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linking individual phenotype to density-dependent population growth: the influence of body size on the population dynamics of malaria vectors.understanding the endogenous factors that drive the population dynamics of malaria mosquitoes will facilitate more accurate predictions about vector control effectiveness and our ability to destabilize the growth of either low- or high-density insect populations. we assessed whether variation in phenotypic traits predict the dynamics of anopheles gambiae sensu lato mosquitoes, the most important vectors of human malaria. anopheles gambiae dynamics were monitored over a six-month period of season ...201121389034
surveillance should be strengthened to improve epidemiological understandings of mosquito-borne barmah forest virus infection.barmah forest virus (bfv) is a mosquito-borne virus causing epidemic polyarthritis in australia. this study used case follow-up of cases from the surveillance system to demonstrate that routinely collected bfv notification data were an unreliable indicator of the true location of exposure.201223908926
genetic ablation of arginase 1 in macrophages and neutrophils enhances clearance of an arthritogenic alphavirus.chikungunya virus (chikv) and ross river virus (rrv) cause a debilitating, and often chronic, musculoskeletal inflammatory disease in humans. macrophages constitute the major inflammatory infiltrates in musculoskeletal tissues during these infections. however, the precise macrophage effector functions that affect the pathogenesis of arthritogenic alphaviruses have not been defined. we hypothesized that the severe damage to musculoskeletal tissues observed in rrv- or chikv-infected mice would pro ...201222972923
initial sequence characterization of the rhabdoviruses of squamate reptiles, including a novel rhabdovirus from a caiman lizard (dracaena guianensis).rhabdoviruses infect a variety of hosts, including non-avian reptiles. consensus pcr techniques were used to obtain partial rna-dependent rna polymerase gene sequence from five rhabdoviruses of south american lizards; marco, chaco, timbo, sena madureira, and a rhabdovirus from a caiman lizard (dracaena guianensis). the caiman lizard rhabdovirus formed inclusions in erythrocytes, which may be a route for infecting hematophagous insects. this is the first information on behavior of a rhabdovirus i ...201222397930
efficacy of residual insecticide biflex aquamax applied as barrier treatments for managing mosquito populations in suburban residential properties in southeast queensland.the pyrethroid insecticide biflex aquamax (bifenthrin) was evaluated for its ability to suppress coastal mosquito populations in a controlled suburban backyard study in mango hill, queensland, australia. the insecticide was applied to perimeter vegetation, fencing in selected backyards, or both, and mosquito populations were monitored weekly from 3 wk before to 8 wk after treatment (11 wk total) by using cdc miniature light traps and human bait landing rates. in addition, bioassays were conducte ...201223025182
a comparison of adult mosquito trapping regimes across seasons and ecosystems in darwin, australia.mosquitoes are problematic as vectors and pests in many tropical cities, including darwin, the principal city in the northern territory of australia. to monitor peaks in mosquito populations, the medical entomology unit of the health department sets overnight co(2) -baited traps weekly. trap setting and retrieving, followed by mosquito counting and identification, are labor intensive. aiming to reduce this workload, we tested the hypothesis that fortnightly trapping is as effective as weekly tra ...201223181850
experimental comparison of aerial larvicides and habitat modification for controlling disease-carrying aedes vigilax mosquitoes.microbial and insect-growth-regulator larvicides dominate current vector control programmes because they reduce larval abundance and are relatively environmentally benign. however, their short persistence makes them expensive, and environmental manipulation of larval habitat might be an alternative control measure. aedes vigilax is a major vector species in northern australia. a field experiment was implemented in darwin, australia, to test the hypotheses that (1) aerial microbial larvicide appl ...201222076747
pyriproxyfen for the control of australian salt-marsh mosquito, aedes vigilax.the efficacy of pyriproxyfen against the australian salt-marsh mosquito, aedes vigilax, was examined in 2 laboratory and 1 semi-field study using both technical grade and formulated products. in a dose-response study, the median emergence inhibition (ei50) and ei95 values were determined to be 0.019 and 0.076 ppb, respectively, for pyriproxyfen technical grade, 0.021 and 0.092 ppb for a microencapsulated formulation (sumilarv 90cs), and 0.054 and 0.236 ppb for the formulated s-methoprene product ...201222533086
the impact of encroachment of mangroves into saltmarshes on saltwater mosquito habitats.will mangrove encroachment into saltmarshes affect saltwater mosquito habitats? to address this, we synthesized information from two perspectives: 1) at a detailed level, the immature mosquito habitat within mangroves; 2) at a more general or regional level, changes due to mangrove expansion into saltmarshes. this is a synthesis of two research projects. one showed that mosquito larval habitats in mangroves are complex, related to the detailed interactions between topography and tidal patterns a ...201324581363
mosquito consumption by insectivorous bats: does size matter?insectivorous bats have often been touted as biological control for mosquito populations. however, mosquitoes generally represent only a small proportion of bat diet. given the small size of mosquitoes, restrictions imposed on prey detectability by low frequency echolocation, and variable field metabolic rates (fmr), mosquitoes may not be available to or profitable for all bats. this study investigated whether consumption of mosquitoes was influenced by bat size, which is negatively correlated w ...201324130851
foraging ranges of insectivorous bats shift relative to changes in mosquito abundance.the need to develop effective management strategies for insectivorous bat populations requires an understanding of factors influencing habitat use. availability of pest prey, such as mosquitoes is likely to be one such factor. to assess whether this is the case, we radio-tracked vespadelus vulturnus thomas (little forest bat), a predator of aedes vigilax skuse (saltmarsh mosquito), in saltmarsh and adjacent coastal swamp forest during periods of high and low ae. vigilax abundance. when mosquito ...201323667699
cuticular hydrocarbons as a tool for the identification of insect species: puparial cases from sarcophagidae.the external surface of all insects is covered by a species-specific complex mixture of highly stable, very long chain cuticular hydrocarbons (chcs). gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was used to identify chcs from four species of sarcophagidae, peckia (peckia) chrysostoma, peckia (pattonella) intermutans, sarcophaga (liopygia) ruficornis and sarcodexia lambens. the identified chcs were mostly a mixture of n-alkanes, monomethylalkanes and dimethylalkanes with linear chain lengths v ...201323932943
spatial patterns of high aedes aegypti oviposition activity in northwestern argentina.in argentina, dengue has affected mainly the northern provinces, including salta. the objective of this study was to analyze the spatial patterns of high aedes aegypti oviposition activity in san ramón de la nueva orán, northwestern argentina. the location of clusters as hot spot areas should help control programs to identify priority areas and allocate their resources more effectively.201323349813
a tyrosine-to-histidine switch at position 18 of the ross river virus e2 glycoprotein is a determinant of virus fitness in disparate hosts.arthritogenic alphaviruses are human pathogens maintained in nature through alternating replication in vertebrates and mosquitoes. using chimeric viruses, we previously reported that replacement of the pe2 coding region of the t48 strain of ross river virus (rrv-t48) with that from the attenuated dc5692 strain, which differ by 7 amino acids, resulted in an attenuated disease phenotype in a mouse model of rrv-induced rheumatic disease. here, we demonstrate that introduction of one of these amino ...201323514884
chikungunya virus with e1-a226v mutation causing two outbreaks in 2010, guangdong, china.chikv is a mosquito-borne emerging pathogen that has a major health impact in humans in tropical zones around the globe. a new variant of the virus, e1-a226v caused a large outbreak in the indian ocean islands and india from 2004-2007. chikv outbreak was initially reported in dongguan region of guangdong in 2010 in china, another smaller chikv outbreak was found in yangjiang region of guangdong two weeks later. the viral agent causing the two outbreaks was inferred to be the new e1-a226v variant ...201323725047
enhanced arbovirus surveillance with deep sequencing: identification of novel rhabdoviruses and bunyaviruses in australian mosquitoes.viral metagenomics characterizes known and identifies unknown viruses based on sequence similarities to any previously sequenced viral genomes. a metagenomics approach was used to identify virus sequences in australian mosquitoes causing cytopathic effects in inoculated mammalian cell cultures. sequence comparisons revealed strains of liao ning virus (reovirus, seadornavirus), previously detected only in china, livestock-infecting stretch lagoon virus (reovirus, orbivirus), two novel dimarhabdov ...201324314645
vector-virus interactions and transmission dynamics of west nile virus.west nile virus (wnv; flavivirus; flaviviridae) is the cause of the most widespread arthropod-borne viral disease in the world and the largest outbreak of neuroinvasive disease ever observed. mosquito-borne outbreaks are influenced by intrinsic (e.g., vector and viral genetics, vector and host competence, vector life-history traits) and extrinsic (e.g., temperature, rainfall, human land use) factors that affect virus activity and mosquito biology in complex ways. the concept of vectorial capacit ...201324351794
cd8+ t cells control ross river virus infection in musculoskeletal tissues of infected mice.ross river virus (rrv), chikungunya virus, and related alphaviruses cause debilitating polyarthralgia and myalgia. mouse models of rrv and chikungunya virus have demonstrated a role for the adaptive immune response in the control of these infections. however, questions remain regarding the role for t cells in viral control, including the magnitude, location, and dynamics of cd8(+) t cell responses. to address these questions, we generated a recombinant rrv expressing the h-2(b)-restricted glycop ...201425488988
laboratory evaluation of predation on mosquito larvae by australian mangrove fish.a series of laboratory experiments compared predation rates of three native eastern australian mangrove fish species (psuedomugil signifer, hyseleotris galii, pseudogobius sp.) and the exotic gambusia holbrooki on 2nd and 4th instar aedes vigilax larvae, in order to determine their potential as mosquito control agents in mangrove forests. all four species preyed on significant numbers of both 2nd and 4th instar larvae. all showed a similar pattern of larval consumption, gorging on larvae in the ...201424820573
ross river virus (rrv) infection in horses and humans: a review.a fascinating and important arbovirus is ross river virus (rrv) which is endemic and epizootic in nature in certain parts of the world. rrv is a member of the genus alphavirus within the semliki forest complex of the family togaviridae, which also includes the getah virus. the virus is responsible for causing disease both in humans as well as horses. mosquito species (aedes camptorhynchus and aedes vigilax; culex annulirostris) are the most important vector for this virus. in places of low tempe ...201426035950
epidemiologic patterns of ross river virus disease in queensland, australia, 2001-2011.ross river virus (rrv) infection is a debilitating disease that has a significant impact on population health, economic productivity, and tourism in australia. this study examined epidemiologic patterns of rrv disease in queensland, australia, during january 2001-december 2011 at a statistical local area level. spatio-temporal analyses were used to identify the patterns of the disease distribution over time stratified by age, sex, and space. the results show that the mean annual incidence was 54 ...201424799374
attenuating mutations in nsp1 reveal tissue-specific mechanisms for control of ross river virus infection.ross river virus (rrv) is one of a group of mosquito-transmitted alphaviruses that cause debilitating, and often chronic, musculoskeletal disease in humans. previously, we reported that replacement of the nonstructural protein 1 (nsp1) gene of the mouse-virulent rrv strain t48 with that from the mouse-avirulent strain dc5692 generated a virus that was attenuated in a mouse model of disease. here we find that the six nsp1 nonsynonymous nucleotide differences between strains t48 and dc5692 are det ...201424429363
comparing aedes vigilax eggshell densities in saltmarsh and mangrove systems with implications for management.aedes vigilax (skuse), a nuisance and disease vector, is prolific in intertidal wetlands in australia. aedine mosquitoes oviposit directly onto substrate. the eggshells are relatively stable spatially and temporally, providing an estimate of mosquito larval production. the aims of the research were to compare, at a general level, oviposition in mangroves and saltmarshes, and to compare oviposition between different habitats within mangroves and saltmarshes. the results indicated that there were ...201426462954
larval temperature-food effects on adult mosquito infection and vertical transmission of dengue-1 virus.temperature-food interactions in the larval environment can affect life history and population growth of container mosquitoes aedes aegypti (l.) and aedes albopictus skuse, the primary vectors of chikungunya and dengue viruses. we used ae. aegypti, ae. albopictus, and dengue-1 virus (denv-1) from florida to investigate whether larval rearing temperature can alter the effects of larval food levels on ae. aegypti and ae. albopictus life history and denv-1 infection and vertical transmission. altho ...201526489999
development and field evaluation of the sentinel mosquito arbovirus capture kit (smack).although sentinel animals are used successfully throughout the world to monitor arbovirus activity, ethical considerations and cross-reactions in serological assays highlight the importance of developing viable alternatives. here we outline the development of a passive sentinel mosquito arbovirus capture kit (smack) that allows for the detection of arboviruses on honey-baited nucleic acid preservation cards (flinders technology associates; fta®) and has a similar trap efficacy as standard light ...201526444264
the usual suspects: comparison of the relative roles of potential urban chikungunya virus vectors in australia.the global re-emergence of chikungunya virus (chikv) over the last decade presents a serious public health risk to australia. an increasing number of imported cases further underline the potential for local transmission to occur if local mosquitoes bite an infected traveller. laboratory experiments have identified a number of competent australian mosquito species, including the primary vectors of chikv abroad, aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus, and local endemic species aedes vigilax and aedes ...201526247366
determining meteorological drivers of salt marsh mosquito peaks in tropical northern australia.in northern australia the northern salt marsh mosquito aedes vigilax is a vector of ross river virus and is an appreciable pest. a coastal wetland adjacent to darwin's residential suburbs offers a favorable habitat for ae. vigilax, and despite vigilant mosquito control efforts, peaks of ae. vigilax occur in excess of 500/trap/night some months. to improve mosquito control for disease and nuisance biting to nearby residential areas, we sought to investigate meteorological drivers associated with ...201526611962
a novel insect-specific flavivirus replicates only in aedes-derived cells and persists at high prevalence in wild aedes vigilax populations in sydney, australia.to date, insect-specific flaviviruses (isfs) have only been isolated from mosquitoes and increasing evidence suggests that isfs may affect the transmission of pathogenic flaviviruses. to investigate the diversity and prevalence of isfs in australian mosquitoes, samples from various regions were screened for flaviviruses by elisa and rt-pcr. thirty-eight pools of aedes vigilax from sydney in 2007 yielded isolates of a novel flavivirus, named parramatta river virus (parv). sequencing of the viral ...201526519596
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.201525889011
myeloid cell arg1 inhibits control of arthritogenic alphavirus infection by suppressing antiviral t cells.arthritogenic alphaviruses, including ross river virus (rrv) and chikungunya virus (chikv), are responsible for explosive epidemics involving millions of cases. these mosquito-transmitted viruses cause inflammation and injury in skeletal muscle and joint tissues that results in debilitating pain. we previously showed that arginase 1 (arg1) was highly expressed in myeloid cells in the infected and inflamed musculoskeletal tissues of rrv- and chikv-infected mice, and specific deletion of arg1 from ...201526436766
ross river virus: many vectors and unusual hosts make for an unpredictable pathogen. 201526335937
field comparison of cyclopentanone versus carbon dioxide as an attractant for adult mosquitoes in southeast queensland, australia.cyclopentanone is a saturated monoketone typically used as an intermediate in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, biologicals, insecticides, and rubber chemicals. recently, it has been demonstrated that cyclopentanone activates the cpa co2 receptor neuron on the maxillary palp of mosquitoes, suggesting that it may be a viable alternative to co2 as an attractant for mosquitoes. furthermore, semifield experiments showed that traps baited with cyclopentanone attract culex quinquefasciatus say at a ...201526334825
epidemiology and control of bovine ephemeral fever.bovine ephemeral fever (or 3-day sickness) is an acute febrile illness of cattle and water buffaloes. caused by an arthropod-borne rhabdovirus, bovine ephemeral fever virus (befv), the disease occurs seasonally over a vast expanse of the globe encompassing much of africa, the middle east, asia and australia. although mortality rates are typically low, infection prevalence and morbidity rates during outbreaks are often very high, causing serious economic impacts through loss of milk production, p ...201526511615
global emergence of alphaviruses that cause arthritis in humans.arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) may cause severe emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, which pose a significant threat to human and animal health in the world today. these infectious diseases range from mild febrile illnesses, arthritis, and encephalitis to haemorrhagic fevers. it is postulated that certain environmental factors, vector competence, and host susceptibility have a major impact on the ecology of arboviral diseases. presently, there is a great interest in the emergence ...201526689654
modeling occurrence of urban mosquitos based on land use types and meteorological factors in korea.mosquitoes are a public health concern because they are vectors of pathogen, which cause human-related diseases. it is well known that the occurrence of mosquitoes is highly influenced by meteorological conditions (e.g., temperature and precipitation) and land use, but there are insufficient studies quantifying their impacts. therefore, three analytical methods were applied to determine the relationships between urban mosquito occurrence, land use type, and meteorological factors: cluster analys ...201526492260
the insect-specific palm creek virus modulates west nile virus infection in and transmission by australian mosquitoes.insect-specific viruses do not replicate in vertebrate cells, but persist in mosquito populations and are highly prevalent in nature. these viruses may naturally regulate the transmission of pathogenic vertebrate-infecting arboviruses in co-infected mosquitoes. following the isolation of the first australian insect-specific flavivirus (isf), palm creek virus (pcv), we investigated routes of infection and transmission of this virus in key australian arbovirus vectors and its impact on replication ...201627457250
wolbachia biocontrol strategies for arboviral diseases and the potential influence of resident wolbachia strains in mosquitoes.arboviruses transmitted by mosquitoes are a major cause of human disease worldwide. the absence of vaccines and effective vector control strategies has resulted in the need for novel mosquito control strategies. the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia has been proposed to form the basis for an effective mosquito biocontrol strategy. resident strains of wolbachia inhibit viral replication in drosophila fruit flies and induce a reproductive phenotype known as cytoplasmic incompatibility that allows ...201626925368
mosquito communities and disease risk influenced by land use change and seasonality in the australian tropics.anthropogenic land use changes have contributed considerably to the rise of emerging and re-emerging mosquito-borne diseases. these diseases appear to be increasing as a result of the novel juxtapositions of habitats and species that can result in new interchanges of vectors, diseases and hosts. we studied whether the mosquito community structure varied between habitats and seasons and whether known disease vectors displayed habitat preferences in tropical australia.201627388293
the phylogenetic relationships of known mosquito (diptera: culicidae) mitogenomes.the known mosquito mitogenomes, containing a total of 34 species, which belong to five genera, were collected from genbank, and the practicality and effectiveness of the variation in the complete mitochondrial dna genome and portions of mitochondrial coi gene were assessed to reconstruct the phylogeny of mosquitoes. phylogenetic trees were reconstructed on the basis of parsimony, maximum likelihood, and bayesian (bi) methods. it is concluded that: (1) both mitogenomes and coi gene support the mo ...201627731651
the complete mitochondrial dna genome of aedes vigilax (diptera: culicidae).the complete mitochondrial genomes of two main clades of the medically significant saltmarsh mosquito aedes vigilax skuse (diptera: culicidae) were obtained using combined illumina and sanger sequencing. the two 15,877 bp circular genomes share 99.0% nucleotide identity and encode 37 genes with identical gene arrangement similar to previously published culicidae species with a non-coding a + t rich region between rns and trna-ile. protein initiation codon is atn apart from nd5 (gtg) and cox1 (tc ...201626099979
role of envelope n-linked glycosylation in ross river virus virulence and transmission.with an expanding geographical range and no specific treatments, human arthritogenic alphaviral disease poses a significant problem worldwide. previous in vitro work with ross river virus (rrv) demonstrated that alphaviral n-linked glycosylation contributes to type i ifn (ifn-αβ) induction in myeloid dendritic cells. this study further evaluated the role of alphaviral n-linked glycans in vivo, assessing the effect of glycosylation on pathogenesis in a mouse model of rrv-induced disease and on vi ...201626813162
comparative mt genomics of the tipuloidea (diptera: nematocera: tipulomorpha) and its implications for the phylogeny of the tipulomorpha.a traditionally controversial taxon, the tipulomorpha has been frequently discussed with respect to both its familial composition and relationships with other nematocera. the interpretation of internal relationships within the tipuloidea, which include the tipulidae sensu stricto, cylindrotomidae, pediciidae and limoniidae, is also problematic. we sequenced the first complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of symplecta hybrida (meigen, 1804), which belongs to the subfamily chioneinae of family limoni ...201627341029
commensal viruses of mosquitoes: host restriction, transmission, and interaction with arboviral pathogens.recent advances in virus detection strategies and deep sequencing technologies have enabled the identification of a multitude of new viruses that persistently infect mosquitoes but do not infect vertebrates. these are usually referred to as insect-specific viruses (isvs). these novel viruses have generated considerable interest in their modes of transmission, persistence in mosquito populations, the mechanisms that restrict their host range to mosquitoes, and their interactions with pathogens tr ...201728096646
"looking over the backyard fence": householders and mosquito control.(1) background: vector-borne diseases are a significant public health problem in western australia. mosquitoes are responsible for the transmission of a number of pathogens and may pose a serious nuisance problem. prevention efforts in the state are multi-faceted and include physical, chemical, and cultural control methods for restricting mosquito breeding. this is less complex where breeding areas are located within public open spaces. in australia's developed urban areas, breeding sites are, h ...201728257079
the highs and lows of making a bucket list-quantifying potential mosquito breeding habitats in metropolitan backyards.while the development of land for residential housing along the swan and canning rivers in perth, wa, australia has reduced natural mosquito breeding sites, the role of backyard container breeding remains a relatively unknown factor. local governments responsible for these areas focus management and control efforts on low lying, tidally driven mosquito habitats to control aedes vigilax (skuse) and aedes camptorhynchus (thomson) mosquitoes in an effort to reduce both the nuisance and disease risk ...201729164098
seasonal activity, vector relationships and genetic analysis of mosquito-borne stratford virus.there are many gaps to be filled in our understanding of mosquito-borne viruses, their relationships with vectors and reservoir hosts, and the environmental drivers of seasonal activity. stratford virus (strv) belongs to the genus flavivirus and has been isolated from mosquitoes and infected humans in australia but little is known of its vector and reservoir host associations. a total of 43 isolates of strv from mosquitoes collected in new south wales between 1995 and 2013 was examined to determ ...201728253306
temperature explains broad patterns of ross river virus transmission.thermal biology predicts that vector-borne disease transmission peaks at intermediate temperatures and declines at high and low temperatures. however, thermal optima and limits remain unknown for most vector-borne pathogens. we built a mechanistic model for the thermal response of ross river virus, an important mosquito-borne pathogen in australia, pacific islands, and potentially at risk of emerging worldwide. transmission peaks at moderate temperatures (26.4°c) and declines to zero at thermal ...201830152328
interpreting mosquito feeding patterns in australia through an ecological lens: an analysis of blood meal studies.mosquito-borne pathogens contribute significantly to the global burden of disease, infecting millions of people each year. mosquito feeding is critical to the transmission dynamics of pathogens, and thus it is important to understanding and interpreting mosquito feeding patterns. in this paper we explore mosquito feeding patterns and their implications for disease ecology through a meta-analysis of published blood meal results collected across australia from more than 12,000 blood meals from 22 ...201930944025
discovery of cocirculating ross river virus and barmah forest virus at wide bay military training area, northeastern australia.an arbovirus surveillance military exercise was conducted to assess the risk of ross river virus (rrv) and barmah forest virus (bfv) in the australian defence force (adf) wide bay training area (wbta), northeastern australia, in april 2018. of the 5,540 female mosquitoes collected, 3,702 were screened for rrv and bfv by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in a field laboratory. one pool of verrallina funerea was positive for rrv and 8 pools (7 pools of aedes vigilax and ...201931647704
dispersal of the mosquito aedes vigilax (diptera: culicidae) from urban estuarine wetlands in sydney, australia.aedes vigilax (skuse) is a pest and vector species associated with coastal wetlands and the abundance of this mosquito has been identified as contributing to increased risk of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks. as urban development continues to encroach on these coastal wetlands, pest and public health impacts are becoming of increasing concern and in the absence of broadscale mosquito control. urban planners are looking to buffer zones and other land use planning options to minimize contact betw ...201931095691
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