John Jeffery

Bacterial pathogens isolated from cockroaches trapped from paediatric wards in peninsular Malaysia

A survey was conducted in 4 paediatric wards in Malaysia to determine the distribution of various species of cockroaches and to examine their gut contents for bacteria. Cockroaches were trapped from food dispensing areas (kitchens), store rooms, cupboards and open wards. 104 cockroaches were caught, consisting of Periplaneta americana (67.3%), Blattella germanica (26%), P. brunnea (4.8%), and Supella longipalpa (1.9%). Bacteria were isolated from all cockroaches except 3 P. americana. Many bacterial species were identified, including the pathogenic and potentially pathogenic species Shigella boydii, S. dysenteriae, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebseilla oxytoca, K. ozaena and Serratia marcescens.

Evaluation of Bactimos wettable powder, granules and briquets against mosquito larvae in Malaysia

There was high mortality in late larval instars of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) from laboratory and field populations in the 24 h after application of three Bactimos formulations of Bacillus thuringiensis H-14. Mortalities were higher and residual effects longer in field populations than in laboratory ones. Briquets were the most effective formulation (mortality 96-100% after five weeks; 76-92% after eight weeks). Culex quinquefasciatus Say larvae were tested only against the briquet formulation. In the laboratory, 100% mortality of late instars persisted for six weeks and dropped to 48-88% after eight weeks. In the field, late instars were reduced by 62-87% after 24 h and 69-72% after one week compared to increases in an untreated population of 160% and 176% respectively.

Anotylus latiusculus (Kraatz) (Coleoptera : Staphylinidae) parasitising the puparium of Musca domestica L. in Malaysia

The tiny, spiny-legged rove beetle, Anotylus latiusculus (Kraatz) ernerged from house fiy puparium collected from a vegetable farm in the Carneron Highlands, Pahang. This beetle parasitoid, and microhymenepteran Spalangia are natural enemies of fiies. Spalangia spp. play important roles in regulating the fiy population in Malaysia. However, this role is doubtful for the spinylegged rove beetle due to its scarcity. The extensive use of insecticides has led to development of resistance in arthropods of rnedical importance and also has caused deleterious effects on the environment (Thomas, 1976), Health workers and researchers have looked at alternate means, especially to biological agents, for the control of disease-bearing arthropods, such as mosquitoes and flies. Synanthropic fiies have been shown to harbour a variety of organisms harmful to humans, such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa, helminth eggs and others (Greenberg, 1973). In Peninsular Malaysia, Sulaiman et al. (1988a, b) isolated enteropathogenic bacteria and helminth eggs from flies, and Zahedi !991] and Jeffery (1982) have incriminated 147 and Edariah et al, (1983) them in animal and human myiasis, respectively. In lieu of insecticides, pupal parasitoids, especially of microhymenopteran wasps and predators, have been exploited to control and suppress fly population; however, such use has not been explored in P. Malaysia. So, as a first step in this direction, available information on local microhymenopteran wasps and predators was collated and it was discovered that exeept for a few incidental reports dealing with some species from a few localities no account was available that dealt with the whole of P. Malaysia. Thus, a survey was initiated to identify the microhymenopteran parasitoids and predators of fly puparia occurring throughout P. Malaysia. A total of 14,217 puparia consisting of 7,975 Musca domestica, 6,145 Chrysomya megacePhata, 68 Fannia sp, and 29 Ophyra sp,, was co]lected from 23 localities in P. Malaysia. Previously the following microhymenopteian wasps have been reported to occur in P, Malaysia: SPalangia tiameroni Perkins, S. gemina BouEek, S. obscura BouEek and S, simptex Perkins (BouEek, 1963) ; Dirhinus himalayanus Westwood (Boueek and Narendran, 1981; Sulaiman et at. 1990); Exoristorbia philippinensis Rendani (Kadarsan and Jeffery, 1981) and S, endius (Omar et al., 1988). In this survey, in addition to the previously reported species, a new species of SPatangia, an unidentified hymenopteran wasp and 2 specimens of a staphylinid beetle were obtained. The new Spalangia and general account will be published elsewhere (Omar et al. 1991). In this acceunt the staphylinid beetle is reported for the first time in P. Malaysia from puparia of M. domestica. The Oxyteline staphylinid, Anotylus latiusculus (Kraatz) (spiny-]egged rove beetle), was obtained from 2 out of 342 puparia of M. domestica collected from vegetable patches in the Cameron Highlands in the state of Pahang, The A. Iatiusculus measured 1.5 mm in length and is black and shiny; head slightly smaller than the thorax; dorsal surfaces of head, thorax and elytra sparsely pitted; antenna club-like; elytra short and front tibia with a row of spines (Fig. 1). The Japan Society of Medical Entomology and Zoology NII-Electronic Library Service he apanSociety fMedical ntom logy nd o logy