Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted descending) Filter | PMID Filter |
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| novel virus discovery and genome reconstruction from field rna samples reveals highly divergent viruses in dipteran hosts. | we investigated whether small rna (srna) sequenced from field-collected mosquitoes and chironomids (diptera) can be used as a proxy signature of viral prevalence within a range of species and viral groups, using srnas sequenced from wild-caught specimens, to inform total rna deep sequencing of samples of particular interest. using this strategy, we sequenced from adult anopheles maculipennis s.l. mosquitoes the apparently nearly complete genome of one previously undescribed virus related to chro ... | 2013 | 24260463 |
| towards the elements of successful insect rnai. | rna interference (rnai), the sequence-specific suppression of gene expression, offers great opportunities for insect science, especially to analyze gene function, manage pest populations, and reduce disease pathogens. the accumulating body of literature on insect rnai has revealed that the efficiency of rnai varies between different species, the mode of rnai delivery, and the genes being targeted. there is also variation in the duration of transcript suppression. at present, we have a limited ca ... | 2013 | 24041495 |
| meeting report of the mosquito kolymbari meeting 2013. | 2013 | 24428827 | |
| development of reference transcriptomes for the major field insect pests of cowpea: a toolbox for insect pest management approaches in west africa. | cowpea is a widely cultivated and major nutritional source of protein for many people that live in west africa. annual yields and longevity of grain storage is greatly reduced by feeding damage caused by a complex of insect pests that include the pod sucking bugs, anoplocnemis curvipes fabricius (hemiptera: coreidae) and clavigralla tomentosicollis stål (hemiptera: coreidae); as well as phloem-feeding cowpea aphids, aphis craccivora koch (hemiptera: aphididae) and flower thrips, megalurothrips s ... | 2013 | 24278221 |
| glossina spp. gut bacterial flora and their putative role in fly-hosted trypanosome development. | human african trypanosomiasis (hat) is caused by trypanosomes transmitted to humans by the tsetse fly, in which they accomplish their development into their infective metacyclic form. the crucial step in parasite survival occurs when it invades the fly midgut. insect digestive enzymes and immune defenses may be involved in the modulation of the fly's vector competence, together with bacteria that could be present in the fly's midgut. in fact, in addition to the three bacterial symbionts that hav ... | 2013 | 23898466 |
| the role of innate versus adaptive immune responses in a mouse model of o'nyong-nyong virus infection. | o'nyong-nyong virus (onnv), an alphavirus closely related to chikungunya virus (chikv), has caused three major epidemics in africa since 1959. both onnv and chikv produce similar syndromes with fever, rash, and debilitating arthralgia. to determine the roles of the innate and adaptive immune responses, we infected different knockout mice with two strains of onnv (sg650 and mp30). wild-type, rag1 ko, and ifnγr ko mice showed no signs of illness or viremia. the stat1 ko and a129 mice exhibited 50- ... | 2013 | 23568285 |
| o'nyong nyong virus molecular determinants of unique vector specificity reside in non-structural protein 3. | o'nyong nyong virus (onnv) and chikungunya virus (chikv) are two closely related alphaviruses with very different infection patterns in the mosquito, anopheles gambiae. onnv is the only alphavirus transmitted by anopheline mosquitoes, but specific molecular determinants of infection of this unique vector specificity remain unidentified. fifteen distinct chimeric viruses were constructed to evaluate both structural and non-structural regions of the genome and infection patterns were determined th ... | 2013 | 23359824 |
| mosquito-borne arbovirus surveillance at selected sites in diverse ecological zones of kenya; 2007 - 2012. | increased frequency of arbovirus outbreaks in east africa necessitated the determination of distribution of risk by entomologic arbovirus surveillance. a systematic vector surveillance programme spanning 5 years and covering 11 sites representing seven of the eight provinces in kenya and located in diverse ecological zones was carried out. | 2013 | 23663381 |
| sustained activation of akt elicits mitochondrial dysfunction to block plasmodium falciparum infection in the mosquito host. | the overexpression of activated, myristoylated akt in the midgut of female transgenic anopheles stephensi results in resistance to infection with the human malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum but also decreased lifespan. in the present study, the understanding of mitochondria-dependent midgut homeostasis has been expanded to explain this apparent paradox in an insect of major medical importance. given that akt signaling is essential for cell growth and survival, we hypothesized that sustained ... | 2013 | 23468624 |
| wuchereria bancrofti transmission pattern in southern mali prior to and following the institution of mass drug administration. | the global programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (gpelf) was launched in 2000 with the goal of stopping transmission of lymphatic filariasis (lf) through yearly mass drug administration (mda). although preliminary surveys of the human population in mali suggested that wuchereria bancrofti infection was highly endemic in the sikasso district, baseline entomological data were required to confirm high levels of transmission prior to the selection of villages in this region for a study of the ... | 2013 | 23981378 |
| mitochondrial genome sequences reveal deep divergences among anopheles punctulatus sibling species in papua new guinea. | members of the anopheles punctulatus group (ap group) are the primary vectors of human malaria in papua new guinea. the ap group includes 13 sibling species, most of them morphologically indistinguishable. understanding why only certain species are able to transmit malaria requires a better comprehension of their evolutionary history. in particular, understanding relationships and divergence times among anopheles species may enable assessing how malaria-related traits (e.g. blood feeding behavio ... | 2013 | 23405960 |
| lymphatic filariasis in luangwa district, south-east zambia. | past case reports and recent data from lf mapping surveys indicate that lf occurs in zambia, but no studies have been carried out to document its epidemiology and health implications. the present study assessed infection, disease, transmission and human perception aspects of lf in an endemic area of luangwa district, south-east zambia, as a background for planning and implementation of control. | 2013 | 24499525 |
| novel selective and irreversible mosquito acetylcholinesterase inhibitors for controlling malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases. | we reported previously that insect acetylcholinesterases (aches) could be selectively and irreversibly inhibited by methanethiosulfonates presumably through conjugation to an insect-specific cysteine in these enzymes. however, no direct proof for the conjugation has been published to date, and doubts remain about whether such cysteine-targeting inhibitors have desirable kinetic properties for insecticide use. here we report mass spectrometric proof of the conjugation and new chemicals that irrev ... | 2013 | 23323211 |
| arbonematodes - nematode infections transmissible by arthropods: arbeitskreis blut, untergruppe «bewertung blutassoziierter krankheitserreger»*. | 2013 | 23637651 | |
| diversity of culturable bacteria including pantoea in wild mosquito aedes albopictus. | the microbiota has been shown to play an important role in the biology of insects. in recent decades, significant efforts have been made to better understand the diversity of symbiotic bacteria associated with mosquitoes and assess their influence on pathogen transmission. here, we report the bacterial composition found in field-caught aedes albopictus populations by using culture-dependent methods. | 2013 | 23537168 |
| the effect of screening doors and windows on indoor density of anopheles arabiensis in south-west ethiopia: a randomized trial. | screening of houses might have impact on density of indoor host-seeking anopheles mosquitoes. a randomized trial of screening windows and doors with metal mesh, and closing openings on eves and walls by mud was conducted to assess if reduce indoor densities of biting mosquitoes. | 2013 | 24028542 |
| an analysis of two island groups as potential sites for trials of transgenic mosquitoes for malaria control. | considerable technological advances have been made towards the generation of genetically modified mosquitoes for vector control. in contrast, less progress has been made towards field evaluations of transformed mosquitoes which are critical for evaluating the success of, and hazards associated with, genetic modification. oceanic islands have been highlighted as potentially the best locations for such trials. however, population genetic studies are necessary to verify isolation. here, we used a p ... | 2013 | 23789035 |
| impact of operational effectiveness of long-lasting insecticidal nets (llins) on malaria transmission in pyrethroid-resistant areas. | a dynamic study on the transmission of malaria was conducted in two areas (r⁺ area: low resistance area; r⁺⁺⁺ area: high resistance area) in the department of plateau in south eastern benin, where the population is protected by long lasting insecticidal nets (llins). the aim of this study was to determine if the resistance of malaria vectors to insecticides has an impact on their behavior and on the effectiveness of llins in the reduction of malaria transmission. | 2013 | 24499508 |
| agro-ecosystems impact malaria prevalence: large-scale irrigation drives vector population in western ethiopia. | development strategies in ethiopia have largely focused on the expansion of irrigated agriculture in the last decade to reduce poverty and promote economic growth. however, such irrigation schemes can worsen the socio-economic state by aggravating the problem of mosquito-borne diseases. in this study, the effect of agro-ecosystem practices on malaria prevalence and the risk of malaria transmission by the primary vector mosquito, anopheles arabiensis, in ethiopia were investigated. | 2013 | 24083353 |
| malaria control in south sudan, 2006-2013: strategies, progress and challenges. | south sudan has borne the brunt of years of chronic warfare and probably has the highest malaria burden in sub-saharan africa. however, effective malaria control in post-conflict settings is hampered by a multiplicity of challenges. this manuscript reports on the strategies, progress and challenges of malaria control in south sudan and serves as an example epitome for programmes operating in similar environments and provides a window for leveraging resources. | 2013 | 24160336 |
| entomological surveillance of behavioural resilience and resistance in residual malaria vector populations. | the most potent malaria vectors rely heavily upon human blood so they are vulnerable to attack with insecticide-treated nets (itns) and indoor residual spraying (irs) within houses. mosquito taxa that can avoid feeding or resting indoors, or by obtaining blood from animals, mediate a growing proportion of the dwindling transmission that persists as itns and irs are scaled up. | 2013 | 23577656 |
| shifts in malaria vector species composition and transmission dynamics along the kenyan coast over the past 20 years. | over the past 20 years, numerous studies have investigated the ecology and behaviour of malaria vectors and plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission on the coast of kenya. substantial progress has been made to control vector populations and reduce high malaria prevalence and severe disease. the goal of this paper was to examine trends over the past 20 years in anopheles species composition, density, blood-feeding behaviour, and p. falciparum sporozoite transmission along the coast of kenya. | 2013 | 23297732 |
| the residual life of bendiocarb on different substrates under laboratory and field conditions in benin, western africa. | the efficacy of bendiocarb against pyrethroid resistant an. gambiae and the residual life of this insecticide on different substrates were evaluated under laboratory and field conditions. | 2013 | 24220151 |
| living on the edge: a longitudinal study of anopheles funestus in an isolated area of mozambique. | understanding the survival strategies of malaria vectors at the edges of their distribution, where they are under stress from environmental conditions, may lead to the development of novel control techniques and may help predict the effects of climate change on these mosquitoes. | 2013 | 23773359 |
| dose-response tests and semi-field evaluation of lethal and sub-lethal effects of slow release pyriproxyfen granules (sumilarv®0.5g) for the control of the malaria vectors anopheles gambiae sensu lato. | recently research has shown that larviciding can be an effective tool for integrated malaria vector control. nevertheless, the uptake of this intervention has been hampered by the need to re-apply larvicides frequently. there is a need to explore persistent, environmentally friendly larvicides for malaria vector control to reduce intervention efforts and costs by reducing the frequency of application. in this study, the efficacy of a 0.5% pyriproxyfen granule (surmilarv®0.5g, sumitomo chemicals) ... | 2013 | 23497149 |
| evaluation of polyethylene-based long lasting treated bed net netprotect on anopheles mosquitoes, malaria incidence, and net longivity in western kenya. | we studied the effect on malaria incidence, mosquito abundance, net efficacy, net use rate, chemical analysis, and holes of a long lasting insecticide treated bed net (netprotect) in western kenya, 2007-2010. nets were hung in 150 households 6 months before they were hung in a second, 2 km away. indoor resting densities were monitored by pyrethrum spray catch and malaria cases by passive detection using clinical manifestations and rapid diagnostic test. the probability of finding an. arabiensis ... | 2013 | 24194770 |
| standardizing operational vector sampling techniques for measuring malaria transmission intensity: evaluation of six mosquito collection methods in western kenya. | operational vector sampling methods lack standardization, making quantitative comparisons of malaria transmission across different settings difficult. human landing catch (hlc) is considered the research gold standard for measuring human-mosquito contact, but is unsuitable for large-scale sampling. this study assessed mosquito catch rates of cdc light trap (cdc-lt), ifakara tent trap (itt), window exit trap (wet), pot resting trap (prt), and box resting trap (brt) relative to hlc in western keny ... | 2013 | 23631641 |
| new insights into the population structure of anopheles gambiae s.s. in the gulf of guinea islands revealed by herves transposable elements. | transposable elements (tes) are mobile portions of dna that are able to replicate and spread in the genome of many organisms. tes can be used as a means to insert transgenes in insects, being stably inherited throughout generations. anopheles gambiae is the main vector of human malaria in sub-saharan africa. given the extraordinary burden this disease imposes, the mosquito became a choice target for genetic control approaches with the purpose of reducing malaria transmission. in this study, we i ... | 2013 | 23638171 |
| response of anopheles gambiae s.l. (diptera: culicidae) to larval habitat age in western kenya highlands. | larval control is of paramount importance in the reduction of vector populations. previous observations have suggested that, larvae of anopheles gambiae s.l occur more often in small temporary habitats while other studies showed that long-lasting stable habitats are more productive than unstable habitats. in addition, the physical and biological conditions and stability of larval habitats can change rapidly in natural conditions. therefore, we examined the effect of larval habitat age on product ... | 2013 | 23324330 |
| spatio-temporal malaria transmission patterns in navrongo demographic surveillance site, northern ghana. | the relationship between entomological measures of malaria transmission intensity and mortality remains uncertain. this is partly because transmission is heterogeneous even within small geographical areas. studying this relationship requires high resolution, spatially structured, longitudinal entomological data. geostatistical models that have been used to analyse the spatio-temporal heterogeneity have not considered the uncertainty in both sporozoite rate (sr) and mosquito density data. this st ... | 2013 | 23405912 |
| consistently high estimates for the proportion of human exposure to malaria vector populations occurring indoors in rural africa. | insecticide-treated nets (itns) and indoor residual spraying (irs) are highly effective tools for controlling malaria transmission in africa because the most important vectors, from the anopheles gambiae complex and the a. funestus group, usually prefer biting humans indoors at night. | 2013 | 23396849 |
| addressing malaria vector control challenges in south sudan: proposed recommendations. | upon the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement in 2005, the republic of south sudan (rss) has faced a lot of challenges, such as a lack of infrastructure, human resources and an enormous burden of vector borne diseases including malaria. while a national malaria strategic plan 2006-2011 was developed, the vector control component has remained relatively weak. the strategy endorses the distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets (llins) as the frontline intervention with other intervent ... | 2013 | 23394124 |
| impact of home-based management of malaria combined with other community-based interventions: what do we learn from rwanda? | this study aimed to evaluate the impact of home-based management of malaria (hbm) strategy on time to treatment and reported presumed malaria morbidity in children aged less than 5 years in rwanda. | 2013 | 23560133 |
| physical condition and maintenance of mosquito bed nets in kwale county, coastal kenya. | despite the extensive ownership and use of insecticide-treated nets (itns) over the last decade, the effective lifespan of these nets, especially their physical integrity, under true operational conditions is not well-understood. usefulness of nets declines primarily due to physical damage or loss of insecticidal activity. | 2013 | 23374429 |
| the effect of larval nutritional deprivation on the life history and ddt resistance phenotype in laboratory strains of the malaria vector anopheles arabiensis. | anopheles arabiensis is a major malaria vector in africa. it thrives in agricultural areas and has been associated with increased malaria incidence in areas under rice and maize cultivation. this effect may be due to increased adult size and abundance as a consequence of optimal larval nutrition. the aim of this study was to examine the effect of larval nutrition on the life history and expression of insecticide resistance in adults of laboratory reared an. arabiensis. | 2013 | 23368928 |
| intrinsically disordered regions of p53 family are highly diversified in evolution. | proteins of the p53 family are expressed in vertebrates and in some invertebrate species. the main function of these proteins is to control and regulate cell cycle in response to various cellular signals, and therefore to control the organism's development. the regulatory functions of the p53 family members originate mostly from their highly-conserved and well-structured dna-binding domains. many human diseases (including various types of cancer) are related to the missense mutations within this ... | 2013 | 23352836 |
| persistent detection of plasmodium falciparum, p. malariae, p. ovale curtisi and p. ovale wallikeri after act treatment of asymptomatic ghanaian school-children. | two hundred and seventy four asymptomatic ghanaian school-children aged 5 to 17 years were screened for malaria parasites by examination of blood films. one hundred and fifty five microscopically-positive individuals were treated with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and followed for 3 weeks. retrospective species-specific pcr of all 274 screened samples identified an additional 60 children with sub-patent parasitaemia, and a substantial proportion of co-infections with plasmodium malariae, plasmo ... | 2013 | 24533292 |
| geographic coincidence of increased malaria transmission hazard and vulnerability occurring at the periphery of two tanzanian villages. | the goal of malaria elimination necessitates an improved understanding of any fine-scale geographic variations in transmission risk so that complementary vector control tools can be integrated into current vector control programmes as supplementary measures that are spatially targeted to maximize impact upon residual transmission. this study examines the distribution of host-seeking malaria vectors at households within two villages in rural tanzania. | 2013 | 23331947 |
| de novo transcriptome characterization of vitis vinifera cv. corvina unveils varietal diversity. | plants such as grapevine (vitis spp.) display significant inter-cultivar genetic and phenotypic variation. the genetic components underlying phenotypic diversity in grapevine must be understood in order to disentangle genetic and environmental factors. | 2013 | 23331995 |
| trends in multiplicity of plasmodium falciparum infections among asymptomatic residents in the middle belt of ghana. | malaria is the most important cause of mortality and morbidity in children living in the kintampo districts in the middle part of ghana. this study has investigated the multiplicity of infection (moi) within asymptomatic residents of the kintampo districts, and the influence of age and seasonality on moi, by studying the distribution of the polymorphic plasmodium falciparum antigen merozoite surface protein 2 (msp2). | 2013 | 23327681 |
| topographic models for predicting malaria vector breeding habitats: potential tools for vector control managers. | identification of malaria vector breeding sites can enhance control activities. although associations between malaria vector breeding sites and topography are well recognized, practical models that predict breeding sites from topographic information are lacking. we used topographic variables derived from remotely sensed digital elevation models (dems) to model the breeding sites of malaria vectors. we further compared the predictive strength of two different dems and evaluated the predictability ... | 2013 | 23324389 |
| mathematical evaluation of community level impact of combining bed nets and indoor residual spraying upon malaria transmission in areas where the main vectors are anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes. | indoor residual insecticide spraying (irs) and long-lasting insecticide treated nets (llins) are commonly used together even though evidence that such combinations confer greater protection against malaria than either method alone is inconsistent. | 2013 | 23324456 |
| operational scale entomological intervention for malaria control: strategies, achievements and challenges in zambia. | while consensus on malaria vector control policy and strategy has stimulated unprecedented political-will, backed by international funding organizations and donors, vector control interventions are expansively being implemented based on assumptions with unequaled successes. this manuscript reports on the strategies, achievements and challenges of the past and contemporary malaria vector control efforts in zambia. | 2013 | 23298401 |
| geographical factors affecting bed net ownership, a tool for the elimination of anopheles-transmitted lymphatic filariasis in hard-to-reach communities. | vector control, including the use of bed nets, is recommended as a possible strategy for eliminating lymphatic filariasis (lf) in post-conflict countries such as the democratic republic of congo (drc). this study examined the geographical factors that influence bed net ownership in drc in order to identify hard-to-reach communities that need to be better targeted. in particular, urban/rural differences and the influence of population density, proximity to cities and health facilities, plus acces ... | 2013 | 23308281 |
| why so many unknown genes? partitioning orphans from a representative transcriptome of the lone star tick amblyomma americanum. | genomic resources within the phylum arthropoda are largely limited to the true insects but are beginning to include unexplored subphyla, such as the crustacea and chelicerata. investigations of these understudied taxa uncover high frequencies of orphan genes, which lack detectable sequence homology to genes in pre-existing databases. the ticks (acari: chelicerata) are one such understudied taxon for which genomic resources are urgently needed. ticks are obligate blood-feeders that vector major d ... | 2013 | 23445305 |
| the dynamics of pyrethroid resistance in anopheles arabiensis from zanzibar and an assessment of the underlying genetic basis. | the emergence of pyrethroid resistance in the malaria vector, anopheles arabiensis, threatens to undermine the considerable gains made towards eliminating malaria on zanzibar. previously, resistance was restricted to the island of pemba while mosquitoes from unguja, the larger of the two islands of zanzibar, were susceptible. here, we characterised the mechanism(s) responsible for resistance on zanzibar using a combination of gene expression and target-site mutation assays. | 2013 | 24314005 |
| a second chance to tackle african malaria vector mosquitoes that avoid houses and don't take drugs. | 2013 | 23589532 | |
| evaluation of alternative mosquito sampling methods for malaria vectors in lowland south--east zambia. | sampling malaria vectors and measuring their biting density is of paramount importance for entomological surveys of malaria transmission. human landing catch (hlc) has been traditionally regarded as a gold standard method for surveying human exposure to mosquito bites. however, due to the risk of human participant exposure to mosquito-borne parasites and viruses, a variety of alternative, exposure-free trapping methods were compared in lowland, south-east zambia. | 2013 | 23570257 |
| dissecting the mechanisms responsible for the multiple insecticide resistance phenotype in anopheles gambiae s.s., m form, from vallée du kou, burkina faso. | with the exception of target site mutations, insecticide resistance mechanisms in the principle malaria vector anopheles gambiae, remains largely uncharacterized in burkina faso. here we detected high prevalence of resistance in vallée du kou (vk) to pyrethroids, ddt and dieldrin, moderate level for carbamates and full susceptibility to organophosphates. high frequencies of l1014f kdr (75%) and rdl (87%) mutations were observed showing strong correlation with pyrethroids/ddt and dieldrin resista ... | 2013 | 23380570 |
| increase in malaria prevalence and age of at risk population in different areas of gabon. | following the deployment of new recommendations for malaria control according to the world health organization, an estimation of the real burden of the disease is needed to better identify populations at risk and to adapt control strategies. the aim of the present study was to estimate the clinical burden of malaria among febrile children aged less than 11 years, before and after six-year of deployment of malaria control strategies in different areas of gabon. | 2013 | 23282198 |
| do topical repellents divert mosquitoes within a community? health equity implications of topical repellents as a mosquito bite prevention tool. | repellents do not kill mosquitoes--they simply reduce human-vector contact. thus it is possible that individuals who do not use repellents but dwell close to repellent users experience more bites than otherwise. the objective of this study was to measure if diversion occurs from households that use repellents to those that do not use repellents. | 2013 | 24376852 |
| comparative field evaluation of combinations of long-lasting insecticide treated nets and indoor residual spraying, relative to either method alone, for malaria prevention in an area where the main vector is anopheles arabiensis. | long-lasting insecticidal nets (llins) and indoor residual spraying (irs) are commonly used together in the same households to improve malaria control despite inconsistent evidence on whether such combinations actually offer better protection than nets alone or irs alone. | 2013 | 23433393 |
| large fluctuations in the effective population size of the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae s.s. during vector control cycle. | on bioko island, equatorial guinea, indoor residual spraying (irs) has been part of the bioko island malaria control project since early 2004. despite success in reducing childhood infections, areas of high transmission remain on the island. we therefore examined fluctuations in the effective population size (n e ) of the malaria vector anopheles gambiae in an area of persistent high transmission over two spray rounds. we analyzed data for 13 microsatellite loci from 791 an. gambiae specimens co ... | 2013 | 24478799 |
| country-level operational implementation of the global plan for insecticide resistance management. | malaria control is reliant on the use of long-lasting pyrethroid-impregnated nets and/or indoor residual spraying (irs) of insecticide. the rapid selection and spread of operationally significant pyrethroid resistance in african malaria vectors threatens our ability to sustain malaria control. establishing whether resistance is operationally significant is technically challenging. routine monitoring by bioassay is inadequate, and there are limited data linking resistance selection with changes i ... | 2013 | 23696658 |
| antibodies to a single, conserved epitope in anopheles apn1 inhibit universal transmission of plasmodium falciparum and plasmodium vivax malaria. | malaria transmission-blocking vaccines (tbvs) represent a promising approach for the elimination and eradication of this disease. anapn1 is a lead tbv candidate that targets a surface antigen on the midgut of the obligate vector of the plasmodium parasite, the anopheles mosquito. in this study, we demonstrated that antibodies targeting anapn1 block transmission of plasmodium falciparum and plasmodium vivax across distantly related anopheline species in countries to which malaria is endemic. usin ... | 2013 | 24478095 |
| transinfection: a method to investigate wolbachia-host interactions and control arthropod-borne disease. | the bacterial endosymbiont wolbachia manipulates arthropod host biology in numerous ways, including sex ratio distortion and differential offspring survival. these bacteria infect a vast array of arthropods, some of which pose serious agricultural and human health threats. wolbachia-mediated phenotypes such as cytoplasmic incompatibility and/or pathogen interference can be used for vector and disease control; however, many medically important vectors and important agricultural species are uninfe ... | 2013 | 24329998 |
| positive selection drives accelerated evolution of mosquito salivary genes associated with blood-feeding. | the saliva of bloodsucking animals contains dozens to hundreds of proteins that counteract their hosts' haemostasis, inflammation and immunity. it was previously observed that salivary proteins involved in haematophagy are much more divergent in their primary sequence than those of housekeeping function, when comparisons were made between closely related organisms. while this pattern of evolution could result from relaxed selection or drift, it could alternatively be the result of positive selec ... | 2013 | 24237399 |
| overexpression of multiple detoxification genes in deltamethrin resistant laodelphax striatellus (hemiptera: delphacidae) in china. | the small brown planthopper (sbph), laodelphax striatellus (fallén), is one of the major rice pests in asia and has developed resistance to multiple classes of insecticides. understanding resistance mechanisms is essential to the management of this pest. biochemical and molecular assays were performed in this study to systematically characterize deltamethrin resistance mechanisms with laboratory-selected resistant and susceptible strains of sbph. | 2013 | 24324548 |
| evaluation of the long-lasting insecticidal net interceptor ln: laboratory and experimental hut studies against anopheline and culicine mosquitoes in northeastern tanzania. | long lasting insecticidal nets (ln) are a primary method of malaria prevention. before new types of ln are approved they need to meet quality and efficacy standards set by the who pesticide evaluation scheme. the process of evaluation has three phases. in phase i the candidate ln must meet threshold bioassay criteria after 20 standardized washes. in phase ii washed and unwashed lns are evaluated in experimental huts against wild, free flying anopheline mosquitoes. in phase iii the ln are distrib ... | 2013 | 24499488 |
| overexpression of phosphatase and tensin homolog improves fitness and decreases plasmodium falciparum development in anopheles stephensi. | the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (iis) cascade is highly conserved and regulates diverse physiological processes such as metabolism, lifespan, reproduction and immunity. transgenic overexpression of akt, a critical regulator of iis, was previously shown to shorten mosquito lifespan and increase resistance to the human malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum. to further understand how iis controls mosquito physiology and resistance to malaria parasite infection, we overexpressed an ... | 2013 | 23774695 |
| a unique y gene in the asian malaria mosquito anopheles stephensi encodes a small lysine-rich protein and is transcribed at the onset of embryonic development. | in many organisms the y chromosome initiates sex determination and regulates male fertility and mating behaviour. however, molecular characterization of y genes is rare outside of a few model species because it is difficult to clone and analyse repeat-rich heterochromatic y sequences. in insects, y genes are only well characterized in a small number of drosophila species. here we report the discovery of guy1 (gene unique to the y), a gene unique to the y chromosome in the asian malaria mosquito, ... | 2013 | 23683123 |
| six novel y chromosome genes in anopheles mosquitoes discovered by independently sequencing males and females. | y chromosomes are responsible for the initiation of male development, male fertility, and other male-related functions in diverse species. however, y genes are rarely characterized outside a few model species due to the arduous nature of studying the repeat-rich y. | 2013 | 23617698 |
| netting barriers to prevent mosquito entry into houses in southern mozambique: a pilot study. | one of the best ways to control the transmission of malaria is by breaking the vector-human link, either by reducing the effective population size of mosquitoes or avoiding infective bites. reducing house entry rates in endophagic vectors by obstructing openings is one simple way of achieving this. mosquito netting has previously been shown to have this effect. more recently different materials that could also be used have come onto the market. therefore, a pilot study was conducted to investiga ... | 2013 | 23497325 |
| the mitochondrial genome of elodia flavipalpis aldrich (diptera: tachinidae) and the evolutionary timescale of tachinid flies. | tachinid flies are natural enemies of many lepidopteran and coleopteran pests of forests, crops, and fruit trees. in order to address the lack of genetic data in this economically important group, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of the palaearctic tachinid fly elodia flavipalpis aldrich, 1933. usually found in northern china and japan, this species is one of the primary natural enemies of the leaf-roller moths (tortricidae), which are major pests of various fruit trees. the 14,932 ... | 2013 | 23626734 |
| blood meal sources and entomological inoculation rates of anophelines along a highland altitudinal transect in south-central ethiopia. | the role of anophelines in transmitting malaria depends on their distribution, preference to feed on humans and also their susceptibility to plasmodium gametocytes, all of which are affected by local environmental conditions. blood meal source and entomological inoculation rate of anophelines was assessed along a highland altitudinal transect in south- central ethiopia. | 2013 | 23433348 |
| genetic diversity and signatures of selection of drug resistance in plasmodium populations from both human and mosquito hosts in continental equatorial guinea. | in plasmodium, the high level of genetic diversity and the interactions established by co-infecting parasite populations within the same host may be a source of selection on pathogen virulence and drug resistance. as different patterns have already been described in humans and mosquitoes, parasite diversity and population structure should be studied in both hosts to properly assess their effects on infection and transmission dynamics. this study aimed to characterize the circulating populations ... | 2013 | 23537170 |
| plasmodium falciparum infection during dry season: igg responses to anopheles gambiae salivary gsg6-p1 peptide as sensitive biomarker for malaria risk in northern senegal. | the northern part of senegal is characterized by a low and seasonal transmission of malaria. however, some plasmodium falciparum infections and malaria clinical cases are reported during the dry season. this study aims to assess the relationship between igg antibody (ab) responses to gsg6-p1 mosquito salivary peptide and the prevalence of p. falciparum infection in children during the dry season in the senegal river valley. the positive association of the ab response to gsg6-p1, as biomarker of ... | 2013 | 23988032 |
| incorporating the effects of humidity in a mechanistic model of anopheles gambiae mosquito population dynamics in the sahel region of africa. | low levels of relative humidity are known to decrease the lifespan of mosquitoes. however, most current models of malaria transmission do not account for the effects of relative humidity on mosquito survival. in the sahel, where relative humidity drops to levels <20% for several months of the year, we expect relative humidity to play a significant role in shaping the seasonal profile of mosquito populations. here, we present a new formulation for anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) mosquito surv ... | 2013 | 23938022 |
| clinical signs and symptoms cannot reliably predict plasmodium falciparum malaria infection in pregnant women living in an area of high seasonal transmission. | malaria in pregnancy is a major public health problem in endemic countries. though the signs and symptoms of malaria among pregnant women have been already described, clinical presentation may vary according to intensity of transmission and local perceptions. therefore, determining common signs and symptoms among pregnant women with a malaria infection may be extremely useful to identify those in need of further investigation by rapid diagnostic test or microscopy. | 2013 | 24373481 |
| selection for chloroquine-sensitive plasmodium falciparum by wild anopheles arabiensis in southern zambia. | the emergence of parasite drug resistance, especially plasmodium falciparum, persists as a major obstacle for malaria control and elimination. to develop effective public health containment strategies, a clear understanding of factors that govern the emergence and spread of resistant parasites in the field is important. the current study documents selection for chloroquine-sensitive malaria parasites by wild anopheles arabiensis in southern zambia. | 2013 | 24354640 |
| amodiaquine-artesunate versus artemether-lumefantrine against uncomplicated malaria in children less than 14 years in ngaoundere, north cameroon: efficacy, safety, and baseline drug resistant mutations in pfcrt, pfmdr1, and pfdhfr genes. | background. in cameroon, both artesunate-amodiaquine (as/aq) and artemether-lumefantrine (al) are used as first-line treatment against uncomplicated malaria in line with the who recommendations. we compared the efficacy and safety of both therapeutic combinations and determined the prevalence of drug resistance conferring mutations in three parasite genes. methods. one hundred and fifty acute malaria patients between six months and 14 years of age were randomized to receive standard doses of eit ... | 2013 | 24455414 |
| biting patterns and seasonality of anopheles gambiae sensu lato and anopheles funestus mosquitoes in kamuli district, uganda. | we investigated the biting patterns and seasonal abundances of anopheles gambiae s.l. and an. funestus mosquitoes in kamuli district, uganda. | 2013 | 24304974 |
| habitat hydrology and geomorphology control the distribution of malaria vector larvae in rural africa. | larval source management is a promising component of integrated malaria control and elimination. this requires development of a framework to target productive locations through process-based understanding of habitat hydrology and geomorphology. | 2013 | 24312606 |
| regulation of insect behavior via the insulin-signaling pathway. | the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (iis) pathway is well-established as a critical regulator of growth and metabolic homeostasis across the animal kingdom. insulin-like peptides (ilps), the functional analogs of mammalian insulin, were initially discovered in the silkmoth bombyx mori and subsequently identified in many other insect species. initial research focused on the role of insulin signaling in metabolism, cell proliferation, development, reproduction and aging. more recently ... | 2013 | 24348428 |
| the changing burden of malaria and association with vector control interventions in zambia using district-level surveillance data, 2006-2011. | malaria control was strengthened in zambia over the past decade. the two primary interventions for vector control are indoor residual spraying (irs) and long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (llins). using passive malaria surveillance data collected from 2006 to 2011 through the zambian district health information system, the associations between increased coverage with llins and irs and the burden of malaria in zambia were evaluated. | 2013 | 24289177 |
| reduced prevalence of malaria infection in children living in houses with window screening or closed eaves on bioko island, equatorial guinea. | previous studies demonstrated that fewer mosquitoes enter houses which are screened or have closed eaves. there is little evidence about the effect on malaria infection in humans that changes in house construction may have. this study examines the impact of protective housing improvements on malaria infection on bioko island. | 2013 | 24236191 |
| dynamics of malaria transmission and susceptibility to clinical malaria episodes following treatment of plasmodium falciparum asymptomatic carriers: results of a cluster-randomized study of community-wide screening and treatment, and a parallel entomology study. | in malaria-endemic countries, large proportions of individuals infected with plasmodium falciparum are asymptomatic and constitute a reservoir of parasites for infection of newly hatched mosquitoes. | 2013 | 24215306 |
| elevated dry-season malaria prevalence associated with fine-scale spatial patterns of environmental risk: a case-control study of children in rural malawi. | understanding the role of local environmental risk factors for malaria in holo-endemic, poverty-stricken settings will be critical to more effectively implement- interventions aimed at eventual elimination. household-level environmental drivers of malaria risk during the dry season were investigated in rural southern malawi among children < five years old in two neighbouring rural traditional authority (ta) regions dominated by small-scale agriculture. | 2013 | 24206777 |
| epidemiology of malaria in an area of seasonal transmission in niger and implications for the design of a seasonal malaria chemoprevention strategy. | few data are available about malaria epidemiological situation in niger. however, implementation of new strategies such as vaccination or seasonal treatment of a target population requires the knowledge of baseline epidemiological features of malaria. a population-based study was conducted to provide better characterization of malaria seasonal variations and population groups the most at risk in this particular area. | 2013 | 24172107 |
| temporal and micro-spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of anopheles vectors of malaria along the kenyan coast. | the distribution of anopheline mosquitoes is determined by temporally dynamic environmental and human-associated variables, operating over a range of spatial scales. macro-spatial short-term trends are driven predominantly by prior (lagged) seasonal changes in climate, which regulate the abundance of suitable aquatic larval habitats. micro-spatial distribution is determined by the location of these habitats, proximity and abundance of available human bloodmeals and prevailing micro-climatic cond ... | 2013 | 24330615 |
| the efficacy of long-lasting nets with declining physical integrity may be compromised in areas with high levels of pyrethroid resistance. | long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets (llins) are a primary malaria prevention strategy in sub-saharan africa. however, emergence of insecticide resistance threatens the effectiveness of llins. | 2013 | 24156715 |
| reliability of school surveys in estimating geographic variation in malaria transmission in the western kenyan highlands. | school surveys provide an operational approach to assess malaria transmission through parasite prevalence. there is limited evidence on the comparability of prevalence estimates obtained from school and community surveys carried out at the same locality. | 2013 | 24143250 |
| projected impacts of climate change on environmental suitability for malaria transmission in west africa. | climate change is expected to affect the distribution of environmental suitability for malaria transmission by altering temperature and rainfall patterns; however, the local and global impacts of climate change on malaria transmission are uncertain. | 2013 | 24043443 |
| needs for monitoring mosquito transmission of malaria in a pre-elimination world. | as global efforts to eliminate malaria intensify, accurate information on vector populations and transmission dynamics is critical for directing control efforts, developing new control tools, and predicting the effects of these interventions under various conditions. currently available sampling tools for mosquito population monitoring suffer from well-recognized limitations. as reported in this workshop summary, a recent gathering of medical entomologists, modelers, and malaria experts reviewed ... | 2013 | 24277786 |
| synergist bioassays: a simple method for initial metabolic resistance investigation of field anopheles gambiae s.l. populations. | metabolic resistance and the potential role of permeability-glycoprotein (p-gp) efflux pumps were investigated in a pyrethroid-resistant wild anopheles gambiae s.l. tiassalé population, using who susceptibility assays with deltamethrin (0.05%), with and without pre-exposure to synergists. the synergists used included an inhibitor of p-glycoprotein efflux pumps (verapamil), an inhibitor of esterases (en 16-5), and an inhibitor of p450s and esterases (piperonyl butoxide). pre-exposure to verapamil ... | 2013 | 24191946 |
| blood feeding induces hemocyte proliferation and activation in the african malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae giles. | malaria is a global public health problem, especially in sub-saharan africa, where the mosquito anopheles gambiae giles serves as the major vector for the protozoan plasmodium falciparum welch. one determinant of malaria vector competence is the mosquito's immune system. hemocytes are a critical component as they produce soluble immune factors that either support or prevent malaria parasite development. however, despite their importance in vector competence, understanding of their basic biology ... | 2013 | 24363411 |
| the clip-domain serine protease homolog spclip1 regulates complement recruitment to microbial surfaces in the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae. | the complement c3-like protein tep1 of the mosquito anopheles gambiae is required for defense against malaria parasites and bacteria. two forms of tep1 are present in the mosquito hemolymph, the full-length tep1-f and the proteolytically processed tep1(cut) that is part of a complex including the leucine-rich repeat proteins lrim1 and apl1c. here we show that the non-catalytic serine protease spclip1 is a key regulator of the complement-like pathway. spclip1 is required for accumulation of tep1 ... | 2013 | 24039584 |
| community-wide distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets can halt transmission of lymphatic filariasis in southeastern nigeria. | lymphatic filariasis (lf) in rural southeastern nigeria is transmitted mainly by anopheles spp. mosquitoes. potential coinfection with loa loa in this area has prevented use of ivermectin in the mass drug administration (mda) strategy for lf elimination because of potential severe adverse l. loa-related reactions. this study determined if long-lasting insecticidal net (llin) distribution programs for malaria would interrupt lf transmission in such areas, without need for mda. monthly entomologic ... | 2013 | 23939708 |
| insulin receptor-like ectodomain genes and splice variants are found in both arthropods and human brain cdna. | truncated receptor ectodomains have been described for several classes of cell surface receptors, including those that bind to growth factors, cytokines, immunoglobulins, and adhesion molecules. soluble receptor isoforms are typically generated by proteolytic cleavage of the cell surface receptor or by alternative splicing of rna transcripts arising from the same gene encoding the full-length receptor. both the epidermal growth factor receptor (egfr) and the insulin receptor (insr) families prod ... | 2013 | 27375681 |
| transcriptome deep-sequencing and clustering of expressed isoforms from favia corals. | genomic and transcriptomic sequence data are essential tools for tackling ecological problems. using an approach that combines next-generation sequencing, de novo transcriptome assembly, gene annotation and synthetic gene construction, we identify and cluster the protein families from favia corals from the northern red sea. | 2013 | 23937070 |
| inter-epidemic transmission of rift valley fever in livestock in the kilombero river valley, tanzania: a cross-sectional survey. | in recent years, evidence of rift valley fever (rvf) transmission during inter-epidemic periods in parts of africa has increasingly been reported. the inter-epidemic transmissions generally pass undetected where there is no surveillance in the livestock or human populations. we studied the presence of and the determinants for inter-epidemic rvf transmission in an area experiencing annual flooding in southern tanzania. | 2013 | 23951376 |
| a sticky situation: the unexpected stability of malaria elimination. | malaria eradication involves eliminating malaria from every country where transmission occurs. current theory suggests that the post-elimination challenges of remaining malaria-free by stopping transmission from imported malaria will have onerous operational and financial requirements. although resurgent malaria has occurred in a majority of countries that tried but failed to eliminate malaria, a review of resurgence in countries that successfully eliminated finds only four such failures out of ... | 2013 | 23798693 |
| preventive chemotherapy as a strategy for elimination of neglected tropical parasitic diseases: endgame challenges. | global efforts to address neglected tropical diseases (ntds) were stimulated in january 2012 by the london declaration at which 22 partners, including the bill & melinda gates foundation, world bank, world health organization (who) and major pharmaceutical companies committed to sustaining and expanding ntd programmes to eliminate or eradicate 11 ntds by 2020 to achieve the goals outlined in the recently published who road map. here, we present the current context of preventive chemotherapy for ... | 2013 | 23798692 |
| modest additive effects of integrated vector control measures on malaria prevalence and transmission in western kenya. | the effect of integrating vector larval intervention on malaria transmission is unknown when insecticide-treated bed-net (itn) coverage is very high, and the optimal indicator for intervention evaluation needs to be determined when transmission is low. | 2013 | 23870708 |
| identification and expression profile analysis of odorant binding proteins in the oriental fruit fly bactrocera dorsalis. | olfaction is crucial in many insects for critical behaviors, including those regulating survival and reproduction. insect odorant-binding proteins (obps) function in the first step of the olfactory system and play an essential role in the perception of odorants, such as pheromones and host chemicals. the oriental fruit fly, bactrocera dorsalis, is a destructive fruit-eating pest, due to its wide host range of up to 250 different types of fruits and vegetables, and this fly causes severe economic ... | 2013 | 23867609 |
| non-ltr retrotransposons and microsatellites: partners in genomic variation. | the human genome is laden with both non-ltr (long-terminal repeat) retrotransposons and microsatellite repeats. both types of sequences are able to, either actively or passively, mutagenize the genomes of human individuals and are therefore poised to dynamically alter the human genomic landscape across generations. non-ltr retrotransposons, such as l1 and alu, are a major source of new microsatellites, which are born both concurrently and subsequently to l1 and alu integration into the genome. l ... | 2013 | 24195012 |
| inland valley rice production systems and malaria infection and disease in the forest region of western côte d'ivoire. | this study aimed to determine the epidemiological impact of rice cultivation in inland valleys on malaria in the forest region of western côte d'ivoire. the importance of malaria was compared in terms of prevalence and parasite density of infections and also in terms of clinical malaria incidence between three agro-ecosystems: (i) uncultivated inland valleys, (r0), (ii) inland valleys with one annual rice cultivation in the rainy season, (r1) and (iii) developed inland valleys with two annual ri ... | 2013 | 23841911 |
| analysis of whitefly transcriptional responses to beauveria bassiana infection reveals new insights into insect-fungus interactions. | the fungal pathogen, beauveria bassiana, is an efficient biocontrol agent against a variety of agricultural pests. a thorough understanding of the basic principles of insect-fungus interactions may enable the genetic modification of beauveria bassiana to enhance its virulence. however, the molecular mechanism of insect response to beauveria bassiana infection is poorly understood, let alone the identification of fungal virulent factors involved in pathogenesis. | 2013 | 23861870 |
| changes in the burden of malaria following scale up of malaria control interventions in mutasa district, zimbabwe. | to better understand trends in the burden of malaria and their temporal relationship to control activities, a survey was conducted to assess reported cases of malaria and malaria control activities in mutasa district, zimbabwe. | 2013 | 23815862 |
| evidence for gene duplication in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene of aedes aegypti. | mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene (nav), known as kdr mutations, are associated with pyrethroid and ddt insecticide resistance in a number of species. in the mosquito dengue vector aedes aegypti, besides kdr, other polymorphisms allowed grouping aanav sequences as type 'a' or 'b'. here, we point a series of evidences that these polymorphisms are actually involved in a gene duplication event. | 2013 | 24481195 |