New Data on the Geographical Distribution and Host Utilization of the Entomopathogenic FungusMyrmicinosporidium durum

Abstract

Entomopathogenic Myrmicinosporidium durum Hölldobler, 1933, a fungus known to exploit several ant species, is reported for the first time in five countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, and Turkey. The discovery of the fungus in Anatolia significantly widens its known distribution. In addition, this fungal parasite was found to utilize two hitherto unknown host species: Tetramorium sp. D (sensu Schlick-Steiner et al. 2006) and Tetramorium sp. E (sensu Schlick-Steiner et al. 2006). According to the new data, M. durum seems to be more common in Europe than previously thought, while its host range is considerably larger. In the present paper, data on its currently known distribution and host preference are discussed.

The AntCardiocondyla elegansas Host of the Enigmatic Endoparasitic FungusMyrmicinosporidium durum

“…Sexuals mate in late summer in their natal nest and after hibernation young mated queens disperse on foot to found new colonies nearby [13,14]. Our addition of a new genus to the already quite extensive list of host species supports the hypothesis that M. durum is a nonselective generalist with a large host range species [5][6][7].…”

“…Only much later it was identified as a fungus [4]. Research over the last decades has broadened our knowledge about host species and global distribution but still little is known about its life cycle [3][4][5]. Up to now, almost 40 host ant species of the subfamilies Myrmicinae, Formicinae, and Dolichoderinae have been described [6,7].…”

Among the shapeshifters: parasite-induced morphologies in ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) and their relevance within the EcoEvoDevo framework

“…This apparent lack of any strong detrimental effect on its diverse hosts has led to the hypothesis that M. durum may be a true generalist parasite with a long co-evolutionary history linking it to its hosts [ 133 , 146 , 148 ]. However, whether the observed morphological aberrations are truly the result of parasitic influence on host development and whether the occurrences reported from a wide range of different habitats and host taxa all represent the same parasitic species [ 141 , 150 ] remains to be investigated in the course of further molecular and taxonomic studies.…”

Discovery of Aptamers and the Acceleration of the Development of Targeting Research in Ophthalmology

“… 91 An aptamer targeting advanced glycation end products was developed and used in DR and was found to prevent abnormalities in electroretinograms and have an inhibitory effect on the early development of DR. 50 , 92 Connective tissue growth factor serves as a biomarker for DR and may be used in early diagnosis. 93 Shunxiang et al developed a BLI-based enzyme-linked aptamer sandwich assay based on connective tissue growth factor-targeting aptamer, which detected connective tissue growth factor at a level of 0.02 M, facilitating the early diagnosis of DR. 51 Lipocalin 1 is another biomarker of DR that is related to its severity, and its detection in tears facilitates the early diagnosis of DR. 94 Gao et al developed an aptamer targeting lipocalin 1 which folds into the B-DNA structure. 52 After being assembled with G-rich DNA fragments and the Thioflavin T mediator, a lipocalin 1-targeting aptamer-based fluorescent aptasensor was developed, with potential application as a convenient detector of lipocalin 1 with high sensitivity and specificity.…”