In many host-microbe mutualisms, hosts use beneficial metabolites supplied by microbial symbionts. Fungus-growing (attine) ants are thought to form such a mutualism with Pseudonocardia bacteria to derive antibiotics that specifically suppress the coevolving pathogen Escovopsis, which infects the ants' fungal gardens and reduces growth. Here we test 4 key assumptions of this PseudonocardiaEscovopsis coevolution model. Culture-dependent and cultureindependent (tag-encoded 454-pyrosequencing) surveys reveal that several Pseudonocardia species and occasionally Amycolatopsis (a close relative of Pseudonocardia) co-occur on workers from a single nest, contradicting the assumption of a single pseudonocardiaceous strain per nest. Pseudonocardia can occur on males, suggesting that Pseudonocardia could also be horizontally transmitted during mating. Pseudonocardia and Amycolatopsis secretions kill or strongly suppress ant-cultivated fungi, contradicting the previous finding of a growth-enhancing effect of Pseudonocardia on the cultivars. Attine ants therefore may harm their own cultivar if they apply pseudonocardiaceous secretions to actively growing gardens. Pseudonocardia and Amycolatopsis isolates also show nonspecific antifungal activities against saprotrophic, endophytic, entomopathogenic, and gardenpathogenic fungi, contrary to the original report of specific antibiosis against Escovopsis alone. We conclude that attine-associated pseudonocardiaceous bacteria do not exhibit derived antibiotic properties to specifically suppress Escovopsis. We evaluate hypotheses on nonadaptive and adaptive functions of attine integumental bacteria, and develop an alternate conceptual framework to replace the prevailing Pseudonocardia-Escovopsis coevolution model. If association with Pseudonocardia is adaptive to attine ants, alternate roles of such microbes could include the protection of ants or sanitation of the nest. mutualism ͉ symbiosis ͉ Attini ͉ Actinomycete ͉ Escovopsis

Social insects harbor diverse assemblages of bacterial microbes, which may play a crucial role in the success or failure of biological invasions. The invasive fire ant Solenopsis invicta (Formicidae, Hymenoptera) is a model system for understanding the dynamics of invasive social insects and their biological control. However, little is known about microbes as biotic factors influencing the success or failure of ant invasions. This pilot study is the first attempt to characterize and compare microbial communities associated with the introduced S. invicta and the native Solenopsis geminata in the USA. Using 16S amplicon 454 pyrosequencing, bacterial communities of workers, brood, and soil from nest walls were compared between neighboring S. invicta and S. geminata colonies at Brackenridge Field Laboratory, Austin, Texas, with the aim of identifying potential pathogenic, commensal, or mutualistic microbial associates. Two samples of S. geminata workers showed high counts of Spiroplasma bacteria, a known pathogen or mutualist of other insects. A subsequent analysis using PCR and sequencing confirmed the presence of Spiroplasma in additional colonies of both Solenopsis species. Wolbachia was found in one alate sample of S. geminata, while one brood sample of S. invicta had a high count of Lactococcus. As expected, ant samples from both species showed much lower microbial diversity than the surrounding soil. Both ant species had similar overall bacterial diversities, although little overlap in specific microbes. To properly characterize a single bacterial community associated with a Solenopsis ant sample, rarefaction analyses indicate that it is necessary to obtain 5,000-10,000 sequences. Overall, 16S amplicon 454 pyrosequencing appears to be a cost-effective approach to screen whole microbial diversity associated with invasive ant species.

-Forensic entomology uses biological and ecological aspects of necrophagous insects to help in criminal investigations to estimate the post-mortem interval (PMI) or to determine the cause of death. Recent papers demonstrated that the presence of toxins in decomposing tissues may alter the insect developmental rate of insects exploiting such tissues as food. Thus, preliminary tests with artifi cial diets in laboratory are necessary to create a database to investigate and quantify the modifi cations that can occur with the collected insects from a criminal scene, avoiding any errors on the PMI estimates. The present study aimed to evaluate the developmental rate of Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) reared on: a) artifi cial diets containing animal tissues: bovine liver (D1), raw muscle (D2), stomach (D3), and chicken heart (D4); b) artifi cial diet without animal tissue (D5); and c) a control group (C), which had only meat. The effi ciency of each substrate was assessed by immature weight gain (mg), larval developmental time, larval and pupal survival, emergence interval and adult size. D1 to D4 diets did not restrict C. albiceps development; however, larvae reared on D1 and D2 diets presented a lower adult emergence rate. D3 and control group showed similarities regarding the effi ciency parameters (rate and emergence interval). Thus, the use of diet D3, artifi cial diet with stomach, is the most recommended.KEY WORDS: Nutritional source, immature rearing, blowfl y, forensic entomology RESUMO -A entomologia forense utiliza dados biológicos e ecológicos de insetos necrófagos com o objetivo de auxiliar as investigações criminais, na estimativa do intervalo pós-morte (IPM) ou na descoberta da causa da morte. Trabalhos recentes têm demonstrado que a presença de toxinas nos tecidos em decomposição pode alterar a taxa de desenvolvimento de insetos que usam esse recurso. Assim, testes preliminares usando dietas artifi ciais em laboratório são necessários para a criação de um banco de dados como padrão para investigar e quantifi car as possíveis modifi cações em insetos coletados da cena criminal, para não gerar dados imprecisos sobre o IPM. No presente estudo objetivou-se avaliar a taxa de desenvolvimento de imaturos de Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann) criados em diferentes substratos: a) dietas artifi ciais contendo tecido de origem animal: fígado (D1), músculo moído (D2) e rúmen (D3) bovinos, além de coração de frango (D4); b) dieta sem tecido animal (D5) e; c) um grupo controle (C), somente em carne bovina. A efi ciência de cada substrato foi observada pelo ganho de massa dos imaturos, tempo de desenvolvimento larval, sobrevivência larval e pupal, intervalo de emergência e tamanho dos adultos. As dietas D1 a D4 não restringiram o desenvolvimento larval de C. albiceps, no entanto, D1 e D2 apresentaram baixa emergência de adultos. D3 e o grupo controle foram muito similares em relação a alguns fatores de efi ciência (taxa e intervalo de emergência). Assim, o uso da dieta D3, dieta artifi cal mais rúmen de bovinos é...

A febre maculosa brasileira (FMB), causada por riquétsias do grupo da febre maculosa e transmitida por carrapatos 5 , é similar à febre maculosa das montanhas rochosas que tem como agente Rickettsia rickettsii. A FMB é notificada principalmente na região Sudeste do país, com destaque para os Estados de Minas Gerais 7 8 9 e São Paulo 4 15 18 21 . ABSTRACTThe city of Campinas is located in an endemic area for Brazilian spotted fever in São Paulo State, where several cases have recently occurred. Capybaras have been associated with the cycle of this disease, for they present positive serology and serve as host for ticks of the genus Amblyomma, the main vectors of brazilian spotted fever. Ticks were colleted both from Capybaras and from the vegetation in the city park Lago do Café, located in the urban area of Campinas City, SP, a site associated with suspected human cases of brazilian spotted fever. The ticks collected were examinaded for the presence of rickettsiae using polymerase chain reaction and the haemolymph test. Through analysis of the gene gltA nucleotide sequence, adults of Amblyomma cajennense and Amblyomma cooperi were found to be infected with the non pathogenic Rickettsia bellii. However, no rickettsiae of the Spotted Fever Group were detected. These results indicate that the role of capybaras as reservoirs of rickettsiae of the Spotted Fever Group is still uncertain and further studies are required.

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