Project description:Ixodes pacificus, the vector of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) on the west coast, feeds on a variety of hosts including rodents, birds, and lizards. While rodents are reservoirs for Bb and can infect juvenile ticks, lizards are Bb-refractory. Despite the range of bloodmeals for I. pacificus, it is undetermined how larval host bloodmeal identity may affect future nymphal vector competence. Here, we conducted a transcriptome analysis on I. pacificus to determine whether and through what mechanisms host bloodmeal history affects vector competency of I. pacificus for the Lyme disease pathogen.
Project description:This study focuses on determining resistance to different pyrethroids in populations of Triatoma dimidiata of Boyacá, Colombia. To determine the possible causes of resistance, we sequenced RNA of three populations: laboratory, field, and under pressure of lambda-cyhalothrin. Transcriptomic profile analyses of T. dimidiata revealed differentially regulated genes in both the field population and in the laboratory population under pressure from lambda-cyhalothrin. Gene enrichment analysis showed positive regulation of transcripts related to detoxifying enzymes and mitochondrial proteins, suggesting a significant role in resistance.
Project description:We performed small RNA sequencing on recently colonized female Aedes aegypti from Mexico and Brazil. We compare small RNA profiles in midguts and abdomens (without ovaries) either non-bloodfed or 48 hours post non-infectious bloodmeal.
