03430nas a2200421 4500008004100000022002500041245011100066210006900177260001600246300001400262490000700276520210700283100003302390700002902423700002102452700002502473700002302498700002702521700002102548700002102569700002102590700001702611700002102628700002102649700002102670700002802691700002102719700002002740700002002760700002302780700002002803700002202823700001802845700002702863700002802890700002202918856006802940 2021 eng d a0022-2585, 1938-292800aMolecular Monitoring of Knockdown Resistance in Head Louse (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae) Populations in Iran0 aMolecular Monitoring of Knockdown Resistance in Head Louse Phthi cJun-09-2021 a2321-23290 v583 a

Knockdown resistance (kdr) is a common mechanism of insecticide resistance in head lice to the conventionally used pyrethroid pediculosis and can be the result of various amino acid substitutions within the voltage-sensitive sodium channel (VSSC). In this study, 54 sequences from varied specimens were investigated to monitor well-known resistance mutations and probable new mutations. The Pediculus humanus capitis de Geer specimens were collected from 13 provinces in Iran. The specimens were stored in 70% ethanol until DNA extraction and PCR amplification of ~900-bp fragment of VSSC. The sequences were analyzed using different bioinformatics software for the detection of well-known kdr substitutions and additional mutations potentially associated with kdr resistance in head lice. There were six new and an old (haplotype I) kdr haplotypes within the Iranian head louse population. K794E, F815I, and N818D amino acid substitutions were reported for the first time. The P813H mutation was the most prevalent amino acid substitution in eight provinces. Among 53 sequences, 26 (49%) were homozygous susceptible, and 27 (51%) were heterozygotes. Thus, 51% of the head lice collected in Iran harbored only the P813H allele. The exact test for the Hardy–Weinberg (H–W) equilibrium showed that genotype frequencies differed significantly from the expectation in East-Azerbaijan and Tehran provinces. Moreover, these populations had an inbreeding coefficient (Fis) <0, indicating the excess of heterozygotes. This observation suggests that the populations of head lice from Iran are currently under active selective pressure. For the rest of the populations, H–W equilibrium and the expectations were significantly in harmony. The results of the current study highlight molecular techniques in the accurate detection of resistance genotypes before their establishment within the head louse population. Accurate detection of resistant genotypes seems to be helpful in decision-making on lice control programs and resistance monitoring and management.

1 aGhahvechi_Khaligh, Fereshteh1 aDjadid, Navid, Dinparast1 aFarmani, Mostafa1 aAsadi_Saatlou, Zahra1 aFirooziyan, Samira1 aAbedi-Astaneh, Fatemeh1 aFarnoosh, Fariba1 aSofizadeh, Aioub1 aNaseri, Firoozeh1 aAdib, Delnia1 aTaheri, Mohammad1 aLalehzari, Emran1 aPashaei, Shabnam1 aSoltanbeiglou, Shadiyeh1 aSoltani, Aboozar1 aKhooban, Hassan1 aAbbasi, Ebrahim1 aAivazi, Ali-Ashraf1 aSaeedi, Samrand1 aTaghilou, Behrooz1 aJafari, Abbas1 aDashti_Khavidak, Kamal1 aToloza, Ariel, Ceferino1 aGholizadeh, Saber uhttps://academic.oup.com/jme/article-abstract/58/6/2321/629545803885nas a2200241 4500008004100000022001400041245012500055210006900180260001600249300001000265490000700275520308800282653001403370653001403384653002603398653002603424653001603450100003003466700002103496700001803517700002203535856008603557 2020 eng d a1756-330500aDiversity of mitochondrial genes and predominance of Clade B in different head lice populations in the northwest of Iran0 aDiversity of mitochondrial genes and predominance of Clade B in  cSep-23-2020 a12 pp0 v133 a

Background The head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, is the most important ectoparasite causing many health problems. Several linkages are presented for this parasite, each representing a particular geographical distribution, prevalence rate, vector competence, susceptibility to pediculicides, and infestation rate. Determining the genetic nature of these linkages is necessary to identify the population structure and also to develop and monitor control programmes against head lice. This study was designed to analyse cox1 and cytb genes and determine the mitochondrial clades in head lice populations in the northwest of Iran.

Methods Adult head lice were collected from infested females of Ardabil, East and West Azerbaijan, and Zanjan Provinces from 2016 to 2018. Partial fragments of the mitochondrial genes cox1 and cytb were amplified by PCR and some of the amplicons were sequenced. All confirmed sequences were analysed, and the frequency of each mitochondrial clade was determined in the studied areas.

Results A total of 6410 females were clinically examined, and 897 adult head lice were collected from 562 infested cases. Genomic DNA was extracted from 417 samples, and fragments of cox1 and cytb genes were amplified in 348 individuals. Analysis of the 116 sequences showed the 632-bp and 495-bp fragments for cox1 and cytb genes, respectively. The nucleotide and haplotype diversities of cytb and cox1 genes were 0.02261 and 0.589 and 0.01443 and 0.424, respectively. Sequence analysis indicated 6 haplotypes clustered in two clades, A and B. The relative prevalence of clade B was 73% for cytb and 82% for cox1 gene. Haplotypes of clade B were found in all the studied areas, while those of clade A were observed only in rural and suburban areas.

Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study investigated deeply the field populations of Pediculus and documented two clades in the Middle East. The considerable prevalence of pediculosis in the studied areas requires authorities’ attention to establish effective control and preventive measures. Given the role of cytb in monitoring population groups, application of this marker is suggested for future epigenetic studies to evaluate the factors affecting the abundance of these clades.

10acox1 gene10acytb gene10aMitochondrial clade A10aMitochondrial clade B10aPediculosis1 aGhavami, Mohammad, Bagher1 aGhanbari, Maryam1 aPanahi, Sanaz1 aTaghilou, Behrooz uhttps://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-020-04364-z02303nas a2200265 4500008004100000022001400041245012300055210006900178260001200247300001600259490000700275520139600282653001501678653001501693653002501708653004801733653002201781100002301803700002301826700002201849700002201871700002001893700002201913856010201935 2017 eng d a0022-258500aIdentification of Novel Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Mutations in Human Head and Body Lice (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae)0 aIdentification of Novel VoltageGated Sodium Channel Mutations in c05-2019 a1337 - 13430 v543 a

In recent years, the increase of head louse infestation in Iran (7.4%) and especially in West-Azerbaijan Province (248%) has raised the hypothesis of insecticide resistance development. There are different mechanisms of re- sistance to various groups of insecticides, and knockdown resistance (kdr) is a prominent mechanism of resis- tance to pyrethroids, an insecticide group which is used conventionally for pediculosis control. For detection of kdr-type well-known amino acid substitutions (M815I–T917I–L920F) and additional sodium channel mutations potentially associated with kdr resistance in head and body lice, louse populations were collected from West- Azerbaijan and Zanjan Provinces of Iran. Six novel mutations were found to be located in the IIS1-2 extracellular loop (H813P) and IIS5 (I927F, L928A, R929V, L930M, and L932M) of the a-subunit. Genotyping results showed that all specimens (100%) have at least one of these or the well-known mutations. Therefore, the presence of kdr-related and novel mutations in the sodium channel is likely to be the reason for the frequent use of pyre- throid insecticides due to treatment failure against lice. Further studies are now required to evaluate the preva- lence of the kdr-like mutant allele for monitoring of insecticide resistance and the management of head and body lice in other provinces of the country.

10abody louse10aHead louse10aknockdown resistance10anovel voltage-gated sodium channel mutation10asequence analysis1 aFirooziyan, Samira1 aSadaghianifar, Ali1 aTaghilou, Behrooz1 aGalavani, Hossein1 aGhaffari, Eslam1 aGholizadeh, Saber uhttp://academic.oup.com/jme/article/54/5/1337/3855130/Identification-of-Novel-VoltageGated-Sodium