Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
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| the geographical distribution of lymphatic filariasis infection in malawi. | mapping distribution of lymphatic filariasis (lf) is a prerequisite for planning national elimination programmes. results from a nation wide mapping survey for lymphatic filariasis (lf) in malawi are presented. thirty-five villages were sampled from 23 districts excluding three districts (karonga, chikwawa and nsanje) that had already been mapped and likoma, an island, where access was not possible in the time frame of the survey. antigenaemia prevalence [based on immunochromatographic card test ... | 2007 | 18047646 |
| interspecific hybridization yields strategy for south pacific filariasis vector elimination. | lymphatic filariasis (lf) is a leading cause of disability in south pacific regions, where >96% of the 1.7 million population are at risk of lf infection. as part of current global campaign, mass drug administration (mda) has effectively reduced lymphatic filiariasis prevalence, but mosquito vector biology can complicate the mda strategy. in some regions, there is evidence that the goal of lf elimination cannot be attained via mda alone. obligate vector mosquitoes provide additional targets for ... | 2008 | 18235849 |
| a reverse transcriptase-pcr assay for detecting filarial infective larvae in mosquitoes. | existing molecular assays for filarial parasite dna in mosquitoes cannot distinguish between infected mosquitoes that contain any stage of the parasite and infective mosquitoes that harbor third stage larvae (l3) capable of establishing new infections in humans. we now report development of a molecular l3-detection assay for brugia malayi in vectors based on rt-pcr detection of an l3-activated gene transcript. | 2008 | 18560545 |
| a physiological time analysis of the duration of the gonotrophic cycle of anopheles pseudopunctipennis and its implications for malaria transmission in bolivia. | the length of the gonotrophic cycle varies the vectorial capacity of a mosquito vector and therefore its exact estimation is important in epidemiological modelling. because the gonotrophic cycle length depends on temperature, its estimation can be satisfactorily computed by means of physiological time analysis. | 2008 | 18655724 |
| [ bancroftian lymphatic filariasis: toward its elimination from the pacific?]. | the region of the pacific is historically affected by lymphatic filariasis (lf). following the world health assembly resolution in 1997, the global program to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (gpelf) was launched. in the pacific, the world health organization (who) has implemented from 1999, the pacific program to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (pacelf) bringing together the 22 countries and territories, in a common effort to eliminate the disease. the strategy is based on mass drug administration ... | 2008 | 18681220 |
| seasonal profiles of aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae) larval habitats in an urban area of costa rica with a history of mosquito control. | dengue is the most important arboviral disease worldwide and the principal vector-borne disease in costa rica. control of aedes aegypti populations through source reduction is still considered the most effective way of prevention and control, although it has proven ineffective or unsustainable in many areas with a history of mosquito control. in this study, seasonal profiles and productivity of aedes aegypti were analyzed in the city of puntarenas, costa rica, where vector control has been pract ... | 2008 | 18697310 |
| the impact of repeated rounds of mass drug administration with diethylcarbamazine plus albendazole on bancroftian filariasis in papua new guinea. | this study employed various monitoring methods to assess the impact of repeated rounds of mass drug administration (mda) on bancroftian filariasis in papua new guinea, which has the largest filariasis problem in the pacific region. | 2008 | 19065257 |
| an analysis of the subtypes of dengue fever infections in barbados 2003-2007 by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. | to perform a retrospective analysis of patients with igm antibodies to dengue fever infection to determine the serotypes present by molecular techniques. a representative sample (approximately 20%/per year) of patients diagnosed with dengue fever infection were selected based on the detection of igm antibodies in the acute phase serum sample. rna was extracted from each sample and reverse transcribed. following this, the amplicons were electrophoresed and serotyped based on band sizes. | 2008 | 19091073 |
| evaluation of three traps for sampling aedes polynesiensis and other mosquito species in american samoa. | the efficacy of the recently developed bg-sentinel mosquito trap baited with bg-lure (a combination of lactic acid, ammonia, and caproic acid) was evaluated in american samoa against the omnidirectional fay-prince trap and the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) light trap, both baited with carbon dioxide. the bg-sentinel trap captured the greatest number of the important filariasis and dengue vector aedes (stegomyia) polynesiensis at all 3 collection locations; however, its catch r ... | 2008 | 18666543 |
| dengue viruses binding proteins from aedes aegypti and aedes polynesiensis salivary glands. | dengue virus (denv), the etiological agent of dengue fever, is transmitted to the human host during blood uptake by an infective mosquito. infection of vector salivary glands and further injection of infectious saliva into the human host are key events of the denv transmission cycle. however, the molecular mechanisms of denv entry into the mosquito salivary glands have not been clearly identified. otherwise, although it was demonstrated for other vector-transmitted pathogens that insect salivary ... | 2009 | 19320997 |
| is dengue a threat to the blood supply? | dengue is the most common arthropod-borne infection worldwide, affecting at least 50 million people every year and endemic in more than 100 countries. the dengue virus is a single-stranded rna virus with four major serotypes. infection with one serotype confers homotypic immunity but not heterologous immunity, and secondary infection with another serotype may lead to more severe disease. the major route of transmission occurs through the aedes aegypti mosquito vector, but dengue has also been tr ... | 2009 | 19392949 |
| wolbachia infection and resource competition effects on immature aedes albopictus (diptera: culicidae). | wolbachia pipientis hertig and wolbach (rickettsiales: rickettsiaceae) are intracellular alpha-proteobacteria that occur naturally in aedes albopictus (skuse) (diptera: culicidae) and numerous other invertebrates. these endosymbionts can invade host populations by manipulating host reproduction. wolbachia infections have been shown to impart both costs and benefits to hosts in terms of development, survival, and fecundity. here, we monitor intraspecific competition among independent cohorts of i ... | 2009 | 19496412 |
| ecological meta-analysis of density-dependent processes in the transmission of lymphatic filariasis: survival of infected vectors. | the survival rate of infected vectors represents one of the fundamental components that influence the transmission dynamics of mosquito-borne diseases. despite the occurrence of a number of studies investigating mosquito survival after infection with filarial worms, there remains conflicting evidence from both laboratory and field experiments as to the existence and mechanism for parasite-induced mortality among filarial mosquitoes. here, we used a mixed effects meta-analytical framework to comb ... | 2009 | 19645292 |
| dengue 1 diversity and microevolution, french polynesia 2001-2006: connection with epidemiology and clinics. | dengue fever (df) is an emerging infectious disease in the tropics and subtropics. determinants of df epidemiology and factors involved in severe cases-dengue haemorrhagic fever (dhf) and dengue shock syndrome (dss)-remain imperfectly characterized. since 2000, serotype 1 (denv-1) has predominated in the south pacific. the aim of this study was (i) to determine the origin and (ii) to study the evolutionary relationships of denv-1 viruses that have circulated in french polynesia (fp) from the sev ... | 2009 | 19652703 |
| integration of irradiation with cytoplasmic incompatibility to facilitate a lymphatic filariasis vector elimination approach. | abstract: | 2009 | 19682363 |
| effects of latitude and longitude on the population structure of culex pipiens s.l., vectors of west nile virus in north america. | we assessed the structure and latitudinal selection that might result in sensitivities to critical day-lengths that trigger diapause between culex pipiens populations distributed along north-south and east-west axes in eastern north america. strong population structure between cx. p. pipiens and cx. p. quinquefasciatus existed. among cx. p. pipiens, a 100-km increase in the latitudinal change resulted in an increased square root of f(st) by 0.002. a 100-km increase in the longitudinal change cau ... | 2009 | 19861620 |
| lessons from the pacific programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis: a case study of 5 countries. | lymphatic filariasis (lf) is an important neglected tropical disease, being a major cause of disability worldwide. the global programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis aims to eliminate lf as a public health problem by the year 2020, primarily through repeated mass drug administration (mda). the pacific region programme commenced in 1999. by june 2007, five of the eleven countries classified as endemic had completed five mda campaigns and post-mda prevalence surveys to assess their progress. w ... | 2009 | 19523192 |
| duplication, concerted evolution and purifying selection drive the evolution of mosquito vitellogenin genes. | mosquito vitellogenin (vtg) genes belong to a small multiple gene family that encodes the major yolk protein precursors required for egg production. multiple vtg genes have been cloned and characterized from several mosquito species, but their origin and molecular evolution are poorly understood. | 2010 | 20465817 |
| the effect of oral anthelmintics on the survivorship and re-feeding frequency of anthropophilic mosquito disease vectors. | in the tropics, there is substantial temporal and spatial overlap of diseases propagated by anthropophilic mosquito vectors (such as malaria and dengue) and human helminth diseases (such as onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis) that are treated though mass drug administrations (mda). this overlap will result in mosquito vectors imbibing significant quantities of these drugs when they blood feed on humans. since many anthelmintic drugs have broad anti-invertebrate effects, the possibility of c ... | 2010 | 20540931 |
| first evidence of spatial clustering of lymphatic filariasis in an aedes polynesiensis endemic area. | successful elimination of lymphatic filariasis (lf) requires accurate identification of residual foci of transmission and stringent surveillance strategies to combat potential resurgence. this is challenging in areas where the day-biting aedes polynesiensis is endemic, such as samoa, since in previous studies no geographical clustering of infection has been demonstrated. another challenge for this low prevalence phase is the choice of diagnostic assay as testing for circulating filarial antigen ... | 2010 | 21172296 |
| identification of immediate response genes dominantly expressed in juvenile resistant and susceptible biomphalaria glabrata snails upon exposure to schistosoma mansoni. | resistance or susceptibility of the snail host biomphalaria glabrata to schistosoma mansoni is determined by the genetics of both the snail and parasite. although mendelian genetics governs adult resistance to infection, juvenile resistance and susceptibility are complex traits. in this study, suppression subtractive hybridization was used to construct forward and reverse cdna libraries to identify genes involved in the immediate response of juvenile resistant (bs-90), non-susceptible (lac2) sna ... | 2010 | 19815034 |
| fever from the forest: prospects for the continued emergence of sylvatic dengue virus and its impact on public health. | the four dengue virus (denv) serotypes that circulate among humans emerged independently from ancestral sylvatic progenitors that were present in non-human primates, following the establishment of human populations that were large and dense enough to support continuous inter-human transmission by mosquitoes. this ancestral sylvatic-denv transmission cycle still exists and is maintained in non-human primates and aedes mosquitoes in the forests of southeast asia and west africa. here, we provide a ... | 2011 | 21666708 |
| endectocides for malaria control. | systemic endectocidal drugs, used to control nematodes in humans and other vertebrates, can be toxic to anopheles spp. mosquitoes when they take a blood meal from a host that has recently received one of these drugs. recent laboratory and field studies have highlighted the potential of ivermectin to control malaria parasite transmission if this drug is distributed strategically and more often. there are important theoretical benefits to this strategy, as well as caveats. a better understanding o ... | 2011 | 21727027 |
| male mating competitiveness of a wolbachia-introgressed aedes polynesiensis strain under semi-field conditions. | lymphatic filariasis (lf), a global public health problem affecting approximately 120 million people worldwide, is a leading cause of disability in the developing world including the south pacific. despite decades of ongoing mass drug administration (mda) in the region, some island nations have not yet achieved the threshold levels of microfilaremia established by the world health organization for eliminating transmission. previously, the generation of a novel aedes polynesiensis strain (cp) inf ... | 2011 | 21829750 |
| wolbachia effects on host fitness and the influence of male aging on cytoplasmic incompatibility in aedes polynesiensis (diptera: culicidae). | the endosymbiotic bacteria wolbachia manipulate host reproduction by inducing a form of sterility known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), promoting the invasion of infection into natural host populations. ci has received attention for use in applied strategies to control insect vectors of disease. thus, to understand both naturally occurring wolbachia invasions and evaluate potential applied strategies, it is important to understand wolbachia interactions with its host, including impacts on f ... | 2011 | 21936319 |
| the global programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis: history and achievements with special reference to annual single-dose treatment with diethylcarbamazine in samoa and fiji. | diethylcarbamazine (dec), first introduced in 1947, was shown to have strong efficacy and safety for treatment of human lymphatic filariasis, which is caused mostly by a species wuchereria bancrofti. many studies to optimize the dosage and treatment schedule of dec followed, and, based on the results, control programs with various regimens were implemented in different endemic areas/countries. by the mid 1970s, with endorsement by the who expert committee on filariasis (3rd report, 1974), the st ... | 2011 | 22028608 |
| recent emergence of dengue virus serotype 4 in french polynesia results from multiple introductions from other south pacific islands. | infection by dengue virus (denv) is a major public health concern in hundreds of tropical and subtropical countries. french polynesia (fp) regularly experiences epidemics that initiate, or are consecutive to, denv circulation in other south pacific island countries (spics). in january 2009, after a decade of serotype 1 (denv-1) circulation, the first cases of denv-4 infection were reported in fp. two months later a new epidemic emerged, occurring about 20 years after the previous circulation of ... | 2011 | 22216313 |
| application of the filariasis celisa antifilarial igg(4) antibody assay in surveillance in lymphatic filariasis elimination programmes in the south pacific. | elimination of lymphatic filariasis (lf) in the pacific island countries and territories (pict) has been defined as <0.1% circulating filarial antigen (cfa) prevalence in children born after the implementation of successful mass drug administrations (mdas). this research assessed the feasibility of cfa and antibody testing in three countries; tonga, vanuatu, and samoa. transmission is interrupted in vanuatu and tonga as evidenced by no cfa positive children and a low antibody prevalence and titr ... | 2011 | 21961018 |
| population genetic structure of aedes polynesiensis in the society islands of french polynesia: implications for control using a wolbachia-based autocidal strategy. | aedes polynesiensis is the primary vector of wuchereria bancrofti in the south pacific and an important vector of dengue virus. an improved understanding of the mosquito population genetics is needed for insight into the population dynamics and dispersal, which can aid in understanding the epidemiology of disease transmission and control of the vector. in light of the potential release of a wolbachia infected strain for vector control, our objectives were to investigate the microgeographical and ... | 2012 | 22531297 |
| reactive oxygen species production and brugia pahangi survivorship in aedes polynesiensis with artificial wolbachia infection types. | heterologous transinfection with the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia has been shown previously to induce pathogen interference phenotypes in mosquito hosts. here we examine an artificially infected strain of aedes polynesiensis, the primary vector of wuchereria bancrofti, which is the causative agent of lymphatic filariasis (lf) throughout much of the south pacific. embryonic microinjection was used to transfer the walbb infection from aedes albopictus into an aposymbiotic strain of ae. polyne ... | 2012 | 23236284 |
| inter and intra-specific diversity of parasites that cause lymphatic filariasis. | lymphatic filariasis is caused by three closely related nematode parasites: wuchereria bancrofti, brugia malayi and brugia timori. these species have many ecological variants that differ in several aspects of their biology such as mosquito vector species, host range, periodicity, and morphology. although the genome of b. malayi (the first genome sequenced from a parasitic nematode) has been available for more than five years, very little is known about genetic variability among the lymphatic dwe ... | 2012 | 23201850 |
| open release of male mosquitoes infected with a wolbachia biopesticide: field performance and infection containment. | lymphatic filariasis (lf) is a globally significant disease, with 1.3 billion persons in 83 countries at risk. a coordinated effort of administering annual macrofilaricidal prophylactics to the entire at-risk population has succeeded in impacting and eliminating lf transmission in multiple regions. however, some areas in the south pacific are predicted to persist as transmission sites, due in part to the biology of the mosquito vector, which has led to a call for additional tools to augment drug ... | 2012 | 23166845 |
| diversity and transmission competence in lymphatic filariasis vectors in west africa, and the implications for accelerated elimination of anopheles-transmitted filariasis. | lymphatic filariasis (lf) is targeted for elimination by the global programme for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis (gpelf). the strategy adopted is based on the density dependent phenomenon of facilitation, which hypothesizes that in an area where the vector species transmitting wuchereria bancrofti are anopheles mosquitoes, it is feasible to eliminate lf using mass drug administration (mda) because of the inability of anopheles species to transmit low-density microfilaraemia. even though ... | 2012 | 23151383 |
| distribution of aedes albopictus (diptera, culicidae) in southwestern pacific countries, with a first report from the kingdom of tonga. | aedes (stegomyia) albopictus is currently one of the most notorious globally invasive mosquito species. its medical importance is well documented, and its fast expansion throughout most continents is being monitored with concern. it is generally assumed that its expansion through the western pacific island countries has not progressed since its establishment in fiji in 1989. however, the current status of ae. albopictus in the pacific region is largely unknown. | 2012 | 23130961 |
| mermithid nematodes found in adult anopheles from southeastern senegal. | over two dozen mermithid nematodes have been described parasitizing mosquitoes worldwide, however, only two species were found in africa. mermithid nematodes kill their mosquito host upon emergence, which suggests that they could be developed as biological control agents of mosquitoes. both romanomermis culicivorax and romanomermis iyengari have been reared for mass release to control numerous anopheles species vector populations, and in one instance this may have led to reduced malaria prevalen ... | 2012 | 22741946 |
| mosquito larvicidal activity of aloe vera (family: liliaceae) leaf extract and bacillus sphaericus, against chikungunya vector, aedes aegypti. | the bio-efficacy of aloe vera leaf extract and bacterial insecticide, bacillus sphaericus larvicidal activity was assessed against the first to fourth instars larvae of aedes aegypti, under the laboratory conditions. the plant material was shade dried at room temperature and powdered coarsely. a. vera and b. sphaericus show varied degrees of larvicidal activity against various instars larvae of a. aegypti. the lc50 of a. vera against the first to fourth instars larvae were 162.74, 201.43, 253.30 ... | 2012 | 23961212 |
| increased female mortality as a barrier to hybridization between members of the aedes scutellaris complex of mosquitoes. | interspecific crosses between the mosquitoes aedes polynesiensis and aedes malayensis have shown a unidirectional pattern of compatibility. aedes polynesiensis females inseminated by ae. malayensis males fail to produce viable offspring while the reciprocal cross is viable. in both crosses, rates of insemination are comparable to control rates. the ae. polynesiensis females fail to lay eggs. one apparent reason for this is that the ae. polynesiensis females have a high rate of mortality after in ... | 2012 | 3504907 |
| molecular characterization of the carboxypeptidase b1 of anopheles stephensi and its evaluation as a target for transmission-blocking vaccines. | malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the world, and it has many economic and social impacts on populations, especially in poor countries. transmission-blocking vaccines (tbvs) are valuable tools for malaria eradication. a study on anopheles gambiae revealed that polyclonal antibodies to carboxypeptidase b1 of a. gambiae can block sexual parasite development in the mosquito midgut. hence, it was introduced as a tbv target in regions where a. gambiae is the main malaria vect ... | 2013 | 23569111 |
| country- and age-specific optimal allocation of dengue vaccines. | several dengue vaccines are under development, and some are expected to become available imminently. concomitant with the anticipated release of these vaccines, vaccine allocation strategies for dengue-endemic countries in southeast asia and latin america are currently under development. we developed a model of dengue transmission that incorporates the age-specific distributions of dengue burden corresponding to those in thailand and brazil, respectively, to determine vaccine allocations that mi ... | 2013 | 24161462 |
| fitness cost of litomosoides sigmodontis filarial infection in mite vectors; implications of infected haematophagous arthropod excretory products in host-vector interactions. | filariae are a leading cause of infections which are responsible for serious dermatological, ocular, and vascular lesions. infective third stage larvae (l3) are transmitted through the bite of a haematophagous vector. litomosoides sigmodontis is a well-established model of filariasis in the mouse, with the vector being the mite ornithonyssus bacoti. the aim of the study was to analyse the filarial infection in mites to determine the consequences of filarial infection in the blood-feeding and the ... | 2013 | 24089685 |
| replacing a native wolbachia with a novel strain results in an increase in endosymbiont load and resistance to dengue virus in a mosquito vector. | wolbachia is a maternally transmitted endosymbiotic bacterium that is estimated to infect up to 65% of insect species. the ability of wolbachia to both induce pathogen interference and spread into mosquito vector populations makes it possible to develop wolbachia as a biological control agent for vector-borne disease control. although wolbachia induces resistance to dengue virus (denv), filarial worms, and plasmodium in mosquitoes, species like aedes polynesiensis and aedes albopictus, which car ... | 2013 | 23755311 |
| arbonematodes - nematode infections transmissible by arthropods: arbeitskreis blut, untergruppe «bewertung blutassoziierter krankheitserreger»*. | 2013 | 23637651 | |
| emerging pathogens - how safe is blood? | during the last few decades, blood safety efforts were mainly focused on preventing viral infections. however, humanity's increased mobility and improved migration pathways necessitate a global perspective regarding other transfusion-transmitted pathogens. this review focuses on the general infection risk of blood components for malaria, dengue virus, trypanosoma cruzi (chagas disease) and babesia spp. approximately 250 million people become infected by plasmodium spp. per year. dengue virus aff ... | 2013 | 24659943 |
| wolbachia: can we save lives with a great pandemic? | wolbachia pipientis is the most common bacterial infection in the animal world and wields a vast influence on invertebrate reproduction, sex determination, speciation, and behavior worldwide. these avenues of research have made seminal gains, including the latest use of wolbachia to alter mosquito populations and a strengthened focus on using anti-wolbachia therapies against filarial nematode infections. this work is further bolstered by a more refined knowledge of wolbachia biology spanning mec ... | 2013 | 23845310 |
| colonized aedes albopictus and its sexual performance in the wild: implications for sit technology and containment. | mating is a physiological process of crucial importance underlying the size and maintenance of mosquito populations. in sterile and incompatible insect technologies (sit and iit), mating is essential for mass production, persistence, and success of released individuals, and is a central parameter for judging the effectiveness of sit/iit programs. some mosquitoes have an enormous reproductive potential for both themselves and pathogens and mating may contribute to persistence of infection in natu ... | 2013 | 23856274 |
| the threat of chikungunya in oceania. | 2013 | 24015365 | |
| factors predicting severe dengue in patients with dengue fever. | dengue virus (denv) affects over half the world's population in 112 countries, and dengue fever (df) is the second largest arthropod borne infectious global hazard after malaria with complications like dengue hemorrhagic fever (dhf) and dengue shock syndrome (dss), accounting for significant morbidity and mortality world-over. pakistan is significantly affected with denv infection and to-date no study identifying risk factors associated with development of severe complications of df has been don ... | 2013 | 23505602 |
| naturally occurring incompatibilities between different culex pipiens pallens populations as the basis of potential mosquito control measures. | vector-borne diseases remain a threat to public health, especially in tropical countries. the incompatible insect technique has been explored as a potential control strategy for several important insect vectors. however, this strategy has not been tested in culex pipiens pallens, the most prevalent mosquito species in china. previous works used introgression to generate new strains that matched the genetic backgrounds of target populations while harboring a new wolbachia endosymbiont, resulting ... | 2013 | 23383354 |
| population studies of the filarial vector aedes polynesiensis (diptera: culicidae) in two island settings of french polynesia. | a mark-release-recapture study was conducted to estimate the adult population size, migration, and dispersal patterns of male and female aedes (stegomyia) polynesiensis (marks) in a valley of moorea, a volcanic island, and a motu (islet) on the atoll of tetiaroa, two settings typical of the society islands. aedes polynesiensis recapture rate was high for females and low for males. the distribution of aedes species in the valley was heterogeneous. marked individuals dispersed to most parts of the ... | 2013 | 24180100 |
| swarming behavior of aedes polynesiensis (diptera: culicidae) and characterization of swarm markers in american samoa. | we characterize the swarming behavior of male aedes polynesiensis (marks) in american samoa. instead of swarming around a blood host, males used the base of certain trees as a marker. repeated sampling proved nondestructive and allowed us to investigate the impact of static (e.g., tree species) and dynamic (e.g., barometric pressure) characters on the likelihood of swarm presence and intensity. tree circumference and oviposition activity (number of ae. polynesiensis reared from oviposition cups) ... | 2013 | 23926771 |
| landing response of aedes (stegomyia) polynesiensis mosquitoes to coloured targets. | aedes polynesiensis marks (diptera: culicidae) is the primary vector of lymphatic filariasis (lf) in the island countries and territories of the south pacific. in the development of a novel control tool, the response of ae. polynesiensis to six different colours (three solid fabrics, two patterned fabrics and a plastic tarp) was measured using a digital photographic system. adult mosquitoes were placed into an environmental chamber and allowed to choose between a white target and one of six expe ... | 2013 | 23336712 |
| field evaluation of selected traps and lures for monitoring the filarial and arbovirus vector, aedes polynesiensis (diptera: culicidae), in french polynesia. | the efficacy of the bg-sentinel (bgs) and the bg-mosquitito (bgm) mosquito traps for sampling populations of the important filariasis and dengue vector aedes (stegomyia) polynesiensis (marks) was evaluated in french polynesia against human bait collections (hbc) using a modified centers for disease control and prevention backpack aspirator. traps were baited with bg-lure (a combination of lactic acid, ammonia, and caproic acid) or carbon dioxide plus octenol (1-octen-3-ol) known as attractants t ... | 2013 | 23926770 |
| determinants of male aedes aegypti and aedes polynesiensis (diptera: culicidae) response to sound: efficacy and considerations for use of sound traps in the field. | understanding the mating competitiveness of male mosquitoes in field settings is essential to programs relying on the mass release of modified male mosquitoes, yet studies on male ecology have been hampered by the lack of a convenient trapping method. an existing promising method makes use of the innate attraction of males to female flight tones. here, we present laboratory, greenhouse, and field experiments on the efficacy of sound traps for the collection of aedes aegypti (l.) and aedes polyne ... | 2013 | 23926769 |
| chikungunya virus-vector interactions. | chikungunya virus (chikv) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that causes chikungunya fever, a severe, debilitating disease that often produces chronic arthralgia. since 2004, chikv has emerged in africa, indian ocean islands, asia, europe, and the americas, causing millions of human infections. central to understanding chikv emergence is knowledge of the natural ecology of transmission and vector infection dynamics. this review presents current understanding of chikv infection dynamics in mosquito v ... | 2014 | 25421891 |
| comparison of the centers for disease control and prevention-backpack and insectazooka aspirators for sampling aedes polynesiensis in french polynesia. | the efficiency of the recently developed handheld insectazooka (iz) aspirator was compared to that of the centers for disease control and prevention-backpack (cdc-bp) aspirator by conducting human bait collections on 2 islets (locally called motus) of the atoll of tetiaroa, french polynesia. abundance of mosquitoes was compared between the wind-exposed and wind-protected sides of each motu to measure the effect of wind on mosquito distribution. the number of host-seeking aedes polynesiensis mosq ... | 2014 | 25102597 |
| effect of temperature and larval density on aedes polynesiensis (diptera: culicidae) laboratory rearing productivity and male characteristics. | aedes polynesiensis marks (diptera: culicidae) larvae were reared to adulthood in the laboratory under a range of temperatures and larval densities. we studied the effect of these variables on several life table parameters of relevance to male-release-based vector control strategies including: larval survivorship, developmental time to pupation, male to female ratio, male pupae yield, adult male size and survival. the range of tested rearing temperatures (20, 25, 27, and 30 °c) and larval densit ... | 2014 | 24316237 |
| the oxidative environment: a mediator of interspecies communication that drives symbiosis evolution. | symbiotic interactions are ubiquitous in nature and play a major role in driving the evolution of life. interactions between partners are often mediated by shared signalling pathways, which strongly influence both partners' biology and the evolution of the association in various environments. as an example of 'common language', the regulation of the oxidative environment plays an important role in driving the evolution of symbiotic associations. such processes have been occurring for billions of ... | 2014 | 24807248 |
| metagenomics, paratransgenesis and the anopheles microbiome: a portrait of the geographical distribution of the anopheline microbiota based on a meta-analysis of reported taxa. | anophelines harbour a diverse microbial consortium that may represent an extended gene pool for the host. the proposed effects of the insect microbiota span physiological, metabolic and immune processes. here we synthesise how current metagenomic tools combined with classical culture-dependent techniques provide new insights in the elucidation of the role of the anopheles-associated microbiota. many proposed malaria control strategies have been based upon the immunomodulating effects that the ba ... | 2014 | 25185007 |
| molecular xenomonitoring using mosquitoes to map lymphatic filariasis after mass drug administration in american samoa. | mass drug administration (mda) programs have dramatically reduced lymphatic filariasis (lf) incidence in many areas around the globe, including american samoa. as infection rates decline and mda programs end, efficient and sensitive methods for detecting infections are needed to monitor for recrudescence. molecular methods, collectively termed 'molecular xenomonitoring,' can identify parasite dna or rna in human blood-feeding mosquitoes. we tested mosquitoes trapped throughout the inhabited isla ... | 2014 | 25122037 |
| seroprevalence and spatial epidemiology of lymphatic filariasis in american samoa after successful mass drug administration. | as part of the global programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (lf), american samoa conducted mass drug administration (mda) from 2000-2006, and passed transmission assessment surveys in 2011-2012. we examined the seroprevalence and spatial epidemiology of lf post-mda to inform strategies for ongoing surveillance and to reduce resurgence risk. | 2014 | 25393716 |
| iron necessity: the secret of wolbachia's success? | the bacterium wolbachia (order rickettsiales) is probably the world's most successful vertically-transmitted symbiont, distributed among a staggering 40% of terrestrial arthropod species. wolbachia has great potential in vector control due to its ability to manipulate its hosts' reproduction and to impede the replication and dissemination of arboviruses and other pathogens within haematophagous arthropods. in addition, the unexpected presence of wolbachia in filarial nematodes of medical and vet ... | 2014 | 25329055 |
| the effects of genetic manipulation, dieldrin treatment and irradiation on the mating competitiveness of male anopheles arabiensis in field cages. | to enable the release of only sterile male anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes for the sterile insect technique, the genetic background of a wild-type strain was modified to create a genetic sexing strain ano ipcl1 that was based on a dieldrin resistance mutation. secondly, the eggs of ano ipcl1 require treatment with dieldrin to allow complete elimination of female l1 larvae from the production line. finally, male mosquito pupae need to be treated with an irradiation dose of 75 gy for sterilization ... | 2014 | 25125089 |
| heritable strategies for controlling insect vectors of disease. | mosquito-borne diseases are causing a substantial burden of mortality, morbidity and economic loss in many parts of the world, despite current control efforts, and new complementary approaches to controlling these diseases are needed. one promising class of new interventions under development involves the heritable modification of the mosquito by insertion of novel genes into the nucleus or of wolbachia endosymbionts into the cytoplasm. once released into a target population, these modifications ... | 2014 | 24821918 |
| human to mosquito transmission of dengue viruses. | the successful transmission of dengue virus from a human host to a mosquito vector requires a complex set of factors to align. it is becoming increasingly important to improve our understanding of the parameters that shape the human to mosquito component of the transmission cycle so that vaccines and therapeutic antivirals can be fully evaluated and epidemiological models refined. here we describe these factors, and discuss the biological and environmental impacts and demographic changes that ar ... | 2014 | 24987394 |
| aedes hensilli as a potential vector of chikungunya and zika viruses. | an epidemic of zika virus (zikv) illness that occurred in july 2007 on yap island in the federated states of micronesia prompted entomological studies to identify both the primary vector(s) involved in transmission and the ecological parameters contributing to the outbreak. larval and pupal surveys were performed to identify the major containers serving as oviposition habitat for the likely vector(s). adult mosquitoes were also collected by backpack aspiration, light trap, and gravid traps at se ... | 2014 | 25299181 |
| potential applications of insect symbionts in biotechnology. | symbiotic interactions between insects and microorganisms are widespread in nature and are often the source of ecological innovations. in addition to supplementing their host with essential nutrients, microbial symbionts can produce enzymes that help degrade their food source as well as small molecules that defend against pathogens, parasites, and predators. as such, the study of insect ecology and symbiosis represents an important source of chemical compounds and enzymes with potential biotechn ... | 2015 | 26659224 |
| evolutionary biology and genetic techniques for insect control. | the requirement to develop new techniques for insect control that minimize negative environmental impacts has never been more pressing. here we discuss population suppression and population replacement technologies. these include sterile insect technique, genetic elimination methods such as the release of insects carrying a dominant lethal (ridl), and gene driving mechanisms offered by intracellular bacteria and homing endonucleases. we also review the potential of newer or underutilized methods ... | 2015 | 27087849 |
| asymmetric mating interference between two related mosquito species: aedes (stegomyia) albopictus and aedes (stegomyia) cretinus. | aedes (stegomyia) albopictus (skuse) and aedes (stegomyia) cretinus edwards are closely related mosquito species with common morphological features and bio-ecological similarities. recent mosquito surveillance in athens, greece, showed that they are sympatric mosquito species, with ae. albopictus [corrected] developing quite higher population densities than ae. cretinus [corrected] . the potential of mating interference between these species was investigated by reciprocal and homologous mating e ... | 2015 | 26001099 |
| wolbachia-based population control strategy targeting culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes proves efficient under semi-field conditions. | in mosquitoes, the maternally inherited bacterial wolbachia induce a form of embryonic lethality called cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci). this property can be used to reduce the density of mosquito field populations through inundative releases of incompatible males in order to sterilize females (incompatible insect technique, or iit, strategy). we have previously constructed the lr[wpip(is)] line representing a good candidate for controlling field populations of the culex quinquefasciatus mosqui ... | 2015 | 25768841 |
| filariasis serosurvey, new caledonia, south pacific, 2013. | lymphatic filariasis (lf) is a major public health problem in the pacific. as the global prevalence of infection was not known in new caledonia (nc), a serosurvey study was conducted by determining the prevalence of circulating filarial antigens, as recommended by the world health organization. | 2015 | 25889011 |
| wolbachia and the insect immune system: what reactive oxygen species can tell us about the mechanisms of wolbachia-host interactions. | wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that infect a vast range of arthropod species, making them one of the most prevalent endosymbionts in the world. wolbachia's stunning evolutionary success is mostly due to their reproductive parasitism but also to mutualistic effects such as increased host fecundity or protection against pathogens. however, the mechanisms underlying wolbachia phenotypes, both parasitic and mutualistic, are only poorly understood. moreover, it is unclear how the insect immune ... | 2015 | 26579107 |
| zika virus and the never-ending story of emerging pathogens and transfusion medicine. | in the last few years, the transfusion medicine community has been paying special attention to emerging vector-borne diseases transmitted by arboviruses. zika virus is the latest of these pathogens and is responsible for major outbreaks in africa, asia and, more recently, in previously infection-naïve territories of the pacific area. many issues regarding this emerging pathogen remain unclear and require further investigation. national health authorities have adopted different prevention strateg ... | 2015 | 26674815 |
| describing the breakbone fever: idoden, an ontology for dengue fever. | ontologies represent powerful tools in information technology because they enhance interoperability and facilitate, among other things, the construction of optimized search engines. to address the need to expand the toolbox available for the control and prevention of vector-borne diseases we embarked on the construction of specific ontologies. we present here idoden, an ontology that describes dengue fever, one of the globally most important diseases that are transmitted by mosquitoes. | 2015 | 25646954 |
| the impact of wolbachia on virus infection in mosquitoes. | mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue, west nile and chikungunya viruses cause significant morbidity and mortality in human populations. since current methods are not sufficient to control disease occurrence, novel methods to control transmission of arboviruses would be beneficial. recent studies have shown that virus infection and transmission in insects can be impeded by co-infection with the bacterium wolbachia pipientis. wolbachia is a maternally inherited endosymbiont that is commonly found ... | 2015 | 26556361 |
| viral interference and persistence in mosquito-borne flaviviruses. | mosquito-borne flaviviruses are important pathogens for humans, and the detection of two or more flaviviruses cocirculating in the same geographic area has often been reported. however, the epidemiological impact remains to be determined. mosquito-borne flaviviruses are primarily transmitted through aedes and culex mosquitoes; these viruses establish a life-long or persistent infection without apparent pathological effects. this establishment requires a balance between virus replication and the ... | 2015 | 26583158 |
| wolbachia strains for disease control: ecological and evolutionary considerations. | wolbachia are endosymbionts found in many insects with the potential to suppress vectorborne diseases, particularly through interfering with pathogen transmission. wolbachia strains are highly variable in their effects on hosts, raising the issue of which attributes should be selected to ensure that the best strains are developed for disease control. this depends on their ability to suppress viral transmission, invade host populations, persist without loss of viral suppression and not interfere ... | 2015 | 26366194 |
| the performance of the sd bioline dengue duo® rapid immunochromatographic test kit for the detection of ns1 antigen, igm and igg antibodies during a dengue type 1 epidemic in jamaica. | dengue is an important mosquito-borne viral infection that affects millions of persons worldwide. early diagnosis is necessary to effect appropriate management and decrease mortality. immunochromatographic tests are advantageous in producing dengue test results within 30 min but these results should be sensitive and specific. in this study we evaluated the diagnostic performance of the sd bioline dengue duo® rapid immunochromatographic test kit. a panel of 309 dengue and 30 non-dengue single ser ... | 2015 | 26173484 |
| fighting arbovirus transmission: natural and engineered control of vector competence in aedes mosquitoes. | control of aedine mosquito vectors, either by mosquito population reduction or replacement with refractory mosquitoes, may play an essential role in the fight against arboviral diseases. in this review, we will focus on the development and application of biological approaches, both natural or engineered, to limit mosquito vector competence for arboviruses. the study of mosquito antiviral immunity has led to the identification of a number of host response mechanisms and proteins that are required ... | 2015 | 26463078 |
| aedes aegypti control strategies in brazil: incorporation of new technologies to overcome the persistence of dengue epidemics. | dengue is considered to be the most important mosquito-borne viral disease in the world. the aedes aegypti mosquito, its vector, is highly anthropophilic and is very well adapted to urban environments. although several vaccine candidates are in advanced stages of development no licensed dengue vaccine is yet available. as a result, controlling the spread of dengue still requires that mosquitoes be targeted directly. we review the current methods of dengue vector control focusing on recent techni ... | 2015 | 26463204 |
| zika virus (zikv). | 2016 | 27994533 | |
| zika virus on a spreading spree: what we now know that was unknown in the 1950's. | zika virus (zikv) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that is transmitted through the bite of aedes spp mosquitoes and less predominantly, through sexual intercourse. prior to 2007, zikv was associated with only sporadic human infections with minimal or no clinical manifestations. recently the virus has caused disease outbreaks from the pacific islands, the americas, and off the coast of west africa with approximately 1.62 million people suspected to be infected in more than 60 countries around the g ... | 2016 | 27716242 |
| quantifying the epidemiological impact of vector control on dengue. | 2016 | 27227829 | |
| clinical and epidemiological characterization of laboratory-confirmed autochthonous cases of zika virus disease in mexico. | since 2014, autochthonous circulation of zika virus (zikv) in the americas was detected (easter island, chile). in may 2015, brazil confirmed autochthonous --transmission and in october of that year colombia reported their first cases. now more than 52 countries have reported cases, including mexico. to deal with this contingency in mexico, several surveillance systems, in addition to systems for vector-borne diseases were strengthened with the participation of all health institutions. also, th ... | 2016 | 27158557 |
| vector competence of aedes aegypti and aedes polynesiensis populations from french polynesia for chikungunya virus. | from october 2014 to march 2015, french polynesia experienced for the first time a chikungunya outbreak. two aedes mosquitoes may have contributed to chikungunya virus (chikv) transmission in french polynesia: the worldwide distributed ae. aegypti and the polynesian islands-endemic ae. polynesiensis mosquito. | 2016 | 27144888 |
| pyrosequencing the midgut transcriptome of the banana weevil cosmopolites sordidus (germar) (coleoptera: curculionidae) reveals multiple protease-like transcripts. | the banana weevil cosmopolites sordidus is an important and serious insect pest in most banana and plantain-growing areas of the world. in spite of the economic importance of this insect pest very little genomic and transcriptomic information exists for this species. in the present study, we characterized the midgut transcriptome of c. sordidus using massive 454-pyrosequencing. we generated over 590,000 sequencing reads that assembled into 30,840 contigs with more than 400 bp, representing a sig ... | 2016 | 26949943 |
| lymphatic filariasis elimination in american samoa: evaluation of molecular xenomonitoring as a surveillance tool in the endgame. | the global programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis has made significant progress toward interrupting transmission of lymphatic filariasis (lf) through mass drug administration (mda). operational challenges in defining endpoints of elimination programs include the need to determine appropriate post-mda surveillance strategies. as humans are the only reservoirs of lf parasites, one such strategy is molecular xenomonitoring (mx), the detection of filarial dna in mosquitoes using molecular metho ... | 2016 | 27802280 |
| mating competitiveness of sterile genetic sexing strain males (gama) under laboratory and semi-field conditions: steps towards the use of the sterile insect technique to control the major malaria vector anopheles arabiensis in south africa. | anopheles arabiensis patton is primarily responsible for malaria transmission in south africa after successful suppression of other major vector species using indoor spraying of residual insecticides. control of an. arabiensis using current insecticide based approaches is proving difficult owing to the development of insecticide resistance, and variable feeding and resting behaviours. the use of the sterile insect technique as an area-wide integrated pest management system to supplement the cont ... | 2016 | 26934869 |
| genetic diversity and phylogeny of aedes aegypti, the main arbovirus vector in the pacific. | the pacific region is an area unique in the world, composed of thousands of islands with differing climates and environments. the spreading and establishment of the mosquito aedes aegypti in these islands might be linked to human migration. ae. aegypti is the major vector of arboviruses (dengue, chikungunya and zika viruses) in the region. the intense circulation of these viruses in the pacific during the last decade led to an increase of vector control measures by local health authorities. the ... | 2016 | 26799213 |
| vector competence of french polynesian aedes aegypti and aedes polynesiensis for zika virus. | in 2013-2014, french polynesia experienced for the first time a zika outbreak. two aedes mosquitoes may have contributed to zika virus (zikv) transmission in french polynesia: the worldwide distributed ae. aegypti and the polynesian islands-endemic ae. polynesiensis mosquito. | 2016 | 27654962 |
| cross-mating compatibility and competitiveness among aedes albopictus strains from distinct geographic origins - implications for future application of sit programs in the south west indian ocean islands. | the production of large numbers of males needed for a sustainable sterile insect technique (sit) control program requires significant developmental and operational costs. this may constitute a significant economic barrier to the installation of large scale rearing facilities in countries that are undergoing a transition from being largely dependent on insecticide use to be in a position to integrate the sit against aedes albopictus. alternative options available for those countries could be to r ... | 2016 | 27806056 |
| guillain-barré syndrome (42 cases) occurring during a zika virus outbreak in french polynesia. | zika virus (transmitted by mosquitoes) reached french polynesia for the first time in 2013, leading to an epidemic affecting 10% of the total population. so far, it has not been known to induce any neurological complications, but, a few weeks after the outbreak, an unexpectedly high number of 42 patients presented with guillain-barré syndrome.we report the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of this series. males predominated with a sex ratio of 2.82 (mean age: 46). all patients (e ... | 2016 | 27057874 |
| the impact of insecticide-treated cloth targets on the survival of stegomyia polynesiensis (= aedes polynesiensis) under laboratory and semi-field conditions in french polynesia. | the impact of deltamethrin-impregnated cloth targets on stegomyia polynesiensis (= aedes polynesiensis) (marks) (diptera: culicidae) was assessed under laboratory and semi-field settings in french polynesia. stegomyia polynesiensis females were released into small laboratory cages and large field cages containing either a deltamethrin-treated or an untreated navy blue cloth, and mosquito knock-down and mortality were assessed. the 24-h mortality rate in mosquitoes exposed to the insecticide-trea ... | 2016 | 27352139 |
| the attractiveness of the gravid aedes trap to dengue vectors in fiji. | the gravid aedes trap (gat) is a passive trap that relies on visual and olfactory cues to lure and capture gravid mosquitoes. the gat was designed as a dengue vector surveillance tool for use in conditions where power sources are not readily available. experiments were conducted over a 10-d period in fiji to determine which species of mosquitoes the gat would collect, how different infusion types affect the attractiveness of the trap, how long each infusion type took to begin attracting mosquito ... | 2017 | 29244174 |
| detecting and confirming residual hotspots of lymphatic filariasis transmission in american samoa 8 years after stopping mass drug administration. | the global programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (lf) aims to eliminate the disease as a public health problem by 2020 by conducting mass drug administration (mda) and controlling morbidity. once elimination targets have been reached, surveillance is critical for ensuring that programmatic gains are sustained, and challenges include timely identification of residual areas of transmission. who guidelines encourage cost-efficient surveillance, such as integration with other population-based ... | 2017 | 28922418 |