High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) poses a significant threat to both domestic and wild birds globally. The avian influenza virus, known for environmental contamination and subsequent oral infection in birds, necessitates careful consideration of alternative introduction routes during HPAI outbreaks. This study focuses on blowflies (genus Calliphora), in particular Calliphora nigribarbis, attracted to decaying animals and feces, which migrate to lowland areas of Japan from northern or mountainous regions in early winter, coinciding with HPAI season. Our investigation aims to delineate the role of blowflies as HPAI vectors by conducting a virus prevalence survey in a wild bird HPAI-enzootic area. In December 2022, 648 Calliphora nigribarbis were collected. Influenza virus RT-PCR testing identified 14 virus-positive samples (2.2% prevalence), with the highest occurrence observed near the crane colony (14.9%). Subtyping revealed the presence of H5N1 and HxN1 in some samples. Subsequent collections in December 2023 identified one HPAI virus-positive specimen from 608 collected flies in total, underscoring the potential involvement of blowflies in HPAI transmission. Our observations suggest C. nigribarbis may acquire the HPAI virus from deceased wild birds directly or from fecal materials from infected birds, highlighting the need to add blowflies as a target of HPAI vector control.

Spermatogenesis is an important process in reproduction and is conserved across species, but in Bombyx mori, it shows peculiarities, such as the maintenance of spermatogonia by apical cells and fertilization by dimorphic spermatozoa. In this study, we attempted to characterize the genes expressed in the testis of B. mori, focusing on aspects of expression patterns and gene function by transcriptome comparisons between different tissues, internal testis regions, and Drosophila melanogaster. The transcriptome analysis of 12 tissues of B. mori, including those of testis, revealed the widespread gene expression of 20,962 genes and 1705 testis-specific genes. A comparative analysis of the stem region (SR) and differentiated regions (DR) of the testis revealed 4554 and 3980 specific-enriched genes, respectively. In addition, comparisons with D. melanogaster testis transcriptome revealed homologs of 1204 SR and 389 DR specific-enriched genes that were similarly expressed in equivalent regions of Drosophila testis. Moreover, gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was performed for SR-specific enriched genes and DR-specific enriched genes, and the GO terms of several biological processes were enriched, confirming previous findings. This study advances our understanding of spermatogenesis in B. mori and provides an important basis for future research, filling a knowledge gap between fly and mammalian studies.

Insects quickly develop their resistance to conventional synthetic chemical insecticides. Silica nanoparticles (SiO2NPs) is a new promising approach not only in decreasing insect pest numbers but also for its safety regarding agricultural organisms such as plants and beneficial natural enemies. Here, we investigate the safety of SiO2NPs on the faba bean Vicia faba (Fabaceae) as a model plant for toxicity studies and its control efficiency against the American serpentine leafminer Liriomyza trifolii (Diptera: Agromyzidae) as a major devastating insect pest against a wide range of crops. The concentrations of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/L of SiO2NPs (spherical shape, 15.3 nm) as well as distilled water as the control were used to investigate the effect of the nanoparticles. Early stages of development of V. faba were evaluated. The same concentrations of SiO2NPs were applied by spraying on two weeks old bean seedlings to evaluate their toxic effect on the feeding, survival and body mass of L. trifolii. A qRT-PCR analysis was conducted to assess oxidative stress on the gene expression level of the major antioxidative enzymes, catalase and superoxide dismutase, in L. trifolii. SiO2NPs inhibited root development only at a high concentration and did not affect the germination percentage, germination time, shoot length and vigor index compared to the control. The survival rate of larvae was lower than the control at the highest concentration and the larval feeding velocity and pupal weight decreased at high concentrations. Gene expression of both enzymes at the pupal stage were not affected by SiO2NPs at any concentrations. This study suggests that care must be taken to utilize SiO2NPs at a suitable concentration in controlling pests, avoiding negative effects on plant growth.