[Behavioral features of the imago of malaria mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae, Anopheles) in uzbekistan].

Morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic analyses made in the Fergana, Chirchik-Akhangaran, Mirzachul, and Zarafshan physicogeographical districts of Uzbekistan revealed the closely related species An. artemievi malaria mosquito from the An. maculipennis complex. In the human settlements and natural biotopes under their canopy of 7 physicogeographical districts of Uzbekistan, there were 6 Anopheles mosquito species (An. artemievi, An. claviger, An. hyrcanus, An.martinius, An. pulcherrimus, and An. superpictus); An. superpictus is a dominant species in the human settlements and An. artemievi in subdominant. An.pulcherrimus was dominant and An. superpictus was subdominant under natural canopy conditions. The latter is of widespread occurrence in the mountain and piedmont areas of Uzbekistan. It is encountered in all the physicogeographical districts. An. artemievi is distributed in the river valleys in the Fergana, Chirchik-Akhangaran, Mirzachul, and Zarafshan physicogeographical districts. An. pulcherrimus is common in the plain river valleys, except in the Qashqadaryo physicogeographical district. An. martinius is found in the Qashqadaryo and Nizhneamudryo physicogeographical districts. Livestock houses are the most attractive day's rests for mosquitoes; utility rooms rank next in mosquito density. Housing premises are slightly occupied by mosquitoes. The maximum size of aggressive mosquitoes is noted in July, August, and early September.

[The distribution of the mosquitoes of the Anopheles maculipennis complex (Diptera, Culicidae, Anophelinae) in Central Asia].

The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method, cytogenetic analysis, and investigation of egg exochorion have indicated that three representatives of the Anopheles maculipennis complex (subgenus Anopheles): An artemievi Gordeev et al., An. messeae Falleroni, and An. marinius Shingarev. An. messeae is a European-Siberian species that has extended the southern border of its habitat and has been distributed in the south of Kazakhstan and in the north of Kyrgyzstan. In, Kyrgyzstan, An. messeae inhabiting the plains of Europe and Siberia is encountered rather high up in the mountains: the highest point where this species is found is at 1,879 m above sea level. An. artemievi is present in the highland and piedmont regions of Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, southern Kazakhstan, and northern Tajikistan) and in the intermountain basins (Naryn and Fergana ones). The single finding of this species is in south-eastern Turkmenistan. On the contrary, An. martinius tends to be in the plains and occurs in north-eastern Turkmenistan, Karakalpakstan, and Kazakhstan (Kzyl-Orda). On the other hand, a population of this species is found in proximity to the foothills of the Gissar Range in the east of Uzbekistan. An.maculipennis s.str. is not seen in Central Asia. Early evidence for the presence of both An. maculipennis s.str. and An. martinius in Kopet Dag (Southern Turkmenistan) is rather questionable. It is not improbable that these data are appropriate for either the newly described species An.persiensis or the scientifically new representative of the An. maculipennis complex.

[Malaria mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae, Anopheles) of North Tajikistan, their ecology, and role in the transmission of malaria pathogens].

Five species of malaria mosquitoes: An. artemievi, An. claviger, An. hyrcanus, An. superpictus, and An. pulcherrimus were found in North Tajikistan in 2006 - 2007. Species affiliation was identified according to the morphological signs of their larvae and imagoes, and by using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. There was a larger number of An. hyrcanus (34%), An. artemievi (29%), and An. pulcherrimus (24%) and a smaller number of An. superpictus (11%); and An. claviger was few (2%). The hatching sites of the above species and the preferred types of their day refuges were found. The intensity of attack of different Anopheles species on humans and animals was studied. Among the North Tajikistan malaria mosquitoes, An. pulcherrimus and An. superpictus are of the greatest epidemiological importance as vehicles for transmission of malaria pathogens. An. artemievi and An. hyrcanus are minor vehicles. At present, An. claviger is of no epidemiological significance in transmitting malaria in North Tajikistan.

[PCR-RFLP and sequencing studies of malaria vectors (Diptera, Culicidae, Anopheles) in Kyrgyzstan].

The results of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis, obtained after treatment of PCR-products with restriction endonuclease CfoI, could identify two members of the Anopheles maculipennis complex: An. maculipennis and An. artemievi. Treatment of amplification products with restriction endonuclease BsuI gave rise to fragment lengths of 192 and 218 bp, characteristic of An. artemievi, in the populations of the Talas (settlement of Kizil-Adyr, Kara-Bura District), Dzhelalabad (towns of Tashkumyr and Kara-Kul), and Osh (town of Gulcha, Alai District; village of Langar, Kara-Suisky District) Regions. After treatment of PCR-products with restriction endonuclease BstACI, fragment lengths of 292 and 150 bp, characteristic of An. messeae, were obtained for the mosquitoes of Issyk-Kul (town of Balykchi) and Naryn (settlement of Kochkorka, Kochkor District) Regions. To identify the molecular forms of An. superpictus, the investigators sequenced the amplification products obtained by PCR with 5.8S and 28S rRNA gene-specific primers. Analysis of the primary structure of the second internal transcribed spacer, by using the international databases, has indicated that molecular form X is prevalent in the study districts of Kyrgyzstan. The COI-COII region of the mitochondrial genome of the vector also underwent PCR-RFLP analysis. Three new haplotypes with restriction patterns of about 540, 420, 200, 150, 140 bp, about 540, 360, 280, 150, 140 bp, and about 580, 540, and 150, 140 bp have been identified along with the previously described haplotype X characterized by restriction products of 540, 420, 260, 150, and 140 bp in length.

[Detection of Anopheles artemievi Gordeev et al. (Diptera, Culicidae) in Turkmenistan].

Anopheles artemievi (a member of An. maculipennis complex species) described from the Transfergana region (South Kyrgyzstan) in 2004 was first found in the Lebap veloyat (Eastern Turkmenistan). A single larva of this species was collected together with An. superpictus in the irrigation channel of a rice field. Species affiliation has been proven by a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. This species is to be included into a list of Anopheles species of Turkmenistan.

[Study of the pathogen populations of tertian malaria and possibilities of its establishment in Kyrgyzstan].

A genetic analysis has indicated that the population of the tertian malaria causative agents Plasmodium vivax in Kyrgyzstan is heterogeneous and consists of various isolates resulting from multiple carriages of the pathogens from the areas of the neighboring countries. Low genetic variability and a weak gene flow between the isolates do not contribute to the establishment of malaria in this area. Experience in controlling the epidemic outbreaks shows that active and residual foci are easily sanitized when antimalaria measures are timely and qualitatively implemented. This creates the necessary for eliminating tertian malaria in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan in the near future.

[Establishment of a new continuous cell line of Drosophila melanogaster strain infected by the intracellular endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis under natural conditions].

Wolbachia pipientis is an obligately intracellular bacterium infecting a number of arthropod and nematode species. At the body level, Wolbachia infection may cause parthenogenesis, feminization of genetic males, male killing, or cytoplasmic incompatibility; it may also be asymptomatic. Of special interest is DNA transfer from Wolbachia to the host insect genome, which was discovered recently. At the cellular level, the effects caused by Wolbachia have been studied more poorly. Only one of the known insect cell lines has been obtained from an insect species (the mosquito Aedes albopictus) infected by Wolbachia. In this study, a continuous cell line Dm2008Wb1 has been obtained from embryos of Drosophila melanogaster infected under natural conditions. Wolbachia both persists in a primary cell culture and is retained upon its transformation into a continuous culture. The presence of this bacterium in cells in a free form is evidenced by the fact that tetracycline treatment can cure the cells of Wolbachia and by successful transfer of Wolbachia to another cell line (S2), where it has not been detected before.

[Molecular genetic analysis of malaria mosquitoes of the Anopheles maculipennis (Diptera, Culicidae) complex in Azerbaijan].

Molecular genetic analysis of malaria vectors in the Republic of Azerbaijan has identified three species of malaria mosquitoes of the Anopheles maculipennis complex: An. maculipennis, An. sacharovi, and An. persiensis. An. melanoon has not been found. An. sacharovi has been ascertained to predominate in the low-lying areas of the country. An. maculipennis prevails in the north, on the foothills of the Great Caucasus and it is also observed in the south, on the Talysh foothills and mountains. An. persiensis has been first recorded for the malaria mosquito fauna in the CNS. This species has been detected only in the south of the republic (Lenkoran and Astar districts).

[Genetic analysis of malaria mosquitoes of Anopheles maculipennis (Diptera, Culicidae) complex from Armenia].

The results of morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic analyses of malaria mosquitoes from Armenia have indicated that two representatives of the maculipennis complex, such as An. maculipennis s.s. and An. sacharovi, inhabit in the blotopes under study. The predominant species is An. maculipennis that is present in all the examined habitats. This species accounts for 15.5% of all the mosquitoes of the maculipennis complex. An. sacharovi has been found only in the Ararat valley where its proportion varies from 25 to 91.7%. Morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic criteria are shown to be used to determine the warrior species of the maculipennis complex in Armenia.

[Anopheles mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) of the Tien Shan: morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic analysis].

Morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic studies of the Anopheles fauna in the valley and foothills of the Tien Shan identified 5 species of malaria mosquitoes: An. artemievi Gordeev et al., An. messeae Fall, An. claviger Meigen, An. hyrcanus Pallas, An. pulcherrimus Theobald, and superpictus Grassi. An. claviger, An. hyrcanus, and An. messeae were prevalent in the Northern Tien-Shan. An. artemievi, An. claviger, An. hyrcanus, An. messeae, and An. superpictus were detected in the Western Tien Shan. An. artemievi was first recorded in Kazakhstan. An. artemievi, An. claviger, and An. superpictus were noted in the Inferior Tien Shan. An. messeae was first observed in the Issyk Kul hollow. An. artemievi, An. claviger, and An. superpictus were habitants of the foothills of the South-Western Tien Shan. An. artemievi, An. hyrcanus, An. superpictus, and An. pulcherrimus were in the plain. An. pulcherrimus and An. superpicts mosquitoes are regarded as important vectors in the new malaria foci of the Fergana regions. The role of An. artemievi in the transmission of malaria is to be specified.

[Malaria mosquitoes of the Anopheles maculipennis (Diptera, Culicidae) complex in Georgia].

Malaria mosquito larvae and imagoes underwent morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic analyses in West and East Georgia. In the areas under study, the authors identified three related types of malaria mosquitoes of the maculipennis complex: An. maculipennis Meigen, 1818; An. melanoon Hacket, 1934; An. sacharovi Favre, 1903. The authors revealed the types An. maculipennis and An. melanoon in the Kolkhida cavity (West Georgia) and An. maculipennis and An. sacharovi in the Iveria cavity (East Georgia). The morphology of eggs was defined in the study types of mosquitoes. An. melanoon ovipositions similar in the exochorion pattern with An. messeae eggs were found in West Georgia.

[Removing endosymbiotic Wolbachia specifically decreases lifespan of females and competitiveness in a laboratory strain of Drosophila melanogaster].

To understand specific symbiotic relationships ensuring stable existing of the bacterium Wolbachia in laboratory strains of Drosophila melanogaster, the imago lifespan and senescence rate, as well as competitiveness, have been evaluated as components of fitness in females from the following laboratory strains: (1) inbred strain 95 infected with Wolbachia; (2) two uninfected strains obtained by tetracycline treatment that were genetically similar to strain 95; and (3) two control, uninfected, wild-type laboratory strains that were used to assess the possible effects of the antibiotic on the studied characters in the absence of Wolbachia. The results have shown that infected females have longer lifespan and competitiveness than females with the same genotype uninfected with Wolbachia. The increase in the senescence and mortality rates with age was also slower in infected females. It is noteworthy that tetracycline does not affect the lifespan of females from the two control, uninfected, wild-type strains. Therefore, the antibiotic is not the cause of the positive changes in fitness that were observed in infected females. The obtained results are the first direct evidence that the relationship s in the Wolbachia-D melanogaster symbiotic system are mutualistic rather than parasitic, at least in micropopulations adapted to laboratory conditions.

[The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia enhances the nonspecific resistance to insect pathogens and alters behavior of Drosophila melanogaster].

To determine biologically important effects of the cytoplasmic endosymbiont Wolbachia, two substrains of the same Drosophila melanogaster strain have been studied, one of them infected with Wolbachia and the other treated with tetracycline to eliminate the bacterium. Female D. melanogaster infected with Wolbachia are more resistant to the fungus Bauveria bassiana (an insect pathogen) than uninfected females; infected females also exhibited changes in oviposition substrate preference. Males infected with the bacterium are more competitive than uninfected males. The possible role of Wolbachia in the formation of alternative ecological strategies of D. melanogaster is discussed.

[The malaria mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae, Anopheles) of the Amudarya river valley].

Five malaria mosquitoes were identified in the Amudarya river valley. An. pulcherrimus, An. martinius, An. superpictus, and An. hyrcanus inhabit in the plain of the valley. An. superpictus, An. pulcherrimus, An. hyrcanus, and An. claviger occur in the head of the Amudarya river. The nucleotide composition of the second inner transcribed spacer (ITS2) of ribosomal DNA and the locus of cytochromoxidase I (COI) of mitochondrial DNA was determined in the closely related species An. martinius and An. artemievi. It is shown that the loci in question may be used to diagnose twin species of the maculipennis complex.

[Description of the new species Anopheles artemievi sp.n. (Diptera, Culicidae)].

The paper describes the new species Anopheles artemievi belonging to a complex of the species maculipennis that may play an important role in the transmission of malaria in both the Fergana area and the Fergana valley. In terms of the morphological signs of imagoes, larvae, and the composition of the egg exochorion, the new species is the twin of An. sacharovi Favre and An. mihrtinius Shingarev. According to the pattern of polytene chromosomal disks, the described type is identical to An. maculipennis Meigen. The structure of the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) of a cluster of ribosomal genes in An. artemievi is species-specific and, in its nucleotide composition, differs from that in related species. The sequence of ITS2 in the new species has been registered at the GeneBank under No. AJ849886 and it is 419 p.n. The length of ITS2 in An. maculipennis and A. martinius is equal to 422 p.n. (AY238435) and 447 p.n. (AJ849885), respectively. The sequences of ITS in An. artemievi and An. maculipennis are 91% homologous; those in An. artemievi and An. martinius are 87% homologous. The nucleotide composition of ITS2 in An. artemievi differs from that in An. maculipennis in three deletions, 1 insertion, and 18 point substitutions and from that in An. martinius in 12 insertions, 2 deletions, and 40 point substitutions. The standard-type series is as follows: Kyrghyzstan, Batkensk Region, Leileksky district, Alga settlement, a cowshed, 1 male-holotype, l female-allotype. The paratypes are 2 males, 6 females.

[Supplement to the list of Anopheles (Diptera, Culicidae) mosquitoes of Tadjikistan and the predominant types of vectors in the current foci of malaria in the republic]. / Dopolnenie k spisku komarov roda Anopheles (Diptera, Culicidae) Tadzhikistana i dominiruiushchie vidy perenoschikov v sovremennykh ochagakh malarii v respublike.

The species composition of and the indices of predominance of Anopheles mosquitoes were determined in the current foci of malaria in the Republic of Tadjikistan. The predominant types of malaria mosquitoes were An. superpictus, An. pulcherrimus, and An. hypcanus were found to be in the Khatlon Region of Tadjikistan and in the contiguous areas of Uzbekistan. An. superpictus prevailed in the study foci of malaria and, as An. pulcherrimus, were the most dangerous vectors of malaria in the south of the republic. The main vectors of malaria were shown to be An. maculipennis sensu stricto and An. superpictus in the environs of the town of Khudjand, Sogdi Region (Tadjikistan). An. maculipennis was first recorded for Tadjikistan and should be included into the list of malaria mosquitoes of the republic. It is suggested that An. pulcherrimus plays an important role in the spread of malaria in the north of Tadjikistan.

[Wolbachia--a new bacteria causing sex ratio bias in the two-spot lady-bird Adalia bipunctata L]. / Wolbachia--novaia bakteriia, vyzyvaiushchaia sdvig v sootnoshenii polov u dvutochechnoi bozh'ei korovki Adalia bipunctata L.

Some of the male-killing lines of the two-spot ladybird Adalia bipunctata L. isolated from the populations of Moscow and Tomsk and having a female-biased sex ratio were found to be infected with a bacterium of the genus Wolbachia. This fact is the first demonstration of the ability of Wolbachia to kill males of a host insect. The coexistence of females infected with different male-killing bacteria was recorded in the population of Moscow.

[Distribution of cytoplasmically inherited bacteria Spiroplasma causing female bias in the Eurasian populations of Adalia bipunctata]. / Rasprostranenie v populiatsiiakh Adalia bipunctata L Evrazii tsitoplazmaticheski nasleduemoi bakterii roda Spiroplasma, vliiaiushchei na sootnoshenie polov.

Two-spot ladybirds Adalia bipunctata were collected from the populations of Western and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The agent killing males at the early embryonic stage in these populations was identified as bacteria of the genus Spiroplasma. Bacteria found in A. bipunctata proved to be phylogenetically related to Spiroplasma ixodetis (typical line Y-32) found in tick Ixodes pacificus but not to Spiroplasma causing the death of male embryos in Drosophila.