Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| spatial effects of mosquito bednets on child mortality. | insecticide treated nets (itn) have been proven to be an effective tool in reducing the burden of malaria. few randomized clinical trials examined the spatial effect of itns on child mortality at a high coverage level, hence it is essential to better understand these effects in real-life situation with varying levels of coverage. we analyzed for the first time data from a large follow-up study in an area of high perennial malaria transmission in southern tanzania to describe the spatial effects ... | 2008 | 18854021 |
| integrated vector management: the zambian experience. | the zambian malaria control programme with the roll back malaria (rbm) partners have developed the current national malaria strategic plan (nmsp 2006-2011) which focuses on prevention based on the integrated vector management (ivm) strategy. the introduction and implementation of an ivm strategy was planned in accordance with the world health organization (who) steps towards ivm implementation namely introduction phase, consolidation phase and expansion phase. | 2008 | 18752658 |
| microsatellite data suggest significant population structure and differentiation within the malaria vector anopheles darlingi in central and south america. | anopheles darlingi is the most important malaria vector in the neotropics. an understanding of a. darlingi's population structure and contemporary gene flow patterns is necessary if vector populations are to be successfully controlled. we assessed population genetic structure and levels of differentiation based on 1,376 samples from 31 localities throughout the peruvian and brazilian amazon and central america using 5-8 microsatellite loci. | 2008 | 18366795 |
| cryptic species within anopheles longipalpis from southern africa and phylogenetic comparison with members of the an. funestus group. | house-resting anopheles mosquitoes are targeted for vector control interventions; however, without proper species identification, the importance of these anopheles to malaria transmission is unknown. anopheles longipalpis, a non-vector species, has been found in significant numbers resting indoors in houses in southern zambia, potentially impacting on the utilization of scarce resources for vector control. the identification of an. longipalpis is currently based on classical morphology using min ... | 2008 | 18715522 |
| spatio-seasonal modeling of the incidence rate of malaria in mozambique. | the objective was to study the seasonal effect on the spatial distribution of the incidence of malaria in children under 10 years old living in the manhiça district, mozambique. | 2008 | 18976458 |
| unforeseen misuses of bed nets in fishing villages along lake victoria. | to combat malaria, the kenya ministry of health and nongovernmental organizations (ngos) have distributed insecticide-treated nets (itns) for use over beds, with coverage for children under five years of age increasing rapidly. nevertheless, residents of fishing villages have started to use these bed nets for drying fish and fishing in lake victoria. this study investigated the extent of bed net misuse in fishing villages. | 2008 | 18752662 |
| malaria incidence in limpopo province, south africa, 1998-2007. | malaria is endemic in the low-altitude areas of the northern and eastern parts of south africa with seasonal transmission. the aim of this descriptive study is to give an overview of the malaria incidence and mortality in limpopo province for the seasons 1998-1999 to 2006-2007 and to detect trends over time and place. | 2008 | 18724866 |
| markets, voucher subsidies and free nets combine to achieve high bed net coverage in rural tanzania. | tanzania has a well-developed network of commercial itn retailers. in 2004, the government introduced a voucher subsidy for pregnant women and, in mid 2005, helped distribute free nets to under-fives in small number of districts, including rufiji on the southern coast, during a child health campaign. contributions of these multiple insecticide-treated net delivery strategies existing at the same time and place to coverage in a poor rural community were assessed. | 2008 | 18518956 |
| multiple waves of recent dna transposon activity in the bat, myotis lucifugus. | dna transposons, or class 2 transposable elements, have successfully propagated in a wide variety of genomes. however, it is widely believed that dna transposon activity has ceased in mammalian genomes for at least the last 40 million years. we recently reported evidence for the relatively recent activity of hat and helitron elements, two distinct groups of dna transposons, in the lineage of the vespertilionid bat myotis lucifugus. here, we describe seven additional families that have also been ... | 2008 | 18340040 |
| analysis of repetitive dna distribution patterns in the tribolium castaneum genome. | insect genomes vary widely in size, a large fraction of which is often devoted to repetitive dna. re-association kinetics indicate that up to 42% of the genome of the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum, is repetitive. analysis of the abundance and distribution of repetitive dna in the recently sequenced genome of t. castaneum is important for understanding the structure and function of its genome. | 2008 | 18366801 |
| snps and hox gene mapping in ciona intestinalis. | the tunicate ciona intestinalis (enterogona, ascidiacea), a major model system for evolutionary and developmental genetics of chordates, harbours two cryptic species. to assess the degree of intra- and inter-specific genetic variability, we report the identification and analysis of c. intestinalis snp (single nucleotide polymorphism) markers. a snp subset was used to determine the genetic distance between hox-5 and -10 genes. | 2008 | 18221512 |
| integrated vector management for malaria control. | integrated vector management (ivm) is defined as "a rational decision-making process for the optimal use of resources for vector control" and includes five key elements: 1) evidence-based decision-making, 2) integrated approaches 3), collaboration within the health sector and with other sectors, 4) advocacy, social mobilization, and legislation, and 5) capacity-building. in 2004, the who adopted ivm globally for the control of all vector-borne diseases. important recent progress has been made in ... | 2008 | 19091038 |
| the insecticide resistance status of malaria vectors in the mekong region. | knowledge on insecticide resistance in target species is a basic requirement to guide insecticide use in malaria control programmes. malaria transmission in the mekong region is mainly concentrated in forested areas along the country borders, so that decisions on insecticide use should ideally be made at regional level. consequently, cross-country monitoring of insecticide resistance is indispensable to acquire comparable baseline data on insecticide resistance. | 2008 | 18534006 |
| exploring the origin and degree of genetic isolation of anopheles gambiae from the islands of são tomé and príncipe, potential sites for testing transgenic-based vector control. | the evolutionary processes at play between island and mainland populations of the malaria mosquito vector anopheles gambiae sensu stricto are of great interest as islands may be suitable sites for preliminary application of transgenic-based vector control strategies. são tomé and príncipe, located off the west african coast, have received such attention in recent years. this study investigates the degree of isolation of an. gambiae s.s. populations between these islands and the mainland based on ... | 2008 | 25567803 |
| revealing pancrustacean relationships: phylogenetic analysis of ribosomal protein genes places collembola (springtails) in a monophyletic hexapoda and reinforces the discrepancy between mitochondrial and nuclear dna markers. | in recent years, several new hypotheses on phylogenetic relations among arthropods have been proposed on the basis of dna sequences. one of the challenged hypotheses is the monophyly of hexapods. this discussion originated from analyses based on mitochondrial dna datasets that, due to an unusual positioning of collembola, suggested that the hexapod body plan evolved at least twice. here, we re-evaluate the position of collembola using ribosomal protein gene sequences. | 2008 | 18366624 |
| an insight into the sialotranscriptome of the non-blood feeding toxorhynchites amboinensis mosquito. | all adult mosquitoes take sugar meals, and most adult females also take blood meals to develop eggs. salivary glands (sg) of males are thus much smaller and do not contain many of the antihemostatic and antiinflammatory compounds found in females. in the past 5 years, transcriptome analyses have identified nearly 70 different genes expressed in adult female sg. for most of these, no function can be assigned in either blood or sugar feeding. exceptionally, toxorhynchites mosquitoes are unusual in ... | 2008 | 18405828 |
| introduction: development of the sterile insect technique for african malaria vectors. | 2009 | 19917069 | |
| absence of knockdown resistance suggests metabolic resistance in the main malaria vectors of the mekong region. | as insecticide resistance may jeopardize the successful malaria control programmes in the mekong region, a large investigation was previously conducted in the mekong countries to assess the susceptibility of the main malaria vectors against ddt and pyrethroid insecticides. it showed that the main vector, anopheles epiroticus, was highly pyrethroid-resistant in the mekong delta, whereas anopheles minimus sensu lato was pyrethroid-resistant in northern vietnam. anopheles dirus sensu stricto showed ... | 2009 | 19400943 |
| the salivary gland transcriptome of the neotropical malaria vector anopheles darlingi reveals accelerated evolution of genes relevant to hematophagy. | mosquito saliva, consisting of a mixture of dozens of proteins affecting vertebrate hemostasis and having sugar digestive and antimicrobial properties, helps both blood and sugar meal feeding. culicine and anopheline mosquitoes diverged ~150 mya, and within the anophelines, the new world species diverged from those of the old world ~95 mya. while the sialotranscriptome (from the greek sialo, saliva) of several species of the cellia subgenus of anopheles has been described thoroughly, no detailed ... | 2009 | 19178717 |
| large-scale identification of odorant-binding proteins and chemosensory proteins from expressed sequence tags in insects. | insect odorant binding proteins (obps) and chemosensory proteins (csps) play an important role in chemical communication of insects. gene discovery of these proteins is a time-consuming task. in recent years, expressed sequence tags (ests) of many insect species have accumulated, thus providing a useful resource for gene discovery. | 2009 | 20034407 |
| decreased motivation in the use of insecticide-treated nets in a malaria endemic area in burkina faso. | the use of insecticide-treated nets (itn) is an important tool in the roll back malaria (rbm) strategy. for itns to be effective they need to be used correctly. previous studies have shown that many factors, such as wealth, access to health care, education, ethnicity and gender, determine the ownership and use of itns. some studies showed that free distribution and public awareness campaigns increased the rate of use. however, there have been no evaluations of the short- and long-term impact of ... | 2009 | 19640290 |
| origin and evolution of y chromosomes: drosophila tales. | classically, y chromosomes are thought to originate from x chromosomes through a process of degeneration and gene loss. now, the availability of 12 drosophila genomes provides an opportunity to study the origin and evolution of y chromosomes in an informative phylogenetic context. surprisingly, the majority of drosophila y-linked genes are recent acquisitions from autosomes and y chromosome gene gains are more frequent than gene losses. moreover, the drosophila pseudoobscura y chromosome lacks h ... | 2009 | 19443075 |
| identification, distribution and molecular evolution of the pacifastin gene family in metazoa. | members of the pacifastin family are serine peptidase inhibitors, most of which are produced as multi domain precursor proteins. structural and biochemical characteristics of insect pacifastin-like peptides have been studied intensively, but only one inhibitor has been functionally characterised. recent sequencing projects of metazoan genomes have created an unprecedented opportunity to explore the distribution, evolution and functional diversification of pacifastin genes in the animal kingdom. | 2009 | 19435517 |
| towards evolution-proof malaria control with insecticides. | as many strategies to control malaria use insecticides against adult mosquitoes, control is undermined by the continual evolution of resistant mosquitoes. here we suggest that using alternative insecticides, or conventional insecticides in alternative ways might enable effective control, but delay considerably or prevent the evolution of resistance. our reasoning relies on an epidemiological and an evolutionary principle: (i) the epidemiology of malaria is strongly influenced by the life-span of ... | 2009 | 25567892 |
| the cytochrome p450 (cyp) gene superfamily in daphnia pulex. | cytochrome p450s (cyps) in animals fall into two categories: those that synthesize or metabolize endogenous molecules and those that interact with exogenous chemicals from the diet or the environment. the latter form a critical component of detoxification systems. | 2009 | 19383150 |
| insights into long-lasting protection induced by rts,s/as02a malaria vaccine: further results from a phase iib trial in mozambican children. | the pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccine rts,s/as02a has shown to confer protection against clinical malaria for at least 21 months in a trial in mozambican children. efficacy varied between different endpoints, such as parasitaemia or clinical malaria; however the underlying mechanisms that determine efficacy and its duration remain unknown. we performed a new, exploratory analysis to explore differences in the duration of protection among participants to better understand the protection afforded b ... | 2009 | 19365567 |
| imgd: an integrated platform supporting comparative genomics and phylogenetics of insect mitochondrial genomes. | sequences and organization of the mitochondrial genome have been used as markers to investigate evolutionary history and relationships in many taxonomic groups. the rapidly increasing mitochondrial genome sequences from diverse insects provide ample opportunities to explore various global evolutionary questions in the superclass hexapoda. to adequately support such questions, it is imperative to establish an informatics platform that facilitates the retrieval and utilization of available mitocho ... | 2009 | 19351385 |
| molecular and functional characterization of adipokinetic hormone receptor and its peptide ligands in bombyx mori. | neuropeptides of the adipokinetic hormone (akh) family are among the best studied hormone peptides, but its signaling pathways remain to be elucidated. in this study, we molecularly characterized the signaling of bombyx akh receptor (akhr) and its peptide ligands in hek293 cells. in hek293 cells stably expressing akhr, akh1 stimulation not only led to a ligand concentration dependent mobilization of intracellular ca(2+) and camp accumulation, but also elicited transient activation of extracellul ... | 2009 | 19345219 |
| mitochondrial pseudogenes in the nuclear genome of aedes aegypti mosquitoes: implications for past and future population genetic studies. | mitochondrial dna (mtdna) is widely used in population genetic and phylogenetic studies in animals. however, such studies can generate misleading results if the species concerned contain nuclear copies of mtdna (numts) as these may amplify in addition to, or even instead of, the authentic target mtdna. the aim of this study was to determine if numts are present in aedes aegypti mosquitoes, to characterise any numts detected, and to assess the utility of using mtdna for population genetics studie ... | 2009 | 19267896 |
| household possession, use and non-use of treated or untreated mosquito nets in two ecologically diverse regions of nigeria--niger delta and sahel savannah. | current use of treated mosquito nets for the prevention of malaria falls short of what is expected in sub-saharan africa (ssa), though research within the continent has indicated that the use of these commodities can reduce malaria morbidity by 50% and malaria mortality by 20%. governments in sub-sahara africa are investing substantially in scaling-up treated mosquito net coverage for impact. however, certain significant factors still prevent the use of the treated mosquito nets, even among thos ... | 2009 | 19228422 |
| characterization of the yellow fever mosquito sterol carrier protein-2 like 3 gene and ligand-bound protein structure. | the sterol carrier protein-2 like 3 gene (aescp-2l3), a new member of the scp-2 protein family, is identified from the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti. the predicted molecular weight of aescp-2l3 is 13.4 kda with a calculated pi of 4.98. aescp-2l3 transcription occurs in the larval feeding stages and the mrna levels decrease in pupae and adults. the highest levels of aescp-2l3 gene expression are found in the body wall, and possibly originated in the fat body. this is the first report of a ... | 2009 | 19130179 |
| predicting the impact of insecticide-treated bed nets on malaria transmission: the devil is in the detail. | insecticide-treated bed nets (itns), including long-lasting insecticidal nets (llins), play a primary role in global campaigns to roll back malaria in tropical africa. effectiveness of treated nets depends on direct impacts on individual mosquitoes including killing and excite-repellency, which vary considerably among vector species due to variations in host-seeking behaviours. while monitoring and evaluation programmes of itns have focuses on morbidity and all-cause mortality in humans, local e ... | 2009 | 19917119 |
| functional expression of an arachnid sodium channel reveals residues responsible for tetrodotoxin resistance in invertebrate sodium channels. | tetrodotoxin (ttx) is a potent blocker of voltage-gated sodium channels, but not all sodium channels are equally sensitive to inhibition by ttx. the molecular basis of differential ttx sensitivity of mammalian sodium channels has been largely elucidated. in contrast, our knowledge about the sensitivity of invertebrate sodium channels to ttx remains poor, in part because of limited success in functional expression of these channels. in this study, we report the functional characterization in xeno ... | 2009 | 19828457 |
| denis burkitt and the african lymphoma. | burkitt lymphoma has provided a model for the understanding of the epidemiology, the molecular abnormalities that induce tumours, and the treatment of other lymphomas. it is important to remember that the early phases of this work were conducted in africa where today, unfortunately, the disease usually results in death because of limited resources, even though most children in more developed countries are cured. this must be changed. in addition, it is time to re-explore, with modern techniques, ... | 2009 | 22276020 |
| underestimating malaria risk under variable temperatures. | 2009 | 19706496 | |
| simple and fast classification of non-ltr retrotransposons based on phylogeny of their rt domain protein sequences. | rapidly growing number of sequenced genomes requires fast and accurate computational tools for analysis of different transposable elements (tes). in this paper we focus on a rapid and reliable procedure for classification of autonomous non-ltr retrotransposons based on alignment and clustering of their reverse transcriptase (rt) domains. typically, the rt domain protein sequences encoded by different non-ltr retrotransposons are similar to each other in terms of significant blastp e-values. ther ... | 2009 | 19651192 |
| the tempo and mode of evolution of transposable elements as revealed by molecular phylogenies reconstructed from mosquito genomes. | although many mathematical models exist predicting the dynamics of transposable elements (tes), there is a lack of available empirical data to validate these models and inherent assumptions. genomes can provide a snapshot of several te families in a single organism, and these could have their demographics inferred by coalescent analysis, allowing for the testing of theories on te amplification dynamics. using the available genomes of the mosquitoes aedes aegypti and anopheles gambiae, we indicat ... | 2009 | 19656180 |
| spatial risk profiling of plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia in a high endemicity area in côte d'ivoire. | the objective of this study was to identify demographic, environmental and socioeconomic risk factors and spatial patterns of plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia in a high endemicity area of africa, and to specify how this information can facilitate improved malaria control at the district level. | 2009 | 19906295 |
| development of multiplex real-time pcr assays for identification of members of the anopheles funestus species group. | the malaria vector and non-vector species of the anopheles funestus group are morphologically very similar and accurate identification is required as part of effective control strategies. in the past, this has relied on morphological and cytogenetic methods but these have been largely superseded by a robust allele-specific pcr (as-pcr). one disadvantage of as-pcr is the requirement for post-pcr processing by gel electrophoresis of pcr products. in this study, three new high-throughput 'closed-tu ... | 2009 | 20003184 |
| fever treatment in the absence of malaria transmission in an urban informal settlement in nairobi, kenya. | in sub-saharan africa, knowledge of malaria transmission across rapidly proliferating urban centres and recommendations for its prevention or management remain poorly defined. this paper presents the results of an investigation into infection prevalence and treatment of recent febrile events among a slum population in nairobi, kenya. | 2009 | 19604369 |
| environmental factors associated with the malaria vectors anopheles gambiae and anopheles funestus in kenya. | the anopheles gambiae and anopheles funestus mosquito species complexes are the primary vectors of plasmodium falciparum malaria in sub-saharan africa. to better understand the environmental factors influencing these species, the abundance, distribution and transmission data from a south-eastern kenyan study were retrospectively analysed, and the climate, vegetation and elevation data in key locations compared. | 2009 | 19941637 |
| a new species concealed by anopheles funestus giles, a major malaria vector in africa. | the major malaria vector anopheles funestus belongs to a group of morphologically similar species that are commonly distinguished from one another through the use of chromosomal and molecular techniques. indoor resting collections of mosquitoes from malawi were initially identified as an. funestus by morphology, but failed to have this confirmed by the species-specific polymerase chain reaction assay. sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region 2 identified variations within the ... | 2009 | 19706923 |
| epidemiology of malaria in the forest-savanna transitional zone of ghana. | information on the epidemiology of malaria is essential for designing and interpreting results of clinical trials of drugs, vaccines and other interventions. as a background to the establishment of a site for anti-malarial drugs and vaccine trials, the epidemiology of malaria in a rural site in central ghana was investigated. | 2009 | 19785766 |
| a mechanistic approach for accurate simulation of village scale malaria transmission. | malaria transmission models commonly incorporate spatial environmental and climate variability for making regional predictions of disease risk. however, a mismatch of these models' typical spatial resolutions and the characteristic scale of malaria vector population dynamics may confound disease risk predictions in areas of high spatial hydrological variability such as the sahel region of africa. | 2009 | 19799793 |
| a new tent trap for sampling exophagic and endophagic members of the anopheles gambiae complex. | mosquito sampling methods are essential for monitoring and evaluating malaria vector control interventions. in urban dar es salaam, human landing catch (hlc) is the only method sufficiently sensitive for monitoring malaria-transmitting anopheles. hlc is labour intensive, cumbersome, hazardous, and requires such intense supervision that is difficulty to sustain on large scales. | 2009 | 19602253 |
| fungal infection counters insecticide resistance in african malaria mosquitoes. | the evolution of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes is threatening the effectiveness and sustainability of malaria control programs in various parts of the world. through their unique mode of action, entomopathogenic fungi provide promising alternatives to chemical control. however, potential interactions between fungal infection and insecticide resistance, such as cross-resistance, have not been investigated. we show that insecticide-resistant anopheles mosquitoes remain susceptible to infect ... | 2009 | 19805146 |
| land use and land cover changes and spatiotemporal dynamics of anopheline larval habitats during a four-year period in a highland community of africa. | spatial and temporal variations in the distribution of anopheline larval habitats and land use and land cover (lulc) changes can influence malaria transmission intensity. this information is important for understanding the environmental determinants of malaria transmission heterogeneity, and it is critical to the study of the effects of environmental changes on malaria transmission. in this study, we investigated the spatial and temporal variations in the distribution of anopheline larval habita ... | 2009 | 19996440 |
| placental malaria and low birth weight in pregnant women living in a rural area of burkina faso following the use of three preventive treatment regimens. | the weekly chemoprophylaxis of malaria during pregnancy with chloroquine (cq) has become problematic with the increasing resistance of plasmodium falciparum to this drug. there was a need to test the benefits of new strategies over the classical chemoprophylaxis. this study was conducted to provide data to the national malarial control programme for an evidence-based policy change decision making process. it compares the efficacy of two ipt regimens, using chloroquine (cq) or sulphadoxine/pyrime ... | 2009 | 19811649 |
| habitat stability and occurrences of malaria vector larvae in western kenya highlands. | although the occurrence of malaria vector larvae in the valleys of western kenya highlands is well documented, knowledge of larval habitats in the uphill sites is lacking. given that most inhabitants of the highlands actually dwell in the uphill regions, it is important to develop understanding of mosquito breeding habitat stability in these sites in order to determine their potential for larval control. | 2009 | 19845968 |
| effect of repeated application of microbial larvicides on malaria transmission in central côte d'ivoire. | the effect of repeated applications of bacillus thuringiensis var israeliensis (bti) and b. sphaericus (bs) on different entomologic parameters of malaria transmission was investigated in a village in central côte d'ivoire. the study area was monitored for potential mosquito breeding sites over a 7-month period. microbial larvicides were applied once every 3 wk; first bti (0.8 mg/liter), followed by bs (10 mg/liter) 3-4 days later. adult mosquitoes were collected inside and outside sentinel hous ... | 2009 | 19852233 |
| impact of insecticide-treated nets on wild pyrethroid resistant anopheles epiroticus population from southern vietnam tested in experimental huts. | in this study, the efficacy of insecticide-treated nets was evaluated in terms of deterrence, blood-feeding inhibition, induced exophily and mortality on a wild resistant population of anopheles epiroticus in southern vietnam, in order to gain insight into the operational consequences of the insecticide resistance observed in this malaria vector in the mekong delta. | 2009 | 19874581 |
| integrated malaria vector control with microbial larvicides and insecticide-treated nets in western kenya: a controlled trial. | to assess the contributions of both microbial larvicides and insecticide-treated nets (itns) in terms of reducing malaria incidence in an integrated vector management programme in an area moderately endemic for malaria in the western kenyan highlands. | 2009 | 19784445 |
| house design modifications reduce indoor resting malaria vector densities in rice irrigation scheme area in western kenya. | simple modifications of typical rural house design can be an effective and relatively inexpensive method of reducing indoor mosquito vector densities and consequently decreasing malaria transmission. public health scientists have shown the potential for house design to protect people against malaria, yet this type of intervention remains virtually ignored. a randomized-controlled study was, therefore, undertaken to determine the effects of this method of vector control on the density of indoor r ... | 2009 | 19454025 |
| the multiplicity of malaria transmission: a review of entomological inoculation rate measurements and methods across sub-saharan africa. | plasmodium falciparum malaria is a serious tropical disease that causes more than one million deaths each year, most of them in africa. it is transmitted by a range of anopheles mosquitoes and the risk of disease varies greatly across the continent. the "entomological inoculation rate" is the commonly-used measure of the intensity of malaria transmission, yet the methods used are currently not standardized, nor do they take the ecological, demographic, and socioeconomic differences across popula ... | 2009 | 19166589 |
| two duplicated p450 genes are associated with pyrethroid resistance in anopheles funestus, a major malaria vector. | pyrethroid resistance in anopheles funestus is a potential obstacle to malaria control in africa. tools are needed to detect resistance in field populations. we have been using a positional cloning approach to identify the major genes conferring pyrethroid resistance in this vector. a quantitative trait locus (qtl) named rp1 explains 87% of the genetic variance in pyrethroid susceptibility in two families from reciprocal crosses between susceptible and resistant strains. two additional qtls of m ... | 2009 | 19196725 |
| field-based evidence of fast and global increase of plasmodium falciparum drug-resistance by dna-microarrays and pcr/rflp in niger. | over the last years, significant progress has been made in the comprehension of the molecular mechanism of malaria resistance to drugs. together with in vivo tests, the molecular monitoring is now part of the survey strategy of the plasmodium sensitivity. currently, dna-microarray analysis allows the simultaneous study of many single nucleotide polymorphisms (snp) of plasmodium isolates. in december 2005, the international federation of the red cross distributed two million three hundred thousan ... | 2009 | 19236701 |
| caspar controls resistance to plasmodium falciparum in diverse anopheline species. | immune responses mounted by the malaria vector anopheles gambiae are largely regulated by the toll and imd (immune deficiency) pathways via the nf-kappab transcription factors rel1 and rel2, which are controlled by the negative regulators cactus and caspar, respectively. rel1- and rel2-dependent transcription in a. gambiae has been shown to be particularly critical to the mosquito's ability to manage infection with the rodent malaria parasite plasmodium berghei. using rna interference to deplete ... | 2009 | 19282971 |
| novel mutations in vangl1 in neural tube defects. | neural tube defects (ntds) are severe congenital malformations caused by failure of the neural tube to close during neurulation. their etiology is complex involving both environmental and genetic factors. we have recently reported three mutations in the planar cell polarity gene vangl1 associated with ntds. the aim of the present study was to define the role of vangl1 genetic variants in the development of ntds in a large cohort of various ethnic origins. we identified five novel missense varian ... | 2009 | 19319979 |
| seasonal distribution of anopheles funestus chromosomal forms from burkina faso. | previous studies of anopheles funestus chromosomal inversion polymorphisms in burkina faso showed large departures from hardy-weinberg equilibrium and linkage disequilibrium among inversions located on different chromosomes, implying the existence of two taxonomic units ("chromosomal forms") with limited genetic flow. one chromosomal form, named folonzo, is highly polymorphic for alternative rearrangements of 3ra, 3rb, 2ra, and 3la; the other, kiribina, is predominantly characterized by the stan ... | 2009 | 19857258 |
| identifying the most productive breeding sites for malaria mosquitoes in the gambia. | ideally larval control activities should be targeted at sites that generate the most adult vectors, thereby reducing operational costs. despite the plethora of potential mosquito breeding sites found in the floodplains of the gambia river, about 150 km from its mouth, during the rainy season, only a small proportion are colonized by anophelines on any day. this study aimed to determine the characteristics of larval habitats most frequently and most densely populated by anopheline larvae and to e ... | 2009 | 19361337 |
| insecticide resistance profiles for malaria vectors in the kassena-nankana district of ghana. | malaria is a major public health problem in ghana. the current strategy of the national malaria control programme is based on effective case management and the use of insecticide treated bed nets among vulnerable groups such as children under-five years of age and pregnant women. resistance to pyrethroids by anopheles gambiae s.l. and anopheles funestus has been reported in several african countries including neighbouring burkina faso. | 2009 | 19389257 |
| impact of child malnutrition on the specific anti-plasmodium falciparum antibody response. | in sub-saharan africa, preschool children represent the population most vulnerable to malaria and malnutrition. it is widely recognized that malnutrition compromises the immune function, resulting in higher risk of infection. however, very few studies have investigated the relationship between malaria, malnutrition and specific immunity. in the present study, the anti-plasmodium falciparum igg antibody (ab) response was evaluated in children according to the type of malnutrition. | 2009 | 19490641 |
| male mating biology. | before sterile mass-reared mosquitoes are released in an attempt to control local populations, many facets of male mating biology need to be elucidated. large knowledge gaps exist in how both sexes meet in space and time, the correlation of male size and mating success and in which arenas matings are successful. previous failures in mosquito sterile insect technique (sit) projects have been linked to poor knowledge of local mating behaviours or the selection of deleterious phenotypes during colo ... | 2009 | 19917078 |
| comparative analysis of the global transcriptome of anopheles funestus from mali, west africa. | anopheles funestus is a principal vector of malaria across much of tropical africa and is considered one of the most efficient of its kind, yet studies of this species have lagged behind those of its broadly sympatric congener, an. gambiae. in aid of future genomic sequencing of an. funestus, we explored the whole body transcriptome, derived from mixed stage progeny of wild-caught females from mali, west africa. | 2009 | 19936243 |
| spatial distribution, blood feeding pattern, and role of anopheles funestus complex in malaria transmission in central kenya. | studies were conducted to determine the role of sibling species of anopheles funestus complex in malaria transmission in three agro-ecosystems in central kenya. mosquitoes were sampled indoors and outdoors, and rdna pcr was successfully used to identify 340 specimens. anopheles parensis (91.8%), a. funestus (6.8%), and anopheles leesoni (1.5%) were the three sibling species identified. a. parensis was the dominant species at all study sites, while 22 of 23 a. funestus were collected in the non-i ... | 2009 | 19557433 |
| genetic diversity and population structure of plasmodium falciparum in thailand, a low transmission country. | the population structure of the causative agents of human malaria, plasmodium sp., including the most serious agent plasmodium falciparum, depends on the local epidemiological and demographic situations, such as the incidence of infected people, the vector transmission intensity and migration of inhabitants (i.e. exchange between sites). analysing the structure of p. falciparum populations at a large scale, such as continents, or with markers that are subject to non-neutral selection, can lead t ... | 2009 | 19602241 |
| social and environmental malaria risk factors in urban areas of ouagadougou, burkina faso. | despite low endemicity, malaria remains a major health problem in urban areas where a high proportion of fevers are presumptively treated using anti-malarial drugs. low acquired malaria immunity, behaviour of city-dwellers, access to health care and preventive interventions, and heterogenic suitability of urban ecosystems for malaria transmission contribute to the complexity of the malaria epidemiology in urban areas. | 2009 | 19144144 |
| living at the edge: biogeographic patterns of habitat segregation conform to speciation by niche expansion in anopheles gambiae. | ongoing lineage splitting within the african malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae is compatible with ecological speciation, the evolution of reproductive isolation by divergent natural selection acting on two populations exploiting alternative resources. divergence between two molecular forms (m and s) identified by fixed differences in rdna, and characterized by marked, although incomplete, reproductive isolation is occurring in west and central africa. to elucidate the role that ecology and geog ... | 2009 | 19460144 |
| sugar deprivation reduces insemination of anopheles gambiae (diptera: culicidae), despite daily recruitment of adults, and predicts decline in model populations. | our research tests the hypothesis that the inability to sugar-feed reduces the insemination rate in mosquito populations. to test this, we measured the effects of sugar availability on cumulative insemination performance of male anopheles gambiae giles s.s. (diptera: culicidae) during 10-d periods of continual emergence of equal numbers of both sexes, and we evaluated the implications at the population level with a matrix population model. on each day of each of four replicates, 20 newly emerged ... | 2009 | 19960677 |
| ecological niche partitioning between anopheles gambiae molecular forms in cameroon: the ecological side of speciation. | speciation among members of the anopheles gambiae complex is thought to be promoted by disruptive selection and ecological divergence acting on sets of adaptation genes protected from recombination by polymorphic paracentric chromosomal inversions. however, shared chromosomal polymorphisms between the m and s molecular forms of an. gambiae and insufficient information about their relationship with ecological divergence challenge this view. we used geographic information systems, ecological niche ... | 2009 | 19460146 |
| malaria vectors and transmission dynamics in goulmoun, a rural city in south-western chad. | knowledge of some baseline entomological data such as entomological inoculation rates (eir) is crucially needed to assess the epidemiological impact of malaria control activities directed either against parasites or vectors. in chad, most published surveys date back to the 1960's. in this study, anopheline species composition and their relation to malaria transmission were investigated in a dry sudanian savannas area of chad. | 2009 | 19463189 |
| the effects of zooprophylaxis and other mosquito control measures against malaria in nouna, burkina faso. | in the absence of large scale, organized vector control programmes, individual protective measures against mosquitoes are essential for reducing the transmission of diseases like malaria. knowledge of the types and effectiveness of mosquito control methods used by households can aid in the development and promotion of preventive measures. | 2009 | 20003189 |
| marked increase in child survival after four years of intensive malaria control. | in malaria-endemic countries in africa, a large proportion of child deaths are directly or indirectly attributable to infection with plasmodium falciparum. four years after high coverage, multiple malaria control interventions were introduced on bioko island, equatorial guinea, changes in infection with malarial parasites, anemia, and fever history in children were estimated and assessed in relation to changes in all-cause under-5 mortality. there were reductions in prevalence of infection (odds ... | 2009 | 19478243 |
| epidemiology of malaria in an area prepared for clinical trials in korogwe, north-eastern tanzania. | site preparation is a pre-requesite in conducting malaria vaccines trials. this study was conducted in 12 villages to determine malariometric indices and associated risk factors, during long and short rainy seasons, in an area with varying malaria transmission intensities in korogwe district, tanzania. four villages had passive case detection (pcd) of fever system using village health workers. | 2009 | 19615093 |
| the dawgpaws pipeline for the annotation of genes and transposable elements in plant genomes. | abstract: | 2009 | 19545381 |
| assessment of the relative success of sporozoite inoculations in individuals exposed to moderate seasonal transmission. | the time necessary for malaria parasite to re-appear in the blood following treatment (re-infection time) is an indirect method for evaluating the immune defences operating against pre-erythrocytic and early erythrocytic malaria stages. few longitudinal data are available in populations in whom malaria transmission level had also been measured. | 2009 | 19604389 |
| habitat suitability and ecological niche profile of major malaria vectors in cameroon. | suitability of environmental conditions determines a species distribution in space and time. understanding and modelling the ecological niche of mosquito disease vectors can, therefore, be a powerful predictor of the risk of exposure to the pathogens they transmit. in africa, five anophelines are responsible for over 95% of total malaria transmission. however, detailed knowledge of the geographic distribution and ecological requirements of these species is to date still inadequate. | 2009 | 20028559 |
| behavioural and insecticidal effects of organophosphate-, carbamate- and pyrethroid-treated mosquito nets against african malaria vectors. | three insecticides - the pyrethroid deltamethrin, the carbamate carbosulfan and the organophosphate chlorpyrifos-methyl - were tested on mosquito nets in experimental huts to determine their potential for introduction as malaria control measures. their behavioural effects and efficacy were examined in anopheles gambiae giles s.s. (diptera: culicidae) and anopheles funestus giles s.s. in muheza, tanzania, and in anopheles arabiensis patton and culex quinquefasciatus say in moshi, tanzania. a stan ... | 2009 | 19941597 |
| 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 |
| longitudinal survey of malaria morbidity over 10 years in saharevo (madagascar): further lessons for strengthening malaria control. | madagascar has been known for having bio-geo-ecological diversity which is reflected by a complex malaria epidemiology ranging from hyperendemic to malaria-free areas. malaria-related attacks and infection are frequently recorded both in children and adults living in areas of low malaria transmission. to integrate this variability in the national malaria control policy, extensive epidemiological studies are required to up-date previous records and adjust strategies. | 2009 | 19660116 |
| malaria vector composition and insecticide susceptibility status in guinea conakry, west africa. | this study provides data on malaria vector species composition and insecticide susceptibility status from three localities in guinea conakry. a total of 497 mosquitoes were collected resting indoors and morphologically identified as belonging to the anopheles gambiae complex. the majority of these were an. gambiae s.s. (99.6%), but a small percentage (0.4%) were identified as anopheles arabiensis. thirty-four anopheles funestus s.s. were also collected. the molecular s form of an. gambiae s.s. w ... | 2009 | 19941598 |
| insecticide resistance in anopheles gambiae: data from the first year of a multi-country study highlight the extent of the problem. | insecticide resistance in malaria vectors is a growing concern in many countries which requires immediate attention because of the limited chemical arsenal available for vector control. the current extent and distribution of this resistance in many parts of the continent is unknown and yet such information is essential for the planning of effective malaria control interventions. | 2009 | 20015411 |
| cultured skin microbiota attracts malaria mosquitoes. | host-seeking of the african malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae sensu stricto, is guided by human odours. the precise nature of the odours, and the composition of attractive blends of volatiles, remains largely unknown. skin microbiota plays an important role in the production of human body odours. it is hypothesized that host attractiveness and selection of an. gambiae is affected by the species composition, density, and metabolic activity of the skin microbiota. a study is presented in which t ... | 2009 | 20017925 |
| local scale prediction of plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission in an endemic region using temperature and rainfall. | to support malaria control strategies, prior knowledge of disease risk is necessary. developing a model to explain the transmission of malaria, in endemic and epidemic regions, is of high priority in developing health system interventions. we develop, fit and validate a non-spatial dynamic model driven by meteorological conditions that can capture seasonal malaria transmission dynamics at the village level in a malaria holoendemic area of north-western burkina faso. | 2009 | 20052379 |
| comparative evaluation of the ifakara tent trap-b, the standardized resting boxes and the human landing catch for sampling malaria vectors and other mosquitoes in urban dar es salaam, tanzania. | frequent, sensitive and accurate sampling of anopheles mosquitoes is a prerequisite for effective management of malaria vector control programmes. the most reliable existing means to measure mosquito density is the human landing catch (hlc). however, the hlc technique raises major ethical concerns because of the necessity to expose humans to vectors of malaria and a variety of other pathogens. furthermore, it is a very arduous undertaking that requires intense supervision, which is severely limi ... | 2009 | 19674477 |
| development of vegetable farming: a cause of the emergence of insecticide resistance in populations of anopheles gambiae in urban areas of benin. | a fast development of urban agriculture has recently taken place in many areas in the republic of benin. this study aims to assess the rapid expansion of urban agriculture especially, its contribution to the emergence of insecticide resistance in populations of anopheles gambiae. | 2009 | 19442297 |
| selective and irreversible inhibitors of mosquito acetylcholinesterases for controlling malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases. | new insecticides are urgently needed because resistance to current insecticides allows resurgence of disease-transmitting mosquitoes while concerns for human toxicity from current compounds are growing. we previously reported the finding of a free cysteine (cys) residue at the entrance of the active site of acetylcholinesterase (ache) in some insects but not in mammals, birds, and fish. these insects have two ache genes (ap and ao), and only ap-ache carries the cys residue. most of these insects ... | 2009 | 19714254 |
| adaptation and evaluation of the bottle assay for monitoring insecticide resistance in disease vector mosquitoes in the peruvian amazon. | the purpose of this study was to establish whether the "bottle assay", a tool for monitoring insecticide resistance in mosquitoes, can complement and augment the capabilities of the established who assay, particularly in resource-poor, logistically challenging environments. | 2009 | 19728871 |
| expressed sequence tags from larval gut of the european corn borer (ostrinia nubilalis): exploring candidate genes potentially involved in bacillus thuringiensis toxicity and resistance. | lepidoptera represents more than 160,000 insect species which include some of the most devastating pests of crops, forests, and stored products. however, the genomic information on lepidopteran insects is very limited. only a few studies have focused on developing expressed sequence tag (est) libraries from the guts of lepidopteran larvae. knowledge of the genes that are expressed in the insect gut are crucial for understanding basic physiology of food digestion, their interactions with bacillus ... | 2009 | 19558725 |
| an insight into the transcriptome and proteome of the salivary gland of the stable fly, stomoxys calcitrans. | adult stable flies are blood feeders, a nuisance, and mechanical vectors of veterinary diseases. to enable efficient feeding, blood sucking insects have evolved a sophisticated array of salivary compounds to disarm their host's hemostasis and inflammatory reaction. while the sialomes of several blood sucking nematocera flies have been described, no thorough description has been made so far of any brachycera, except for a detailed proteome analysis of a tabanid (xu et al., 2008). in this work we ... | 2009 | 19576987 |
| analysis of expression in the anopheles gambiae developing testes reveals rapidly evolving lineage-specific genes in mosquitoes. | male mosquitoes do not feed on blood and are not involved in delivery of pathogens to humans. consequently, they are seldom the subjects of research, which results in a very poor understanding of their biology. to gain insights into male developmental processes we sought to identify genes transcribed exclusively in the reproductive tissues of male anopheles gambiae pupae. | 2009 | 19580678 |
| sub-microscopic infections and long-term recrudescence of plasmodium falciparum in mozambican pregnant women. | control of malaria in pregnancy remains a public health challenge. improvements in its correct diagnosis and the adequacy of protocols to evaluate anti-malarial drug efficacy in pregnancy, are essential to achieve this goal. | 2009 | 19134201 |
| agent-based modelling of mosquito foraging behaviour for malaria control. | traditional environmental management programmes require extensive coverage of larval habitats to reduce drastically the emergence of adult mosquitoes. recent studies have highlighted the impact of reduced availability of aquatic habitats on mosquito foraging for hosts and oviposition sites. in this study, we developed an agent-based model to track the status and movement of mosquitoes individually. mosquito foraging was represented as a two-stage process: random flight when the resource was not ... | 2009 | 19200566 |
| high, clustered, nucleotide diversity in the genome of anopheles gambiae revealed through pooled-template sequencing: implications for high-throughput genotyping protocols. | association mapping approaches are dependent upon discovery and validation of single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps). to further association studies in anopheles gambiae we conducted a major resequencing programme, primarily targeting regions within or close to candidate genes for insecticide resistance. | 2009 | 19607710 |
| recombinant expression and biochemical characterization of the catalytic domain of acetylcholinesterase-1 from the african malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae. | acetylcholinesterases (aches) and their genes from susceptible and resistant insects have been extensively studied to understand the molecular basis of target site insensitivity. due to the existence of other resistance mechanisms, however, it can be problematic to correlate directly a mutation with the resistant phenotype. an alternative approach involves recombinant expression and characterization of highly purified wild-type and mutant aches, which serves as a reliable platform for studying s ... | 2009 | 19607916 |
| molecular and functional characterization of a c-type lysozyme from the asian corn borer, ostrinia furnacalis. | some lepidopteran lysozymes have been reported to display activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, in contrast to most lysozymes that are active only against gram-positive bacteria. ostrinlysc, a c-type lysozyme, was purified from the asian corn borer, ostrinia furnacalis guenée (lepidoptera: pyralidae), and shows activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. the nh2-terminal amino acid sequence was determined by edman degradation and used in a homology cloning str ... | 2009 | 19613460 |
| a resting box for outdoor sampling of adult anopheles arabiensis in rice irrigation schemes of lower moshi, northern tanzania. | malaria vector sampling is the best method for understanding the vector dynamics and infectivity; thus, disease transmission seasonality can be established. there is a need to protecting humans involved in the sampling of disease vectors during surveillance or in control programmes. in this study, human landing catch, two cow odour baited resting boxes and an unbaited resting box were evaluated as vector sampling tools in an area with a high proportion of anopheles arabiensis, as the major malar ... | 2009 | 19393098 |
| major variations in malaria exposure of travellers in rural areas: an entomological cohort study in western côte d'ivoire. | malaria remains a major threat, to both travellers and military personnel deployed to endemic areas. the recommendations for travellers given by the world health organization is based on the incidence of malaria in an area and do not take the degree of exposure into account. the aim of this article is to evaluate the exposure of travellers by entomologic methods, which are the commonly used measures of the intensity of malaria transmission. | 2009 | 19638219 |
| highly focused anopheline breeding sites and malaria transmission in dakar. | urbanization has a great impact on the composition of the vector system and malaria transmission dynamics. in dakar, some malaria cases are autochthonous but parasite rates and incidences of clinical malaria attacks have been recorded at low levels. ecological heterogeneity of malaria transmission was investigated in dakar, in order to characterize the anopheles breeding sites in the city and to study the dynamics of larval density and adult aggressiveness in ten characteristically different urb ... | 2009 | 19552809 |
| t-cell epitope polymorphisms of the plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein among field isolates from sierra leone: age-dependent haplotype distribution? | in the context of the development of a successful malaria vaccine, understanding the polymorphisms exhibited by malaria antigens in natural parasite populations is crucial for proper vaccine design. recent observations have indicated that sequence polymorphisms in the c-terminal t-cell epitopes of the plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (pfcsp) are rather low and apparently stable in low endemic areas. this study sought to assess the pattern in a malaria endemic setting in africa, usi ... | 2009 | 19500348 |