However, further studies must be conducted to clarify the
metabolic changes that occur in the snail host in response to larval nematode infection, to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in this process. This study was supported in part by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio selleck compound de Janeiro (FAPERJ). “
“Ants of the genus Solenopsis occur worldwide, but relatively little is known about their ecology and life history in Brazil, where the genus is highly diverse. Native from South America, ants of the genus Solenopsis (S. invicta and S. richteri) were accidentally introduced in the United States in the beginning of the last century and have become a great public concern, causing damage to the local diversity by displacing native species, and to crops and public health ( Wojcik et al., 2001). Currently, millions of dollars have been spent in the attempt to control them, but despite these efforts, they continue to spread to new Akt inhibitor areas. Solenopsis invicta invasions have also been reported in several countries such as Puerto Rico, New Zealand, and Australia ( Morrison et al., 2004). The potential global range expansion of S. invicta has been correlated with temperature and precipitation, and abrupt variations
of these factors may limit the success of the expansion ( Morrison et al., 2004). Also, the presence of few natural enemies in areas invaded by this ant may be the cause of the abundance of individuals, since in its native range, the opposite scenario is observed. As a result of a fast expansion and interactions with several taxa, many ant species might have acquired several parasites, among them endosymbionts such as Glutathione peroxidase Wolbachia (
Dedeine et al., 2005). Wolbachia (Class Alphaproteobacteria, Order Rickettsiales) are intracellular bacteria inherited from the egg cytoplasm, found in large numbers in the reproductive tissues of many arthropods. Jeyaprakash and Hoy (2000) examined the presence of Wolbachia in 63 species of arthropods and found a frequency of 76%. Extrapolations of these estimates suggest that 106 insect species might be infected, making Wolbachia bacteria among the most widespread parasites of insects ( Dedeine et al., 2005, Hilgenboecker et al., 2008, Shoemaker et al., 2003a and Shoemaker et al., 2003b). Wolbachia variants found in New World ants are more closely related, and differ from other strains found in other insect groups, suggesting they may have become specialized in ants ( Tsutsui et al., 2003). These bacteria can cause reproductive alterations in their hosts to increase transmission to subsequent generations ( Bandi et al., 1998, O’Neill et al., 1992 and Stouthamer et al., 1999).