RESUMO
Deer keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae: Lipoptena Nitzsch, 1818 and Neolipoptena Bequaert, 1942) are hematophagous ectoparasites of cervids that occasionally bite other mammals, including humans. In recent years, a number of arthropod-borne pathogens have been sequenced from deer keds. However, it is unclear if the pathogens are just present in host blood in the gut or if the pathogens are present in other organs (e.g., salivary glands) that would suggest that keds are competent vectors. Like other hippoboscoid flies, deer keds have extensive salivary glands that extend through the thorax and into the abdomen, so simply disarticulating and sequencing the thorax and abdomen separately does not circumvent the issues surrounding whole-body sequencing. Herein, we describe a technique for dissecting the terminal portion of the salivary glands from the abdomen in order to screen the thorax and salivary glands separately from the abdomen for arthropod-borne pathogens.
Assuntos
Dípteros , Dissecação/veterinária , Abdome , Animais , Cervos/parasitologia , Dissecação/métodos , Feminino , Masculino , Glândulas SalivaresRESUMO
Deer keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae: Lipoptena Nitzsch, 1818 and Neolipoptena Bequaert, 1942) are parasitic flies that primarily attack cervids and occasionally bite humans. Recent reports have documented nearly half a dozen pathogens in deer keds, but it is unknown whether keds are competent vectors. Although geographic ranges of the four North American deer ked species are known generally, precise limits are not well understood. If keds are competent vectors, knowing where they occur will inform the risk of pathogen transmission to people and animals. Herein, we report deer ked occurrence by county in the United States and Canada, including 7 new state and 91 new county/parish/administrative district records. We also include a key to North American deer ked species to facilitate specimen identification.
Assuntos
Distribuição Animal , Dípteros/anatomia & histologia , Dípteros/fisiologia , Animais , Canadá , Cervos/parasitologia , Dípteros/classificação , Dípteros/microbiologia , Feminino , Masculino , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Sclerodermus Latreille, 1809 (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), are parasitoids of wood-boring beetle larvae that can co-infest furniture and homes attacked by such larvae. This can result in the human inhabitants receiving stings from adult female wasps as they wander in search of new hosts. Herein, I report the first infestation of Sclerodermus macrogaster (Ashmead, 1887) of a home in North America and provide a review of Sclerodermus biology and clinical signs relevant to their pestiferous nature.