Stable flies are blood-feeding pests of livestock, companion animals, and humans, and are found on all continents except Antarctica. The painful bites of both male and female adults induce stress-related behaviors in livestock, resulting in weight loss and substantial economic losses for producers. Both male and female stable flies are obligate blood-feeders, which poses a challenge to sterile insect technique and other pest management strategies that require the mass release of males. Current stable fly pest management strategies often fail to adequately control fly populations. Although numerous genetic manipulation methods for introducing exogenous genetic material or inducing gene knockouts have been developed for mosquitoes, Drosophila, and other model insect groups, methods for the genetic transformation of stable flies remain limited. This protocol describes a reliable and improved approach for introducing foreign genetic material into stable flies using a hyperactive variant of the piggyBac transposase and a novel solid larval rearing medium that supports larval recovery, hatching, feeding, and fluorescent screening after embryonic microinjection.

We report on a 34-year-old homeless woman with polysubstance addiction, admitted with multiple skin ulcers initially misdiagnosed as insect bites during a dermatological teleconsultation. A wound swab revealed Corynebacterium diphtheriae. This case illustrates the danger of cutaneous diphtheria in vulnerable groups. It emphasizes the need for microbiological diagnostics in chronic wounds, as well as the importance of correct antibiotic therapy and strict isolation measures to prevent outbreaks.

Service members are routinely deployed to geographical locations where arthropod-borne diseases are endemic. Force health protection relies on integrated vector management methods to reduce service member exposure to disease vectors. The United States Department of Defense relies heavily on personal protective measures that include proper uniform wear, on-skin application of topical repellents, and insecticidal treatment of working uniforms with permethrin. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of topical N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) application, permethrin-treated U.S. Army Combat Uniforms (ACUs) with operational camouflage pattern, and their combination for protecting service members from the bite of Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquitoes in a semi-field environment. Volunteers wearing treated or untreated ACUs, with or without DEET on exposed skin, stood stationery in outdoor cages containing 100 unfed Ae. aegypti females. The data recorded included number of mosquito bites identified on the volunteer, the number of blood fed mosquitoes, and post-exposure mosquito mortality rates 24 hours following trials. Results demonstrated that properly worn ACUs prevented mosquito bites from occurring on covered body parts, even when untreated. However, bites were common on exposed skin when DEET was not applied. The combination of DEET and a properly worn uniform provided nearly 100% protection from bites. Permethrin-treated uniforms alone did not prevent mosquitoes from biting exposed skin but resulted in significant mosquito mortality 24 hours after exposure. These results show that the combination of proper uniform wear, uniform treatment, and use of topical repellent provides holistic protection including bite reduction and focal mortality of exposed mosquitoes.

Military personnel are highly vulnerable to arthropod-borne diseases, and current personal protective measures-especially pyrethroid-treated uniforms-have limitations in durability and efficacy against insecticide-resistant vectors. This study evaluated a novel non-insecticidal approach using graphene-treated fabrics to enhance soldier protection from mosquito bites. To evaluate the potential of graphene to prevent mosquito biting, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles albimanus biting rates were monitored on graphene-treated vs. control fabrics under an arm-in-cage protocol. Graphene was applied to military fabrics utilizing three distinct print patterns (thin lines, thick lines, and dots), which were then subjected to standard military wash protocols utilized for pyrethroid-treated fabrics (out to 50 wash cycles) prior to bite protection evaluations at four distinct wash levels (0X, 1X, 20X, and 50X). All graphene-infused fabrics produced a significant reduction in mosquito bites for at least one wash level against both mosquito species. Of the graphene print styles evaluated, the largest reduction in bites was observed in the thick lines at the 50X wash level (64.7% reduction in biting). This was followed by dot and thin line patterns, respectively (49.7% reduction and 39.8% reduction, respectively). Idiosyncratic effects were observed for specific mosquito species and print patterns, with An. albimanus bites being most significantly reduced by all graphene print patterns. These results demonstrated that graphene-treated fabrics could serve as a robust bite protective technology against host-seeking mosquitoes. This technology offers a promising supplement to existing pyrethroid-based defenses, potentially overcoming issues of chemical durability and insecticide resistance. In conjunction with pyrethroid treatment, integrating graphene into uniforms could provide soldiers with long-lasting protection against disease vectors.

Triatomine bugs are widely distributed globally and are important vectors of trypanosomiasis in the New World. The Romaña sign, characterized by unilateral swelling of the eyelid, is common in triatomine and bedbug bites. The range of Trypanosoma cruzi, the cause of Chagas disease has expanded with the organism detected in triatomine reduviids in suburban areas of the southwestern United States.

Cases of adventitious biting on humans by non-hematophagous insects are rarely reported but hold significant medical relevance. This case report documents the first instance of repeated nocturnal biting in a bedridden, tetraparetic 59-year-old patient by a fifth-instar nymph of the great green bush-cricket, Tettigonia viridissima L. (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae). The patient sustained four superficial skin lesions on the left ear and forehead, accompanied by distinct blood smears. A live T. viridissima nymph was captured at the end of a dark red blood streak nearby. Biting activity was likely an opportunistic response to insect dehydration and resource scarcity, further facilitated by the patient's profuse sweating and inability to repel the insect. Additionally, a concise literature review is provided to systematically classify such unusual opportunistic feeding behaviors in non-hematophagous taxa.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome type X1 (CMTX1) is an inherited motor and sensory neuropathy caused by mutations in the GJB1 gene located in the X chromosome. Although uncommon, stroke-like episodes have been reported in patients with CMTX1, typically triggered by stress and characterized by distinctive magnetic resonance imaging findings with complete spontaneous resolution. We report the case of a 13-year-old boy with CMTX1 and no prior neurological symptoms who developed right hemiparesis, dysarthria, and facial deviation following a wasp sting. After activation of the stroke code, brain magnetic resonance revealed bilateral hyperintense lesions in the centrum semiovale without evidence of thrombosis. To our knowledge, this is the first paediatric case of CMTX1 in which an insect sting acted as a trigger, mimicking stroke. Prompt activation of stroke protocols and neuroimaging is essential to establish the diagnosis and exclude other conditions.