in Vietnam: a mixed methods evaluation.

BACKGROUND: In 2014, Vietnam was the first Southeast Asian country to commit to achieving the World Health Organization's 90-90-90 global HIV targets (90% know their HIV status, 90% on sustained treatment, and 90% virally suppressed) by 2020. This pledge represented further confirmation of Vietnam's efforts to respond to the HIV epidemic, one feature of which has been close collaboration with the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Starting in 2004, PEPFAR supported community outreach programs targeting high-risk populations (people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, and sex workers). To provide early evidence on program impact, in 2007-2008 we conducted a nationwide evaluation of PEPFAR-supported outreach programs in Vietnam. The evaluation focused on assessing program effect on HIV knowledge, high-risk behaviors, and HIV testing among high-risk populations-results relevant to Vietnam's push to meet global HIV goals. METHODS: We used a mixed-methods cross-sectional evaluation design. Data collection encompassed a quantitative survey of 2199 individuals, supplemented by 125 in-depth interviews. Participants were members of high-risk populations who reported recent contact with an outreach worker (intervention group) or no recent contact (comparison group). We assessed differences in HIV knowledge, risky behaviors, and HIV testing between groups, and between high-risk populations. RESULTS: Intervention participants knew significantly more about transmission, prevention, and treatment than comparison participants. We found low levels of injection drug-use-related risk behaviors and little evidence of program impact on such behaviors. In contrast, a significantly smaller proportion of intervention than comparison participants reported risky sexual behaviors generally and within each high-risk population. Intervention participants were also more likely to have undergone HIV testing (76.1% vs. 47.0%, p < 0.0001) and to have received pre-test (78.0% vs. 33.7%, p < 0.0001) and post-test counseling (80.9% vs. 60.5%, p < 0.0001). Interviews supported evidence of high impact of outreach among all high-risk populations. CONCLUSIONS: Outreach programs appear to have reduced risky sexual behaviors and increased use of HIV testing services among high-risk populations in Vietnam. These programs can play a key role in reducing gaps in the HIV care cascade, achieving the global 90-90-90 goals, and creating an AIDS-free generation.

Role Bending: Complex Relationships Between Viruses, Hosts, and Vectors Related to Citrus Leprosis, an Emerging Disease.

Citrus leprosis complex is an emerging disease in the Americas, associated with two unrelated taxa of viruses distributed in South, Central, and North America. The cytoplasmic viruses are Citrus leprosis virus C (CiLV-C), Citrus leprosis virus C2 (CiLV-C2), and Hibiscus green spot virus 2, and the nuclear viruses are Citrus leprosis virus N (CiLV-N) and Citrus necrotic spot virus. These viruses cause local lesion infections in all known hosts, with no natural systemic host identified to date. All leprosis viruses were believed to be transmitted by one species of mite, Brevipalpus phoenicis. However, mites collected from CiLV-C and CiLV-N infected citrus groves in Mexico were identified as B. yothersi and B. californicus sensu lato, respectively, and only B. yothersi was detected from CiLV-C2 and CiLV-N mixed infections in the Orinoco regions of Colombia. Phylogenetic analysis of the helicase, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 2 domains and p24 gene amino acid sequences of cytoplasmic leprosis viruses showed a close relationship with recently deposited mosquito-borne negevirus sequences. Here, we present evidence that both cytoplasmic and nuclear viruses seem to replicate in viruliferous Brevipalpus species. The possible replication in the mite vector and the close relationship with mosquito borne negeviruses are consistent with the concept that members of the genus Cilevirus and Higrevirus originated in mites and citrus may play the role of mite virus vector.

Tenuipalpidae (Acari: Trombidiformes) from Casuarinaceae (Fagales).

The Tenuipalpidae associated with the Casuarinaceae are reviewed, including one new genus, Palpipalpus gen. nov., twelve new species, and seven redescriptions. Two new generic records for Australia are established, Pentamerismus and Philippipalpus. The new species are: Chaudhripalpus costacola Beard and Seeman sp. nov., Crossipalpus gersoni Beard and Seeman sp. nov., Crossipalpus raveni Beard and Seeman sp. nov., Magdalenapalpus caperatus Beard and Seeman sp. nov., Magdalenapalpus forsteri Seeman and Beard sp. nov., Pentamerismus sititoris Beard and Seeman sp. nov., Pentamerismus hicklingorum Seeman and Beard sp. nov., Pentamerismus wardo Seeman and Beard sp. nov., Palpipalpus hesperius Beard and Seeman sp. nov. gen. nov., Philippipalpus flumaquercus Beard and Seeman sp. nov., Philippipalpus belah Beard and Seeman sp. nov., and Philippipalpus nigraquercus Seeman and Beard sp. nov.  Meyeraepalpus delfinadae Smiley et al., is reinstated based on new material and an analysis of its phylogenetic relationships. Crossipalpus muellerianae Smiley et al., Crossipalpus verticillatae Smiley et al., and Tegopalpus conicus Womersley are redescribed and rediagnosed from the original type specimens and newly collected material; and Chaudhripalpus creelae (Smiley et al.), Magdalenapalpus strandtmanni (Smiley et al.) and Philippipalpus agohoi Corpuz-Raros are redescribed and rediagnosed from type material only. All flat mite species were host-specific. Up to three species of flat mite were collected from a single she-oak species. Leg setation and ontogeny are reviewed for the taxa studied. A key to Tenuipalpidae from Casuarinaceae is provided. A phylogeny of the subfamily Tegopalpinae found the following relationships: Meyeraepalpus (Australopalpus, Crossipalpus, Palpipalpus (Magdalenapalpus (Philippipalpus (Chaudhripalpus + Tegopalpus)))). Our preliminary analysis of the Tegopalpinae suggested the group is monophyletic and its sister group is Phytoptipalpus.

A revision of the genus Extenuipalpus Reck, 1959 (Trombidiformes: Tetranychoidea: Tenuipalpidae), with description of a new species.

Extenuipalpus is reviewed, covering its taxonomic history, a new genus diagnosis, body and leg chaetotaxy, and redescriptions of the three previously known species E. niekerkae (Meyer, 1979), E. quadrisetosus (Lawrence, 1940) and E. sagittus (Meyer, 1993) based on type material. We also describe a new species, E. situngu Beard & Ueckermann sp. nov. from glossy forest grape, Rhoicissus rhomboidea (E. Mey ex Harv.) Planch. (Vitaceae), and provide a key to species of Extenuipalpus.

A review of Amblypalpus and Priscapalpus (Acari: Trombidiformes: Tenuipalpidae), including two new species of Amblypalpus from Iran.

Two new species of Amblypalpus (Acari: Trombidiformes: Tenuipalpidae) are described from Iran: Amblypalpus iraniensis sp. nov., from Wild Almond, Amygdalus scoparia (Rosaceae), and Amblypalpus thymus sp. nov., from Common Thyme, Thymus vulgaris (Lamiaceae). The new species are classified tentatively in Amblypalpus. The species Priscapalpus thomissus Meyer, 1979 is transferred to Amblypalpus and the genus concept of Priscapalpus is narrowed and therefore redefined. Similarly, we present an expanded concept of Amblypalpus. A key to brevipalpine genera and Amblypalpus species is provided.

A New Species of Ultratenuipalpus (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from Brazil and Re-Description of Ultratenuipalpus meekeri (De Leon), the Type Species of the Genus, with DNA Barcodes.

Species of the genus Ultratenuipalpus bear a broad subquadrate propodosoma with many large, flattened, lanceolate to ovate dorsal setae. They also bear some plesiomorphic character states, such as the presence of three pairs of ventral ps setae. Here, we describe Ultratenuipalpus parameekeri Castro, Ochoa & Feres sp. nov. based on adult females, males, and immatures, collected on ferns from Brazil. We also re-describe Ultratenuipalpus meekeri (De Leon), the type species of the genus, based on types and newly collected material from Mexico, and include additional novel data (e.g., dorsal and ventral ornamentation, leg chaetotaxy, and setal measurements) in a standardized form. We include highly detailed images obtained using LT-SEM, accompanied by DNA barcodes, for both species. The ontogenetic additions of leg chaetotaxy are presented and discussed.

Raoiella indica (Acari: Tenuipalpidae): an exploding mite pest in the neotropics.

Major infestations of the flat mite species Raoiella indica Hirst affecting bananas, palms and other ornamental plants have been reported from the Caribbean islands, Mexico, FL (USA), Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil. Specimens from these localities were examined using traditional light microscopy and low-temperature scanning electron microscopy techniques. While little is known about the biology of this mite, its recent appearance in the Americas in both commercial coconut and banana plantations has raised concerns about its economic impact as an invasive pest.

Report of Tuckerella pavoniformis (Acari: Tuckerellidae) on Mamey, Mammea americana (Calophyllaceae), in Northwestern Peru.

The family Tuckerellidae, or peacock mites, is a monogeneric group comprising approximately 32 species, which are usually collected from the fruits or woody parts of their host plants. Fruits and branchlets of mamey, Mammea americana L. (Calophyllaceae) trees in north-western Peru were sampled for peacock mites throughout spring and summer for two consecutive years. This is the first record of Tuckerella pavoniformis (Ewing) (Acari: Tuckerellidae) feeding on mamey. Aggregations of mites were much higher and more common on the fruit epicarps than on branchlets. Recommendations for the development of an Integrated Pest Management strategy for this peacock mite are included.

A newly available database of an important family of phytophagous mites: Tenuipalpidae Database.

This paper announces a database on the taxonomy, distribution and host plants of mites of the family Tenuipalpidae Berlese (Acari: Tetranychoidea), available online at https://www.tenuipalpidae.ibilce.unesp.br/. In the Tenuipalpidae Database the recorded world distribution and range of host plants are provided for each tenuipalpid species, including synonyms, with a list of all relevant publications.

Acarine biocontrol agents Neoseiulus californicus sensu Athias-Henriot (1977) and N. barkeri Hughes (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) redescribed, their synonymies assessed, and the identity of N. californicus (McGregor) clarified based on examination of types.

In 1954, McGregor described two species of phytoseiids from lemon, in California, USA: Typhlodromus californicus McGregor and T. mungeri McGregor, the former represented by one male, and the latter by two females. Since its description, T. mungeri was synonymised under T. californicus, and the name T. (now Neoseiulus) californicus has been used extensively to represent a species that is now commonly used as a biocontrol agent of crop pests worldwide. However, the true identity of the biocontrol agent is uncertain because the original descriptions of T. californicus and T. mungeri were not adequate enough to allow an irrefutable identification, with each description being based on specimens of a single sex. An examination of the types of N. californicus and N. mungeri revealed that they are morphologically identical to the male and female of N. barkeri Hughes, 1948, respectively, and that they are in fact junior synonyms of N. barkeri-and are therefore distinct from the biocontrol agent globally called N. californicus (sensu Athias-Henriot, 1977; see Griffiths, 2015). This is further supported by a comparison with male and female syntypes of N. barkeri, as well as other specimens of N. barkeri including some collected from the type host in the vicinity of the type location (i.e. lemon in southern California, 1952-1958). We redescribe the male and female of both N. barkeri and N. californicus sensu Athias-Henriot (1977), based on representative specimens from at least 14 and 19 populations, respectively. Based on examination of types, we confirm the synonymy of N. mckenziei (Schuster Pritchard, 1963), N. picketti (Specht, 1968), and N. oahuensis (Prasad, 1968) with N. barkeri, and that the names N. chilenensis (Dosse, 1958b) and N. wearnei (Schicha, 1987) represent the same species as N. californicus sensu Athias-Henriot (1977). We also provide a hypothesis as to why Chant (1959) had erroneously synonymised T. californicus and T. mungeri under T. marinus (Willmann). Finally, we suggest maintaining the prevailing usage of the name N. californicus (McGregor) for the species concept of Athias-Henriot (1977) as followed by subsequent authors, through submission of a separate application to the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). In the meantime, the current meaning of N. californicus should be maintained until a ruling by the ICZN is made on the application.

Raoiella of the world (Trombidiformes: Tetranychoidea: Tenuipalpidae).

We describe 16 new species and redescribe six established species in the genus Raoiella-R. argenta sp. nov. Beard, R. australica Womersley, R. bauchani sp. nov. Beard Ochoa, R. calgoa sp. nov. Beard Ochoa, R. crebra sp. nov. Beard Ochoa, R. davisi sp. nov. Beard, R. didcota sp. nov. Beard, R. eugeniae (Mohanasundaram), R. goyderi sp. nov. Ochoa Beard, R. hallingi sp. nov. Beard, R. illyarrie sp. nov. Beard Ochoa, R. indica Hirst, R. karri sp. nov. Ochoa Beard, R. macfarlanei Pritchard Baker, R. marri sp. nov. Beard Ochoa, R. pandanae Mohanasundaram, R. pooleyi sp. nov. Beard Ochoa, R. shimpana Meyer, R. tallerack sp. nov. Beard Ochoa, R. taronga sp. nov. Beard Ochoa, R. todtiana sp. nov. Beard Ochoa, R. wandoo sp. nov. Beard Ochoa. We discuss molecular evidence of species separation, shared character states among groups of species, and patterns in the additions of leg setae throughout ontogeny that occur in the genus. We provide a key to the known species of Raoiella.

Two new species of Tenuipalpus sensu stricto (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from Brazil, with a discussion on the ontogeny of leg setae.

The Amazon and the Cerrado are the two largest biomes in Brazil, and combined represent nearly 70% of the natural vegetation in the country. Recent surveys of the mite fauna present in these two biomes have revealed a great number of new species. In this paper, we describe the adult females, deutonymphs, protonymphs, larvae and eggs of two new species of Tenuipalpidae (Trombidiformes: Tetranychoidea), Tenuipalpus protium sp. nov., collected on Protium heptaphyllum (Burseraceae), and Tenuipalpus kitajimai sp. nov., collected on an unidentified plant of the family Sapindaceae, from the Cerrado and the Amazon Rainforest, respectively. Females of these two new species bear two distinct cuticular crests on the dorsal opisthosoma, one transverse crest anteriorly and one longitudinal crest mesally. The ontogenetic changes in the idiosomal and leg chaetotaxy of all stages are presented for both species. Adult males are not known for either species.

Brevipalpus phoenicis (Geijskes) species complex (Acari: Tenuipalpidae)--a closer look.

Brevipalpus phoenicis sensu stricto (Geijskes) is redescribed and the species diagnosis established. Two former synonyms of B. phoenicis sensu lato, B. yothersi Baker and B. papayensis Baker, are resurrected and redescribed and their species diagnoses established. Brevipalpus hondurani Evans is also redescribed and diagnosed. Four new species, previously misidentified as B. phoenicis sensu lato or B. obovatus Donnadieu, are described--B. azores sp. nov., B. feresi sp. nov., B. ferraguti sp. nov., and B. tucuman sp. nov. Four new junior synonyms of B. yothersi are listed--Brevipalpus amicus Chaudhri and B. recula Chaudhri (new synonymies), and B. mcbridei Baker and B. deleoni Pritchard and Baker (misidentifications). A key is provided to separate these species. New morphological characters significant for species separation are presented and discussed.