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Sponges are fundamental components of coral reef communities and, unfortunately, like other major benthic members, they too have been impacted by epizootic and panzootic events. We report on the prevalence of disease-like conditions affecting populations of the giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta across shallow and mesophotic coral reefs off La Parguera Natural Reserve (LPNR) and Mona Island Marine Reserve (MIMR) in Puerto Rico. Four different conditions affecting X. muta were observed during our surveys, of which 3 have been previously reported: cyclic spotted bleaching (CSB; apparently non-lethal), Xestospongia-tissue wasting disease (X-TWD; apparently lethal), and sponge orange band disease (SOB; sparsely associated with X-TWD infected individuals). Additionally, we describe a fourth condition, Xestospongia-tissue hardening condition (X-THC), a previously unreported disease recently observed along the insular shelf margin off LPNR and MIMR. Within LPNR, a total of 764 specimens of X. muta were inspected and measured. Of these, 590 sponges (72.2%) had CSB, 25 (3.27%) had signs of X-TWD, 7 (0.92%) had SOB, and the remaining 142 (18.6%) were apparently healthy. Three colonies inhabiting upper mesophotic depths on the LPNR insular shelf showed signs of CSB and X-TWD. At MIMR, video-transect surveys revealed a total of 514 colonies, of which 40 (7.78%) had signs of CSB and/or XTWD, 14 (2.72%) were affected by X-THC, while the remaining 460 (89.5%) showed no external signs of disease and appeared healthy. The presence of 4 concomitant disease-like conditions in barrel sponges of Puerto Rico is alarming, and indicative of the deteriorating status of Caribbean coral reefs.

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An extended-duration formulation of lambda-cyhalothrin (Demand CS) applied as either an ultra-low volume (ULV) or thermal fog spray from a new handheld sprayer (Terrier) against Aedes aegypti was evaluated in Honduras. Spray applications were made at the front door for 1 min or to each room for 15 sec, both for the ULV and thermal fog applications to houses in separate blocks for each treatment. The efficacy and duration of effectiveness of the spray was determined from sentinel caged mosquito mortality and collection of mosquitoes within houses with a backpack power aspirator. Sentinel caged mosquito mortality in both open and sequestered locations was 97-100% for all spray treatments, with control mortality less than 2%. Both ULV applications (front door and each room) provided 4 wk of significant control (P < 0.01) based on adult Ae. aegypti house collections.

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Washbasins and metal drums are important sources of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in much of Latin America. When manual cleaning was found to be ineffective in eliminating mosquito larvae in a community-based control programme in El Progreso, Honduras, it was decided to develop and evaluate an improved method of removing mosquito eggs based on commonly-available materials. The method, named La Untadita ('The Little Dab', in English), consists of five steps: mixing chlorine bleach and detergent to make a paste, applying the mixture to the walls of the container, waiting 10 min, scrubbing with a brush, and finally rinsing with water. A field trial of the Untadita was conducted in 13 peri-urban neighbourhoods. At the first post-intervention survey, in spite of high levels of exposure to the community-based intervention, high levels of knowledge regarding the Untadita and high levels of its reported use, little or no impact was discernable on mosquito larvae and pupae. The method was then modified by increasing the recommended quantities of bleach and detergent and simplifying the instructions. In the second post-intervention survey, knowledge of the steps and their order increased further; the intervention neighbourhoods had significantly fewer algae on washbasin walls, an indicator of more effective cleaning; and numbers of pupae and 3rd and 4th instar larvae were significantly lower than in untreated neighbourhoods. Effective promotion of the Untadita should be able to control mosquito infestation in many washbasins, especially those in frequent use, thus reducing the need for chemical and biological larvicides that may be either more costly or less acceptable to householders.

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Chlorine bleach and detergent are routinely used by householders in El Progreso, Honduras in the process of cleaning washbasins and drums, the two most important larval habitats of Aedes aegypti in the city. The efficacy of these materials in eliminating eggs, larvae, and pupae of Ae. aegypti was assessed under controlled conditions. The promising results obtained led to trials using a combination of chlorine bleach and detergent to apply to the walls of washbasins and drums as a method for eliminating eggs. The bleach maintained its ovicidal properties when mixed with detergent, and the detergent gave the mixture consistency so that it could be applied as a thin film to the walls. This new procedure was named the little dab (Untadita in Spanish) and allows households to direct their efforts against a stage of the mosquito life cycle that has been ignored in the past: the egg.

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Cada etapa de la historia de la humanidad presenta distorsiones en la conducta de las personas que tienen que ver con las ideologías de los sistemas imperantes y con las circunstancias psicosociales que caracterizan a cada época. Actualmente las patologías en el area de la alimentación como la bulimia, la obesidad y la anorexia nerviosa, han pasado a ocupar un lugar de relevancia en el panorama médico-psicológico y a ellas se dedica la presente obra