Iran
Mohammad Reza Yaghoobi Ershadi currently works at the Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control Campaign, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Mohammad Reza does research in different aspects on the epidemiology of Leishmaniasis,Dengue fever and Arboviruses His current project is 'The study of resistance mechanism/s of main vector of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis, Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera :Psychodidae ), to DDT and cross resistance to pyrethroids in Isfahan province.'.
Research Article
Dynamics and Fitness Cost of Genetically Engineered Entrobacter cloacae Expressing Defensin for Paratransgenesis in Phlebotomus papatasi
Author(s): Rangin Abassi, Maryam Akhlaghi, Mohammad Ali Oshaghi*, Amir Ahmad Akhavan, Mohammad Reza Yaghoobi-Ershadi, Rounak Bakhtiary and Fatemeh Mohtarami
Background: Enterobacter cloacae subsp. dissolvens bacterium is a known commensal of the gut microflora of Phlebotomus papatasi, the main vector for zoonotic cutaneous Leishmaniasis, and nominated for paratransgenesis in sand flies. In this study, we evaluated dynamics and fitness costs of engineered E. cloacae for its potential to serve as a 'Trojan Horse' in P. papatasi.
Methods: The engineered strain of E. cloacae transformed with a constantly active expressed red fluorescent protein plus defensin (EC-DR) plasmid and was fed to sand fly colonies via larval food to larvae. A wild type the bacterium (EC-WT) and intact food were used as controls. Fitness characters as well as dynamics of the EC-DR at various development stages of sand fly larvae were tested by plating homogenized specimens.. View more»