Swimmer’s itch (cercarial dermatitis) is a nuisance encountered by bathers and recreational water users worldwide. The condition is caused by the penetration of larval digenean trematodes (cercariae) of the family Schistosomatidae, into the skin, following their release into freshwater from pulmonate snails that serve as the intermediate hosts for these parasites. This study utilizes qPCR-based cercariometry to monitor and quantify cercariae from water samples collected at 5 lakes in northern Michigan. The resolution provided by qPCR facilitated assessment of the environmental and biological drivers of swimmer’s itch-causing cercariae concentrations, allowing us to demonstrate that cercarial abundance is greatest at the top of the water column, in locations with prevailing on- and alongshore winds.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s10393-018-1362-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Defensive droplets from glandular hairs of the pupa of the Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis, contain a group of structurally novel alkaloids, the azamacrolides. The major constituent of this secretion, epilachnene, is shown to be (5Z)-11-propyl-12-azacyclotetradec-5-en-14-olide. The secretion also contains an epilachnadiene and trace amounts of three closely related components. (Fig. 1). Suspecting this fluid to be defensive, we exposed pupae to ant attacks in a series of laboratory presentations. The pupae were individually placed on the bottom of small Petri dishes that served as the foraging arenas for laboratory colonies of the ants (Leptothorax longispinosus). The results, which were videotaped, were consistent and dramatic. The moment an individual ant, in an exploratory approach to the pupa, contacted some of the glandular hairs, it backed away and cleansed itself. While retreating, it repeatedly dragged its mouthparts and/or antennae against the substrate. None of the pupae (n = 10; each in a different arena) were injured during the 10-min presentations, although each was contacted by dozens of ants during this period (all pupae eventually gave rise to adults). We proceeded to collect the secretory droplets for analysis and here report on the chemicals isolated from the fluid (5). MATERIALS AND METHODSSample Collection. Secretion from the glandular hairs, collected with microcapillaries, was sealed directly in glass tubes (1.8 x 20 mm) or extracted with ether or dichloromethane (100 ul). For NMR spectroscopy, a sample (500 pupae) was taken up in 400 ul of C2HC13 (2H, 99.96%).Analytical Procedures. Samples were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) on a Hewlett-Packard (HP) 5890 instruThe publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. ment equipped with a split/splitless injector, a flame ionization detector, and an HP 3396A integrator. Undiluted samples in glass capillaries were injected by a solid sampling technique (6, 7); solutions were introduced by splitless injection. Low-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) was carried out with an HP 5890 gas chromatograph linked to a Finnigan ion-trap detector (ITD 800) or an HP mass selective detector. Chemical ionization mass spectra were obtained on the ITD with methane as the reagent gas. High-resolution mass spectra were obtained on a Kratos 890 instrument. Gas-phase IR spectra were obtained with an HP 5890 gas chromatograph linked to an HP 5965A IR detector. Unless otherwise noted, 1H and 13C NMR spectra were obtained in C2HC13 on a Varian XL-400 instrument.Derivatization Techniques. (i) Microhydrogenation. A small sample of secretion in ether (50 ,ul) was placed in a glass vial and =0.5 mg of 10%o Pd on activated charcoal was added. A balloon filled with hydrogen was attached to the vial. After 10 hr, 25 ul of ether was added and the supernatant was withdrawn and examined by GC/MS.(ii) A...

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The defensive secretion ofTenebrio molitor contains a mixture of 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone andm-cresol. The phenol had not previously been detected in the secretion, although some investigators reported presence of 2-ethyl-1,4-benzoquinone as a second component. We failed to detect the latter quinone in secretion samples from three laboratory populations ofT. molitor.

The biosynthesis of the azamacrolide epilachnene by the coccinellid beetle Epilachna varivestis has been studied with 2H-labeled oleic acid, 2H-labeled L-serine, and

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Fifty-one common mergansers were captured on Douglas Lake (Cheboygan County, Michigan) and their avian schistosome loads were determined by fecal examination. Each bird was given a single dose of 0, 40, or 200 mg/kg of body weight of praziquantel and released. All birds were recaptured within 10 days of drug administration to determine posttreatment schistosome loads. Only the highest dose of praziquantel was found to significantly reduce avian schistosome loads. The potential use of praziquantel in swimmer's itch control programs is discussed.

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