Resistance to insecticides can hamper the control of mosquitoes such as Culex quinquefasciatus , known to vector arboviruses such as West Nile virus and others. The strong selective pressure exerted on a mosquito population by the use of insecticides can result in heritable genetic changes associated with resistance. We sought to characterize genetic differences between insecticide resistant and susceptible Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes using targeted DNA sequencing. To that end, we developed a panel of 122 genes known or hypothesized to be involved in insecticide resistance, and used an Ion Torrent PGM sequencer to sequence 125 unrelated individuals from seven populations in the southern U.S. whose resistance phenotypes to permethrin and malathion were known from previous CDC bottle bioassay testing. Data analysis consisted of discovering SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) and genes with evidence of copy number variants (CNVs) statistically associated with resistance. Ten of the seventeen genes found to be present in higher copy numbers were experimentally validated with real-time PCR. Of those, six, including the gene with the knock-down resistance ( kdr ) mutation, showed evidence of a ≥ 1.5 fold increase compared to control DNA. The SNP analysis revealed 228 unique SNPs that had significant p-values for both a Fisher’s Exact Test and the Cochran-Armitage Test for Trend. We calculated the population frequency for each of the 64 nonsynonymous SNPs in this group. Several genes not previously well characterized represent potential candidates for diagnostic assays when further validation is conducted.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease. Recent identification of AD biomarkers has led to the diagnosis of AD before the onset of dementia. It has been shown that Drosophila melanogaster is a valuable model for studying human neurodegeneration, including AD. According to its properties, curcumin shows promising potential for the diagnosis of AD. In order to improve its use, new formulations, including nanotechnology-based delivery systems, have been applied. The current study aims to diagnose AD by detecting the accumulation of amyloid beta-peptide via carbon-dot-curcumin nanoparticle conjugation in Drosophila. The accumulation of amyloid beta-peptide has been detected via the conjugate using the fluorescence imaging technique. These results suggest that carbon-dot-curcumin nanoparticle conjugation could be used as a diagnostic tool for AD.

There are at least five common mosquito-borne viruses (MBVs) recorded in Egypt, including dengue virus (DENV), Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), West Nile virus (WNV), Chikungunya virus, and Sindbis virus. Unexpected outbreaks caused by MBVs reflect the deficiencies of the MBV surveillance system in Egypt. This systematic review characterized the epidemiology of MBV prevalence in Egypt. Human, animal, and vector prevalence studies on MBVs in Egypt were retrieved from Web of Science, PubMed, and Bing Scholar, and 33 eligible studies were included for further analyses. The monophyletic characterization of the RVFV and WNV strains found in Egypt, which spans about half a century, suggests that both RVFV and WNV are widely transmitted in this nation. Moreover, the seropositive rates of DENV and WNV in hosts were on the rise in recent years, and spillover events of DENV and WNV to other countries from Egypt have been recorded. The common drawback for surveillance of MBVs in Egypt is the lack of seroprevalence studies on MBVs, especially in this century. It is necessary to evaluate endemic transmission risk, establish an early warning system for MBVs, and develop a sound joint system for medical care and public health for managing MBVs in Egypt.

Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is a serious invasive pest that attacks grains and legumes, especially Phaseolus vulgaris Linnaeus. It is widely distributed as a pest of P. vulgaris in many countries and in Egypt as well. This study applied an integrated approach that combined morphological and DNA barcoding identification of the species. The results yielded direct sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene and defined the morphological variation among individuals of A. obtectus. The resulting sequence of the COI gene was compared with the A. obtectus gene that was previously documented in GenBank.

The Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius) is considered one of the important livestock that has a major impact on humans' life, especially economically. Larval stages of the camel nasal botfly, Cephalopina titillator (Diptera: Oestridae), come on the top list of obligate endoparasites causing nasopharyngeal myiasis leading to huge economic loss to the camel culture and industry all over the world. Although adult flies are not parasitic and are unable to feed, they can survive on the nutrient reserve from the larval stages. In Egypt, little is known about the biology and ecology of C. titillator and the role of the ambient ecological factors in affecting larval development as associated with the camel host and under laboratory conditions. To address this knowledge gap, we studied morphology, population structure, and seasonal prevalence of C. titillator larval stages in camels in Egypt. A total of 429 of both 2 nd and 3 rd stage larvae were collected from slaughtered camel's heads in El-Bassatin abattoir over a 12-months period, from June 2019 to May 2020. Out of the 62 examined animal heads, 33 (53.23%) were infested. The mature 3 rd instar larvae were reared in the laboratory at different ambient temperatures and observed till the emergence of the adult stages. Detailed morphological characterization and fine ultrastructure for both the larval instars and adult flies are provided using light and scanning electron microscopic examination, respectively. Therefore, this study showed the impotence of body characteristics that are among the important dimorphic features of adult flies.* Larval index = number of larvae/infected animal ** Rate of camel infestation (%) = (# of infested camels / Total # of examined camels) ×100