| experimental transmission of chikungunya virus by anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. | the ades aegypti mosquito has been considered the principal vector of chikungunya (chik) virus. as chik epidemics usually occur in urban regions and anopheles stephensi is another highly endophilic and anthropophilic mosquito, there is a very high probability of this mosquito to feed on chik virus-infected patients, to pick up and transmit the virus. therefore the present study was conducted to test the chik virus transmission capability for the a. stephensi mosquito. the obtained results showed ... | 2003 | 12828344 |
| in vitro activities of 25 quinolones and fluoroquinolones against liver and blood stage plasmodium spp. | the in vitro activities of 25 quinolones and fluoroquinolones against erythrocytic stages of plasmodium falciparum and against liver stages of plasmodium yoelii yoelii and p. falciparum were studied. all compounds were inhibitory for chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant p. falciparum grown in red blood cells. this inhibitory effect increased with prolonged incubation and according to the logarithm of the drug concentration. grepafloxacin, trovafloxacin, and ciprofloxacin were the most ... | 2003 | 12878530 |
| the influence of malaria parasite genetic diversity and anaemia on mosquito feeding and fecundity. | studies of invertebrate-parasite interactions frequently report that infection reduces host fecundity. the extent of the reduction is likely to be determined by a wide range of host and parasite factors. we conducted a laboratory experiment to evaluate the role of parasite genetics and infection genetic diversity on the fecundity of mosquitoes carrying malaria parasites. the malaria vector anopheles stephensi was infected with either of 2 different genotypes of the rodent malaria parasite plasmo ... | 2003 | 12885184 |
| stable and heritable gene silencing in the malaria vector anopheles stephensi. | heritable rna interference (rnai), triggered from stably expressed transgenes with an inverted repeat (ir) configuration, is an important tool for reverse genetic studies. here we report on the development of stable rnai in anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, the major vector of human malaria in asia. trans genic mosquitoes stably expressing a rnai transgene, designed to produce intron-spliced double-stranded rna (dsrna) targeting the green fluorescent protein egfp gene, were crossed to an egfp-expr ... | 2003 | 12888537 |
| the dynamics of interactions between plasmodium and the mosquito: a study of the infectivity of plasmodium berghei and plasmodium gallinaceum, and their transmission by anopheles stephensi, anopheles gambiae and aedes aegypti. | knowledge of parasite-mosquito interactions is essential to develop strategies that will reduce malaria transmission through the mosquito vector. in this study we investigated the development of two model malaria parasites, plasmodium berghei and plasmodium gallinaceum, in three mosquito species anopheles stephensi, anopheles gambiae and aedes aegypti. new methods to study gamete production in vivo in combination with gfp-expressing ookinetes were employed to measure the large losses incurred by ... | 2003 | 12906877 |
| the histone-like c-terminal extension in ribosomal protein s6 in aedes and anopheles mosquitoes is encoded within the distal portion of exon 3. | in eukaryotic cells, ribosomal protein s6 (rps6) is the major phosphorylated protein on the small ribosomal subunit. in the mosquitoes aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus, the cdna encoding rps6 contains 300 additional nucleotides, relative to the drosophila homolog. the additional sequence encodes a 100-amino acid, lysine-rich c-terminal extension of the rps6 protein with 42-49% identity to histone h1 proteins from the chicken and other multicellular organisms. using mass spectrometry we now sho ... | 2003 | 12915181 |
| attempted mechanical transmission of lumpy skin disease virus by biting insects. | the mosquitoes anopheles stephensi liston and culex quinquefasciatus say (diptera: culicidae), the stable fly stomoxys calcitrans linnaeus (diptera: muscidae) and the biting midge culicoides nubeculosus meigen (diptera: ceratopogonidae) were allowed to feed on either lumpy skin disease (lsd) infected animals or through a membrane on a bloodmeal containing lumpy skin disease virus (lsdv). these arthropods were then allowed to refeed on susceptible cattle at various intervals after the infective f ... | 2003 | 12941014 |
| synthesis and repellent efficacy of a new chiral piperidine analog: comparison with deet and bayrepel activity in human-volunteer laboratory assays against aedes aegypti and anopheles stephensi. | optically active (1s,2's)-2-methylpiperidinyl-3-cyclohexen-1-carboxamide (ss220) is a new synthetic arthropod repellent. a three-step synthesis based on a chiral diels-alder reaction and diastereomeric resolution of 2-methylpiperidine was developed to prepare the compound. quantitative laboratory assays using human volunteers compared the effectiveness of ss220 with the commonly used repellents deet and bayrepel against aedes aegypti (linnaeus) and anopheles stephensi liston mosquitoes. in two e ... | 2003 | 12943107 |
| the energetic budget of anopheles stephensi infected with plasmodium chabaudi: is energy depletion a mechanism for virulence? | evidence continues to accumulate showing that the malaria parasites (plasmodium spp.) reduce the survival and fecundity of their mosquito vectors (anopheles spp.). our ability to identify the possible epidemiological and evolutionary consequences of these parasite-induced fitness reductions has been hampered by a poor understanding of the physiological basis of these shifts. here, we explore whether the reductions in fecundity and longevity are the result of a parasite-mediated depletion or real ... | 2003 | 12965027 |
| role of wastewater irrigation in mosquito breeding in south punjab, pakistan. | mosquito breeding within the wastewater irrigation system around the town of haroonabad in the southern punjab, pakistan, was studied from july to september 2000 as part of a wider study of the costs and benefits of wastewater use in agriculture. the objective of this study was to assess the vector-borne human disease risks associated with mosquito species utilizing wastewater for breeding. mosquito larvae were collected on a fortnightly basis from components of the wastewater disposal system an ... | 2003 | 12971517 |
| [experimental transmission of myxomatosis into rabbits by anopheles maculipennis atroparvus and anopheles stephensi]. | | 1954 | 13229028 |
| comparative experimental infections in anopheles fluviatilis and anopheles stephensi (type) with plasmodium falciparum welch, 1897. | | 1955 | 13262833 |
| transmission of plasmodium knowlesi by anopheles stephensi. | | 1957 | 13467998 |
| partial inhibitory effect of plistophora culicis on the sporogonic cycle of plasmodium cynomolgi in anopheles stephensi. | | 1958 | 13504228 |
| novel fermentation media for production of bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis. | the production of bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (debarjac) (bti) as a biopesticide is not cost-effective using existing fermentation technology. in this study, we explored the use of several less expensive alternative culture media (potato, common sugar, and bengal gram) for the growth and production of bti. growth was obtained in all tested media and was comparable to that obtained in conventional medium (luria-bertani). toxicity assays showed that the toxin produced from the novel ... | 2003 | 14503573 |
| induction of protective immunity against malaria by priming-boosting immunization with recombinant cold-adapted influenza and modified vaccinia ankara viruses expressing a cd8+-t-cell epitope derived from the circumsporozoite protein of plasmodium yoelii. | we immunized mice with an attenuated (cold-adapted) influenza virus followed by an attenuated vaccinia virus (modified vaccinia virus ankara), both expressing a cd8(+)-t-cell epitope derived from malaria sporozoites. this vaccination regimen elicited high levels of protection against malaria. this is the first time that the vaccine efficacy of a recombinant cold-adapted influenza virus vector expressing a foreign antigen has been evaluated. | 2003 | 14557672 |
| infection of malaria (anopheles gambiae s.s.) and filariasis (culex quinquefasciatus) vectors with the entomopathogenic fungus metarhizium anisopliae. | current intra-domiciliary vector control depends on the application of residual insecticides and/or repellents. although biological control agents have been developed against aquatic mosquito stages, none are available for adults. following successful use of an entomopathogenic fungus against tsetse flies (diptera: glossinidae) we investigated the potency of this fungus as a biological control agent for adult malaria and filariasis vector mosquitoes. | 2003 | 14565851 |
| sites of interaction between aldolase and thrombospondin-related anonymous protein in plasmodium. | gliding motility and host cell invasion by apicomplexan parasites are empowered by an acto-myosin motor located underneath the parasite plasma membrane. the motor is connected to host cell receptors through trans-membrane invasins belonging to the thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (trap) family. a recent study indicates that aldolase bridges the cytoplasmic tail of mic2, the homologous trap protein in toxoplasma, and actin. here, we confirm these unexpected findings in plasmodium sporozoi ... | 2003 | 14595113 |
| analysis of the plasmodium and anopheles transcriptomes during oocyst differentiation. | understanding the life cycle of the malaria parasite in its mosquito vector is essential for developing new strategies to combat this disease. subtractive hybridization cdna libraries were constructed that are enriched for plasmodium berghei and anopheles stephensi genes expressed during oocyst differentiation on the midgut. sequencing of 1485 random clones led to the identification of 1137 unique expressed sequence tags. of the 608 expressed sequence tags with data base hits, 320 (53%) had sign ... | 2004 | 14627711 |
| analysis of the plasmodium and anopheles transcriptional repertoire during ookinete development and midgut invasion. | plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, has to undergo sexual differentiation and development in anopheline mosquitoes for transmission to occur. to isolate genes specifically induced in both organisms during the early stages of plasmodium differentiation in the mosquito, two cdna libraries were constructed, one enriched for sequences expressed in differentiating plasmodium berghei ookinetes and another enriched for sequences expressed in anopheles stephensi guts containing invading ookinete ... | 2004 | 14627712 |
| monoclonal antibody mg96 completely blocks plasmodium yoelii development in anopheles stephensi. | in spite of research efforts to develop vaccines against the causative agent of human malaria, plasmodium falciparum, effective control remains elusive. the predominant vaccine strategy focuses on targeting parasite blood stages in the vertebrate host. an alternative approach has been the development of transmission-blocking vaccines (tbvs). tbvs target antigens on parasite sexual stages that persist within the insect vector, anopheline mosquitoes, or target mosquito midgut proteins that are pre ... | 2003 | 14638789 |
| cry29a and cry30a: two novel delta-endotoxins isolated from bacillus thuringiensis serovar medellin. | two novel crystal protein genes from a highly mosquitocidal bacillus thuringiensis serovar medellin strain were cloned and sequenced. the corresponding proteins, cry29a and cry30a, were nontoxic when tested individually against the mosquito species bioassayed (aedes aegypti, culex pipiens and anopheles stephensi). however, cry29a synergized the toxicity of cry11bb against aedes aegypti by a four-fold factor. | 2003 | 14666976 |
| effects of mating on oogenesis induced by amino acid infusion, amino acid feeding, or blood feeding in the mosquito anopheles stephensi (diptera: culicidae). | hemocoel infusion of an amino acid mixture at a concentration of 7.5% and 10% (wt:vol) for 24 h rarely activated ovarian development in either mated or unmated females of anopheles stephensi liston. infusion of either concentration mixture for 48 h into unmated females was also scarcely stimulatory, but the same 48 h infusion into mated females resulted in ovarian maturation in 25% (7.5% mixture) or in 78% (10% mixture) of the infused specimens. similarly, feeding on an amino acid mixture (7.5%) ... | 2003 | 14680108 |
| induction of plasmodium falciparum transmission-blocking antibodies in nonhuman primates by a combination of dna and protein immunizations. | malaria transmission-blocking vaccination can effectively reduce and/or eliminate transmission of parasites from the human host to the mosquito vector. the immunity achieved by inducing an antibody response to surface antigens of male and female gametes and parasite stages in the mosquito. our laboratory has developed dna vaccine constructs, based on pfs25 (a plasmodium falciparum surface protein of 25 kda), that induce a transmission-blocking immune response in mice (c. a. lobo, r. dhar, and n. ... | 2004 | 14688103 |
| mice deficient in interleukin-4 (il-4) or il-4 receptor alpha have higher resistance to sporozoite infection with plasmodium berghei (anka) than do naive wild-type mice. | balb/c interleukin-4 (il-4(-/-)) or il-4 receptor-alpha (il-4ralpha(-/-)) knockout (ko) mice were used to assess the roles of the il-4 and il-13 pathways during infections with the blood or liver stages of plasmodium in murine malaria. intraperitoneal infection with the blood-stage erythrocytes of plasmodium berghei (anka) resulted in 100% mortality within 24 days in balb/c mice, as well as in the mutant mouse strains. however, when infected intravenously with the sporozoite liver stage, 60 to 8 ... | 2004 | 14688111 |
| effect of cpg oligodeoxynucleotides on the immunogenicity of pfs25, a plasmodium falciparum transmission-blocking vaccine antigen. | antibodies directed against pfs25, a protein present on the surface of zygotes and ookinetes of plasmodium falciparum, completely block pathogen transmission. we evaluated the immunomodulatory effect of cpg oligodeoxynucleotides (odn) on the immunogenicity of recombinant pfs25 (rpfs25) formulated in alum (al). immunization of mice with rpfs25 plus cpg odn improved both the antibody titer (a 30-fold-higher antibody response than that with rpfs25-al alone) and avidity. coadministration of cpg odn ... | 2004 | 14688140 |
| assessing fitness costs for transgenic aedes aegypti expressing the gfp marker and transposase genes. | the development of transgenic mosquitoes that are refractory to the transmission of human diseases such as malaria, dengue, and yellow fever has received much interest due to the ability to transform a number of vector mosquito species with transposable elements. transgenic strains of mosquitoes have been generated with molecular techniques that exhibit a reduced capacity to transmit pathogens. these advancements have led to questions regarding the fitness of transgenic mosquitoes and the abilit ... | 2004 | 14711992 |
| a review of the emergence of plasmodium falciparum-dominated malaria in irrigated areas of the thar desert, india. | recently, there has been a resurgence of malaria in several parts of india, and the thar desert in north-western india, is currently suffering from the impact of repeated annual epidemics. nearly all malaria epidemics in the thar desert have come about with the progression of canal-irrigation work, particularly the massive indira gandhi nahar pariyojana (ignp). therefore, the thar desert provides an excellent model for understanding the underlying factors responsible for the exacerbation of mala ... | 2004 | 14732244 |
| allomonal effect of breath contributes to differential attractiveness of humans to the african malaria vector anopheles gambiae. | background: removal of exhaled air from total body emanations or artificially standardising carbon dioxide (co2) outputs has previously been shown to eliminate differential attractiveness of humans to certain blackfly (simuliidae) and mosquito (culicidae) species. whether or not breath contributes to between-person differences in relative attractiveness to the highly anthropophilic malaria vector anopheles gambiae sensu stricto remains unknown and was the focus of the present study. methods: the ... | 2004 | 14748930 |
| mosquito mortality and the evolution of malaria virulence. | several laboratory studies of malaria parasites (plasmodium sp.) and some field observations suggest that parasite virulence, defined as the harm a parasite causes to its vertebrate host, is positively correlated with transmission. given this advantage, what limits the continual evolution of higher parasite virulence? one possibility is that while more virulent strains are more infectious, they are also more lethal to mosquitoes. in this study, we tested whether the virulence of the rodent malar ... | 2003 | 14761058 |
| spiracular indices in anopheles stephensi: a taxonomic tool to identify ecological variants. | thoracic spiracle length and its index was examined for their ability to discriminate two ecological variants, type form and mysorensis, of anopheles stephensi in the adult stage. the type form is exclusively domestic in all seasons, whereas the mysorensis variant occupies the outdoor niche during monsoon and postmonsoon seasons, with spillover into domestic sites during summer ecological stress periods. a statistically significant co-relation was established between the ridge count of the egg a ... | 2003 | 14765648 |
| deet mosquito repellent sold through social marketing provides personal protection against malaria in an area of all-night mosquito biting and partial coverage of insecticide-treated nets: a case-control study of effectiveness. | deet (diethyl-3-methylbenzamide), the widely used mosquito repellent, has the potential to prevent malarial infection but hitherto there has been no study demonstrating this possibility during normal everyday use. mosbar, a repellent soap containing deet, was promoted through social marketing in villages in eastern afghanistan. this was followed up with a case-control study of effectiveness against malarial infection conducted through local clinics. mosbar was purchased by 43% of households. rep ... | 2004 | 14996363 |
| reconstruction of bacillus thuringiensis ssp. israelensis cry11a endotoxin from fragments corresponding to its n- and c-moieties restores its original biological activity. | subtilisin hydrolyzes cry11a endotoxin (of 70 kd) produced by bacillus thuringiensis ssp. israelensis to fragments of 33- and 36-kd, which correspond to n- and c-terminal halves of the endotoxin molecule. thermitase (a serine protease from thermoactinomyces vulgaris) and insect gut proteases from diptera and lepidoptera exhibit the same hydrolytic effect on cry11a. hydrolyzates maintain high toxicity with respect to larvae of aedes aegypti, anopheles stephensi, and culex pipiens. the 33- and 36- ... | 2004 | 15000685 |
| isonicotinic acid hydrazide: an anti-tuberculosis drug inhibits malarial transmission in the mosquito gut. | we studied the transmission-blocking effect of isonicotinic acid hydrazide (inh), a widely used anti-tuberculosis drug, against plasmodium gallinaceum and plasmodium berghei. inh-treatment of infected animals did not inhibit parasite development in the blood of the vertebrate host, but did inhibit exflagellation, ookinete formation, and oocyst development in the mosquito. oocyst development was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. the ed(50) in the p. gallinaceum/chicken/aedes aegypti model and ... | 2004 | 15013786 |
| fitness of anopheline mosquitoes expressing transgenes that inhibit plasmodium development. | one potential strategy for the control of malaria and other vector-borne diseases is the introduction into wild vector populations of genetic constructs that reduce vectorial capacity. an important caveat of this approach is that the genetic construct should have minimal fitness cost to the transformed vector. previously, we produced transgenic anopheles stephensi expressing either of two effector genes, a tetramer of the sm1 dodecapeptide or the phospholipase a2 gene (pla2) from honeybee venom. ... | 2004 | 15082552 |
| comparative study of brain cd8+ t cells induced by sporozoites and those induced by blood-stage plasmodium berghei anka involved in the development of cerebral malaria. | to obtain insight into the mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of plasmodium infections, we developed an improved rodent model that mimics human malaria closely by inducing cerebral malaria (cm) through sporozoite infection. we used this model to carry out a detailed study on isolated t cells recruited from the brains of mice during the development of cm. we compared several aspects of the immune response related to the experimental model of plasmodium berghei anka infection induced b ... | 2004 | 15102792 |
| [assay of haemolymph protein concentration in anopheles stephensi]. | to ascertain the changes of haemolymph protein concentration in adult anopheles stephensi mosquitoes under different feeding conditions. | 2003 | 15108524 |
| interrupting malaria transmission by genetic manipulation of anopheline mosquitoes. | malaria ranks among the deadliest infectious diseases that kills more than one million persons every year. the mosquito is an obligatory vector for malaria transmission. in the mosquito, plasmodium undergoes a complex series of developmental events that includes transformation into several distinct morphological forms and the crossing of two different epithelia--midgut and salivary gland. circumstantial evidence suggests that crossing of the epithelia requires specific interactions between plasm ... | 2003 | 15119075 |
| malaria vectors in the changing environment of the southern punjab, pakistan. | the pakistani punjab experienced several devastating malaria epidemics during the twentieth century. since the 1980s, however, malaria has been at a low ebb, while in other areas of pakistan and neighbouring india malaria is on the increase. this raises the question of whether transmission in the pakistani punjab may have been influenced by a change in vector species abundance or composition, possibly induced by environmental changes. to investigate this question, routinely-collected government ... | 2004 | 15138083 |
| mosquito appetite for blood is stimulated by plasmodium chabaudi infections in themselves and their vertebrate hosts. | arthropod vectors of disease may encounter more than one infected host during the course of their lifetime. the consequences of super-infection to parasite development are rarely investigated, but may have substantial epidemiological and evolutionary consequences. | 2004 | 15151700 |
| antibodies against maebl ligand domains m1 and m2 inhibit sporozoite development in vitro. | maebl is a type 1 membrane protein that is implicated in the merozoite invasion of erythrocytes and sporozoite invasion of mosquito salivary glands. this apical organelle protein is structurally similar to the ebl erythrocyte binding proteins, such as eba-175, except that the tandem ligand domains of maebl are similar to part of the extracellular domain of apical membrane antigen 1 and not the duffy binding-like domain. although midgut and salivary gland sporozoites are morphologically similar, ... | 2004 | 15155670 |
| characterization of the first non-insect invertebrate functional angiotensin-converting enzyme (ace): leech ttace resembles the n-domain of mammalian ace. | angiotensin-converting enzyme (ace) is a zinc metallopeptidase that plays a major role in blood homoeostasis and reproduction in mammals. in vertebrates, both transmembrane and soluble ace, containing one or two homologous active sites, have been characterized. so far, several aces from invertebrates have been cloned, but only in insects. they are soluble and display a single active site. using biochemical procedures, an ace-like activity was detected in our model, the leech, theromyzon tessulat ... | 2004 | 15175004 |
| enhancement of cry19aa mosquitocidal activity against aedes aegypti by mutations in the putative loop regions of domain ii. | improvements in the mosquitocidal activity of bacillus thuringiensis cry19aa were achieved by protein engineering of putative surface loop residues in domain ii through rational design. the improvement of aedes toxicity in cry19aa was 42,000-fold and did not affect its toxicity against anopheles or culex. | 2004 | 15184189 |
| imaging movement of malaria parasites during transmission by anopheles mosquitoes. | malaria is contracted when plasmodium sporozoites are inoculated into the vertebrate host during the blood meal of a mosquito. in infected mosquitoes, sporozoites are present in large numbers in the secretory cavities of the salivary glands at the most distal site of the salivary system. however, how sporozoites move through the salivary system of the mosquito, both in resting and feeding mosquitoes, is unknown. here, we observed fluorescent plasmodium berghei sporozoites within live anopheles s ... | 2004 | 15186404 |
| adult anopheline ecology and malaria transmission in irrigated areas of south punjab, pakistan. | surface irrigation in the punjab province of pakistan has been carried out on a large scale since the development of the indus basin irrigation system in the late 19th century. the objective of our study was to understand how the population dynamics of adult anopheline mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) could be related to malaria transmission in rural areas with intensive irrigation and a history of malaria epidemics. in this paper we present our observations from three villages located along an i ... | 2004 | 15189239 |
| a small peptide (cel-1000) derived from the beta-chain of the human major histocompatibility complex class ii molecule induces complete protection against malaria in an antigen-independent manner. | cel-1000 (dgqeekagvvstgliggg) is a novel potential preventative and therapeutic agent. we report that cel-1000 confers a high degree of protection against plasmodium sporozoite challenge in a murine model of malaria, as shown by the total absence of blood stage infection following challenge with 100 sporozoites (100% protection) and by a substantial reduction (400-fold) of liver stage parasite rna following challenge with 50,000 sporozoites. cel-1000 protection was demonstrated in a/j (h-2(a)) a ... | 2004 | 15215094 |
| a new module for quantitative evaluation of repellent efficacy using human subjects. | a new module for quantitative evaluation of arthropod repellents in human subjects was designed, constructed, and protocols for use of the module were developed. doses of 3 arthropod repellents, 1-[3-cyclohexen-1-ylcarbonyl] piperidine (ai3-35765), 1-[3-cyclohexen-1-ylcarbonyl]-2-methylpiperidine (ai3-37220), and n,n-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (deet), were evaluated using the mosquito, anopheles stephensi liston. biting responses to varied doses of the repellents on human skin were quantified, an ... | 2000 | 15218924 |
| immunity promotes virulence evolution in a malaria model. | evolutionary models predict that host immunity will shape the evolution of parasite virulence. while some assumptions of these models have been tested, the actual evolutionary outcome of immune selection on virulence has not. using the mouse malaria model, plasmodium chabaudi, we experimentally tested whether immune pressure promotes the evolution of more virulent pathogens by evolving parasite lines in immunized and nonimmunized ("naïve") mice using serial passage. we found that parasite lines ... | 2004 | 15221031 |
| fatal myositis due to the microsporidian brachiola algerae, a mosquito pathogen. | | 2004 | 15229306 |
| tents pre-treated with insecticide for malaria control in refugee camps: an entomological evaluation. | a refugee shelter that is treated with insecticide during manufacture would be useful for malaria control at the acute stage of an emergency, when logistic problems, poor co-ordination and insecurity limit the options for malaria control. | 2004 | 15253773 |
| immune haemolymph proteins in response to bacterial infection and identification of a putative bacteria binding protein in malaria vector anopheles stephensi. | induction of haemolymph proteins in mosquito a. stephensi due to wounding or bacterial infection (e. coli) was analyzed using sds-page. wounding response of pupa revealed subsequent induction of two polypeptides (21 and 74 kda). two other polypeptides (44 and 57 kda) were induced commonly in both pupa and adult female haemolymph upon bacterial infection. in vitro binding assay revealed identification of 44 kda, a putative bacterial binding protein, a more relevant protein for further elucidation ... | 2004 | 15260104 |
| the efficacy of inhibitors involved in spermidine metabolism in plasmodium falciparum, anopheles stephensi and trypanosoma evansi. | in the present study, we have tested the effect of different polyamine inhibitors of the spermidine metabolizing enzymes deoxyhypusine synthase and homospermidine synthase in different chloroquine resistant plasmodium falciparum strains, in the mosquito anopheles stephensi (diptera: culicidae) and in a trypanosoma evansi clone i from strain stib 806 k china. recent experiments have shown that agmatine is a growth inhibitor of the malaria parasite p. falciparum (kaiser et al. 2001) in vitro. a co ... | 2004 | 15278440 |
| molecular dissection of the human antibody response to the structural repeat epitope of plasmodium falciparum sporozoite from a protected donor. | the circumsporozoite surface protein is the primary target of human antibodies against plasmodium falciparum sporozoites, these antibodies are predominantly directed to the major repetitive epitope (asn-pro-asn-ala)n, (npna)n. in individuals immunized by the bites of irradiated anopheles mosquitoes carrying p. falciparum sporozoites in their salivary glands, the anti-repeat response dominates and is thought by many to play a role in protective immunity. | 2004 | 15283866 |
| transforming growth factor-betas and related gene products in mosquito vectors of human malaria parasites: signaling architecture for immunological crosstalk. | the participation of a divergent mosquito transforming growth factor-beta (tgf-beta) and mammalian tgf-beta1 in the anopheles stephensi response to malaria parasite development [infect. genet. evol. 1 (2001) 131-141; infect. immun. 71 (2003) 3000-3009] suggests that a network of anopheles tgf-beta ligands and signaling pathways figure prominently in immune defense of this important vector group. to provide a basis for identifying the roles of these proteins in anopheles innate immunity, we ident ... | 2004 | 15302159 |
| evaluation of pirimiphos-methyl (50% ec) against the immatures of anopheles stephensi/an. culicifacies (malaria vectors) and culex quinquefasciatus (vector of bancroftian filariasis). | in india, temephos and fenthion are used as larvicides in fresh and polluted waters. since use of same insecticide may precipitate resistant, as an alternative bioefficacy of pirimiphos-methyl--an organophosphorus insecticide was evaluated against immatures of anopheles and culex species in different breeding habitats in district ghaziabad (u.p.) and goa. | 2004 | 15332481 |
| laboratory and field evaluation of teknar hp-d, a biolarvicidal formulation of bacillus thuringiensis ssp. israelensis, against mosquito vectors. | larvicidal efficacy of teknar hp-d, an improved biolarvicidal formulation of bacillus thuringiensis ssp. israelensis (bti), against anopheles stephensi, culex quinquefasciatus and aedes aegypti was determined in the laboratory, and in field the efficacy of the formulation was tested against cx. quinquefasciatus breeding in cesspits, unused wells and drains. the toxicity of the formulation to gambusia affinis (larvivorous fish), notonecta sp. and diplonychus indicus (water bugs) was also evaluate ... | 2004 | 15350862 |
| competitive release of drug resistance following drug treatment of mixed plasmodium chabaudi infections. | malaria infections are often genetically diverse, potentially leading to competition between co-infecting strains. such competition is of key importance in the spread of drug resistance. | 2004 | 15367331 |
| inducible peroxidases mediate nitration of anopheles midgut cells undergoing apoptosis in response to plasmodium invasion. | plasmodium berghei invasion of anopheles stephensi midgut cells causes severe damage, induces expression of nitric-oxide synthase, and leads to apoptosis. the present study indicates that invasion results in tyrosine nitration, catalyzed as a two-step reaction in which nitric-oxide synthase induction is followed by increased peroxidase activity. ookinete invasion induced localized expression of peroxidase enzymes, which catalyzed protein nitration in vitro in the presence of nitrite and h(2)o(2) ... | 2004 | 15456781 |
| conditional mutagenesis using site-specific recombination in plasmodium berghei. | reverse genetics in plasmodium, the genus of parasites that cause malaria, still faces major limitations. only red blood cell stages of this haploid parasite can be transfected. consequently, the function of many essential genes in these and subsequent stages, including those encoding vaccine candidates, cannot be addressed genetically. here, we establish conditional mutagenesis in plasmodium by using site-specific recombination and the flp/frt system of yeast. site-specific recombination is ind ... | 2004 | 15465918 |
| conservation of capa peptide-induced nitric oxide signalling in diptera. | in d. melanogaster malpighian (renal) tubules, the capa peptides stimulate production of nitric oxide (no) and guanosine 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate (cgmp), resulting in increased fluid transport. the roles of no synthase (nos), no and cgmp in capa peptide signalling were tested in several other insect species of medical relevance within the diptera (aedes aegypti, anopheles stephensi and glossina morsitans) and in one orthopteran out-group, schistocerca gregaria. nos immunoreactivity was detect ... | 2004 | 15498959 |
| distinct trafficking and localization of stevor proteins in three stages of the plasmodium falciparum life cycle. | the genome of plasmodium falciparum harbors three extensive multigene families, var, rif, and stevor (for subtelomeric variable open reading frame), located mainly in the subtelomeric regions of the parasite's 14 chromosomes. stevor variants are known to be expressed in asexual parasites, but no function has as yet been ascribed to this protein family. we have examined the expression of stevor proteins in intraerythrocytic sexual stages, gametocytes, and extracellular sporozoites isolated from i ... | 2004 | 15501792 |
| molecular differentiation of colonized human malaria vectors by 28s ribosomal dna polymorphisms. | anopheles gambiae s.s. giles, an. stephensi liston, an. freeborni aitken, and an. quadrimaculatus say are cultured and studied in molecular genetic and transgenic laboratories with increasing frequency. with limited research space, these mosquitoes are often maintained in the same insectary. under these conditions, cross-contamination of colonies can occur and have devastating consequences to affected research programs. we have developed a polymerase chain reaction-based assay targeting the 28s ... | 2004 | 15516651 |
| essential role of membrane-attack protein in malarial transmission to mosquito host. | after ingestion of infected blood by a mosquito, malarial parasites are fertilized in the mosquito midgut and develop into motile ookinetes. these ookinetes invade epithelial cells by rupturing the cell membrane and migrate through the cytoplasm toward the basal lamina, on which they develop to oocysts. here we report that a microneme protein with a membrane-attack complex and perforin (macpf)-related domain, which we name membrane-attack ookinete protein (maop), is produced in the ookinete stag ... | 2004 | 15520375 |
| molecular characterization of brevibacillus laterosporus and its potential use in biological control. | thirty-three strains of brevibacillus laterosporus, including three novel strains isolated from brazilian soil samples, were examined for genetic variability by the use of different pcr-based methods. molecular markers that could characterize bacterial strains with regards to their pathogenic potential were investigated. in addition, toxicity was assessed by the use of insects belonging to the orders lepidoptera and coleoptera and the mollusk biomphalaria glabrata. among the targets tested, biom ... | 2004 | 15528531 |
| use of polymerase chain reaction technique to confirm vectest screening results in plasmodium falciparum and plasmodium vivax vk 210 laboratory-infected anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. | we evaluated polymerase chain reaction (pcr) to confirm immunoassays for malaria parasites in mosquito pools after a failure to detect malaria with pcr during an outbreak in which pools tested positive using vectest and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa). we combined vectest, elisa, and pcr to detect plasmodium falciparum and plasmodium vivax vk 210. each mosquito pool, prepared in triplicate, consisted of 1 exposed anopheles stephensi and up to 9 unfed mosquitoes. the results of vectest ... | 2004 | 15532925 |
| resting behavior and malaria vector incrimination of anopheles stephensi in goa, india. | malaria in goa, india, has been endemic ever since an outbreak occurred in 1986. anopheles stephensi liston has always been suspected as a malaria vector in this area. due to lack of knowledge on its resting behavior, sufficient adult females could not be collected and incriminated as vectors in the past. in this study mosquito collections were conducted in three endemic urban and suburban areas of goa. in well-built houses, 67 h of collections did not yield a single an. stephensi mosquito, alth ... | 2004 | 15532935 |
| a malaria membrane skeletal protein is essential for normal morphogenesis, motility, and infectivity of sporozoites. | membrane skeletons are structural elements that provide mechanical support to the plasma membrane and define cell shape. here, we identify and characterize a putative protein component of the membrane skeleton of the malaria parasite. the protein, named pbimc1a, is the structural orthologue of the toxoplasma gondii inner membrane complex protein 1 (tgimc1), a component of the membrane skeleton in tachyzoites. using targeted gene disruption in the rodent malaria species plasmodium berghei, we sho ... | 2004 | 15533999 |
| investigation of negative cross-resistance as a resistance-management tool for insecticide-treated nets. | resistance management for insecticide-treated nets (itns) remains a challenge. options are limited, because a safe and highly active insecticide with a persistence of several months is required. these criteria have only been met by pyrethroids, although organophosphates (ops) and carbamates have been considered as alternatives for impregnation of eave curtains. it has been observed that some pyrethroid-resistant mosquito strains show increased op susceptibility over pyrethroid-susceptible strain ... | 2004 | 15535623 |
| cross-talk between nitric oxide and transforming growth factor-beta1 in malaria. | malaria has re-emerged as a global health problem, leading to an increased focus on the cellular and molecular biology of the mosquito anopheles and the parasite plasmodium with the goal of identifying novel points of intervention in the parasite life cycle. anti-parasite defenses mounted by both mammalian hosts and anopheles can suppress the growth of plasmodium. nonetheless, the parasite is able to escape complete elimination in vivo, perhaps by thwarting or co-opting these mechanisms for its ... | 2004 | 15579025 |
| population genetic structure of anopheles gambiae mosquitoes on lake victoria islands, west kenya. | understanding the genetic structure of island anopheles gambiae populations is important for the current tactics in mosquito control and for the proposed strategy using genetically-modified mosquitoes (gmm). genetically-isolated mosquito populations on islands are a potential site for testing gmm. the objective of this study was to determine the genetic structure of a. gambiae populations on the islands in lake victoria, western kenya. | 2004 | 15581429 |
| the role of programmed cell death in plasmodium-mosquito interactions. | many host-parasite interactions are regulated in part by the programmed cell death of host cells or the parasite. here we review evidence suggesting that programmed cell death occurs during the early stages of the development of the malaria parasite in its vector. zygotes and ookinetes of plasmodium berghei have been shown to die by programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the midgut lumen of the vector anopheles stephensi, or whilst developing in vitro. several morphological markers, indicative of ... | 2004 | 15582523 |
| urbanization, malaria transmission and disease burden in africa. | many attempts have been made to quantify africa's malaria burden but none has addressed how urbanization will affect disease transmission and outcome, and therefore mortality and morbidity estimates. in 2003, 39% of africa's 850 million people lived in urban settings; by 2030, 54% of africans are expected to do so. we present the results of a series of entomological, parasitological and behavioural meta-analyses of studies that have investigated the effect of urbanization on malaria in africa. w ... | 2005 | 15608702 |
| the plasmodium circumsporozoite protein is proteolytically processed during cell invasion. | the circumsporozoite protein (csp) is the major surface protein of plasmodium sporozoites, the infective stage of malaria. although csp has been extensively studied as a malaria vaccine candidate, little is known about its structure. here, we show that csp is proteolytically cleaved by a papain family cysteine protease of parasite origin. our data suggest that the highly conserved region i, found just before the repeat region, contains the cleavage site. cleavage occurs on the sporozoite surface ... | 2005 | 15630135 |
| linkage group selection: rapid gene discovery in malaria parasites. | the identification of parasite genes controlling phenotypes such as drug resistance, virulence, immunogenicity, and transmission is vital to malaria research. classical genetic methods have achieved these goals only rarely and with difficulty. we describe here a novel genetic method, linkage group selection (lgs), which achieves rapid de novo location of genes encoding selectable phenotypes of malaria parasites. a phenotype-specific selection pressure is applied to the uncloned progeny of a gene ... | 2005 | 15632093 |
| a genetic approach to the de novo identification of targets of strain-specific immunity in malaria parasites. | vaccine research in malaria has a high priority. however, identification of specific antigens as candidates for vaccines against asexual blood stages of malaria parasites has been based on largely circumstantial evidence. we describe here how genes encoding target antigens of strain-specific immunity in malaria can be directly located in the parasite's genome without prior information concerning their identity, by the method we call linkage group selection. two genetically distinct clones of the ... | 2005 | 15640359 |
| plasmodium falciparum ookinete invasion of the midgut epithelium of anopheles stephensi is consistent with the time bomb model. | plasmodium falciparum gametocytes grown in vitro were fed through membrane feeders to laboratory-reared anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. intact midguts, including entire bloodmeal contents, were removed between 24 and 48 h post-bloodfeeding. giemsa-stained histological sections were prepared from the midguts and examined by light microscopy. contrary to previous reports, ookinetes were clearly visible within midgut epithelial cells, demonstrating intracellular migration across the midgut wall. oo ... | 2004 | 15648689 |
| gene expression patterns associated with blood-feeding in the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae. | blood feeding, or hematophagy, is a behavior exhibited by female mosquitoes required both for reproduction and for transmission of pathogens. we determined the expression patterns of 3,068 ests, representing ~2,000 unique gene transcripts using cdna microarrays in adult female anopheles gambiae at selected times during the first two days following blood ingestion, at 5 and 30 min during a 40 minute blood meal and at 0, 1, 3, 5, 12, 16, 24 and 48 hours after completion of the blood meal and compa ... | 2005 | 15651988 |
| quantitative genetics of vector competence for la crosse virus and body size in ochlerotatus hendersoni and ochlerotatus triseriatus interspecific hybrids. | la crosse virus is a leading cause of pediatric encephalitis in the united states. the mosquito ochlerotatus triseriatus is an efficient vector for la crosse virus, whereas the closely related o. hendersoni transmits only at very low rates. quantitative trait loci (qtl) affecting the ability to orally transmit this virus and adult body size were identified in 164 f(2) female individuals from interspecific crosses of o. hendersoni females and o. triseriatus males using a combination of composite ... | 2005 | 15654112 |
| yellow fever 17d as a vaccine vector for microbial ctl epitopes: protection in a rodent malaria model. | the yellow fever vaccine 17d (17d) is safe, and after a single immunizing dose, elicits long-lasting, perhaps lifelong protective immunity. one of the major challenges facing delivery of human vaccines in underdeveloped countries is the need for multiple injections to achieve full efficacy. to examine 17d as a vector for microbial t cell epitopes, we inserted the h-2k(d)-restricted ctl epitope of the circumsporozoite protein (cs) of plasmodium yoelii between 17d nonstructural proteins ns2b and n ... | 2005 | 15657290 |
| overexpression and altered nucleocytoplasmic distribution of anopheles ovalbumin-like srpn10 serpins in plasmodium-infected midgut cells. | the design of effective, vector-based malaria transmission blocking strategies relies on a thorough understanding of the molecular and cellular interactions that occur during the parasite sporogonic cycle in the mosquito. during plasmodium berghei invasion, transcription from the srpn10 locus, encoding four serine protease inhibitors of the ovalbumin family, is strongly induced in the mosquito midgut. herein we demonstrate that intense induction as well as redistribution of srpn10 occurs specifi ... | 2005 | 15659062 |
| invariant valpha14 chain nkt cells promote plasmodium berghei circumsporozoite protein-specific gamma interferon- and tumor necrosis factor alpha-producing cd8+ t cells in the liver after poxvirus vaccination of mice. | understanding the protective mechanism in the liver induced by recombinant vaccines against the pre-erythrocytic stages of malaria is important for vaccine development. most studies in mice have focused on splenic and peripheral blood t cells and identified gamma interferon (ifn-gamma)-producing cd8+ t cells as correlates of protection, which can be induced by prime-boost vaccination with recombinant poxviruses. invariant natural killer t (valpha14inkt) cells can also protect against liver stage ... | 2005 | 15664925 |
| an analysis of the microsporidian genus brachiola, with comparisons of human and insect isolates of brachiola algerae. | the genus brachiola is the newest microsporidian genus established for a human infection with the type species being b. vesicularum in skeletal muscle. subsequently, the microsporidium, nosema algerae, identified from mosquitoes, was added to this genus because of morphological and physiological similarities. the present report illustrates a confirmed case of brachiola algerae infecting skeletal muscle in a 56-year-old woman who was being treated for rheumatoid arthritis with immunosuppressive d ... | 2004 | 15666726 |
| pcr cloning of a histone h1 gene from anopheles stephensi mosquito cells: comparison of the protein sequence with histone h1-like, c-terminal extensions on mosquito ribosomal protein s6. | in aedes and anopheles mosquitoes, ribosomal protein rps6 has an unusual c-terminal extension that resembles histone h1 proteins. to explore homology between a mosquito h1 histone and the rps6 tail, we took advantage of the anopheles gambiae genome database to clone a histone h1 gene from an anopheles stephensi mosquito cell line. | 2005 | 15667661 |
| evaluation of the standard membrane feeding assay (smfa) for the determination of malaria transmission-reducing activity using empirical data. | host responses to the transmittable stages of the malaria parasite may reduce transmission effectively. transmission-reducing activity (tra) of human serum can be determined as a percentage, using the standard membrane feeding assay (smfa). this laboratory assay was evaluated using the results of 121 experiments with malaria-endemic sera among which many repeated measurements were obtained. the assay consists of the feeding of anopheles stephensi mosquitoes with cultured plasmodium falciparum ga ... | 2005 | 15700753 |
| do malaria ookinete surface proteins p25 and p28 mediate parasite entry into mosquito midgut epithelial cells? | p25 and p28 are related ookinete surface proteins highly conserved throughout the plasmodium genus that are under consideration as candidates for inclusion in transmission-blocking vaccines. previous research using transgenic rodent malaria parasites lacking p25 and p28 has demonstrated that these proteins have multiple partially redundant functions during parasite infection of the mosquito vector, including an undefined role in ookinete traversal of the mosquito midgut epithelium, and it has be ... | 2005 | 15733320 |
| midgut epithelial responses of different mosquito-plasmodium combinations: the actin cone zipper repair mechanism in aedes aegypti. | in vivo responses of midgut epithelial cells to ookinete invasion of three different vector-parasite combinations, aedes aegypti-plasmodium gallinaceum, anopheles stephensi-plasmodium berghei, and a. stephensi-p. gallinaceum, were directly compared by using enzymatic markers and immunofluorescence stainings. our studies indicate that, in a. aegypti and a. stephensi ookinetes traverse the midgut via an intracellular route and inflict irreversible damage to the invaded cells. these two mosquito sp ... | 2005 | 15753303 |
| clinical outcome of experimental human malaria induced by plasmodium falciparum-infected mosquitoes. | human experimental malaria infections have been safely carried out previously. the objective of this study was to evaluate infection rates and clinical safety of different protocols for human experimental malaria induced by plasmodium falciparum-infected mosquitoes. | 2005 | 15768480 |
| anopheles mosquito bites activate cutaneous mast cells leading to a local inflammatory response and lymph node hyperplasia. | when anopheles mosquitoes probe the skin for blood feeding, they inject saliva in dermal tissue. mosquito saliva is known to exert various biological activities, but its perception by the immune system and its role in parasite transmission remain poorly understood. in the present study, we report on the cellular changes occurring in the mouse skin and draining lymph nodes after a anopheles stephensi mosquito bite. we show that mosquito bites induce dermal mast cell degranulation, leading to flui ... | 2005 | 15778349 |
| enhanced t cell-mediated protection against malaria in human challenges by using the recombinant poxviruses fp9 and modified vaccinia virus ankara. | malaria is a major global health problem for which an effective vaccine is required urgently. prime-boost vaccination regimes involving plasmid dna and recombinant modified vaccinia virus ankara-encoding liver-stage malaria antigens have been shown to be powerfully immunogenic for t cells and capable of inducing partial protection against experimental malaria challenge in humans, manifested as a delay in time to patent parasitemia. here, we report that substitution of plasmid dna as the priming ... | 2005 | 15781866 |
| an anopheles gambiae salivary gland promoter analysis in drosophila melanogaster and anopheles stephensi. | regulatory regions driving gene expression in specific target organs of the african malaria vector anopheles gambiae are of critical relevance for studies on plasmodium-anopheles interactions as well as to devise strategies for blocking malaria parasite development in the mosquito. in order to identify an appropriate salivary gland promoter we analysed the transactivation properties of genomic fragments located just upstream of the an. gambiae female salivary gland-specific genes agapy and d7r4. ... | 2005 | 15796754 |
| host cell preference and variable transmission strategies in malaria parasites. | malaria and other haemosporin parasites must undergo a round of sexual reproduction in their insect vector in order to produce stages that can be transmitted to vertebrate hosts. consequently, it is crucial that parasites produce the sex ratio (proportion of male sexual stages) that will maximize the number of fertilization and thus, transmission to new vertebrate hosts. there is some evidence to show that, consistent with evolutionary theory, the sex ratios of malaria parasites are negatively c ... | 2005 | 15799947 |
| persistence and wash-resistance of insecticidal efficacy of nettings treated with deltamethrin tablet formulation (k-o tab) against malaria vectors. | persistence, wash-resistance, and shelf life of mosquito nets treated with a water-dispersible tablet formulation of synthetic pyrethroid insecticide deltamethrin (k-o tab) at 25 mg/m2 was evaluated against malaria vectors in india. during june 2001, treated and untreated polyester, nylon, and cotton nets were separately distributed in 3 villages and cone bioassays were performed on anopheles culicifacies and an. stephensi 1 day after treatment and thereafter every month for 12 months. the mosqu ... | 2005 | 15825762 |
| a new in vitro bioassay system for discovery of novel human-use mosquito repellents. | a klun & debboun (k&d) test module, previously developed and used for quantitative measurement of the efficacy of mosquito repellents on human volunteers, was adapted for in vitro evaluation of repellents by coupling the module with a membrane-blood reservoir. performance of deet, bayrepel, and ss-220 insect repellents in the new in vitro system was compared with their performance on humans against mosquitoes using our standard in vivo system. for each compound, in vitro dose-response assays wer ... | 2005 | 15825764 |
| motility and infectivity of plasmodium berghei sporozoites expressing avian plasmodium gallinaceum circumsporozoite protein. | avian and rodent malaria sporozoites selectively invade different vertebrate cell types, namely macrophages and hepatocytes, and develop in distantly related vector species. to investigate the role of the circumsporozoite (cs) protein in determining parasite survival in different vector species and vertebrate host cell types, we replaced the endogenous cs protein gene of the rodent malaria parasite plasmodium berghei with that of the avian parasite p. gallinaceum and control rodent parasite p. y ... | 2005 | 15839899 |
| induction of nitric oxide synthase in anopheles stephensi by plasmodium falciparum: mechanism of signaling and the role of parasite glycosylphosphatidylinositols. | malaria parasite (plasmodium spp.) infection in the mosquito anopheles stephensi induces significant expression of a. stephensi nitric oxide synthase (asnos) in the midgut epithelium as early as 6 h postinfection and intermittently thereafter. this induction results in the synthesis of inflammatory levels of nitric oxide (no) in the blood-filled midgut that adversely impact parasite development. in mammals, p. falciparum glycosylphosphatidylinositols (pfgpis) can induce nos expression in immune ... | 2005 | 15845481 |
| boosting of dna vaccine-elicited gamma interferon responses in humans by exposure to malaria parasites. | a mixture of dna plasmids expressing five plasmodium falciparum pre-erythrocyte-stage antigens was administered with or without a dna plasmid encoding human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (hgm-csf) as an immune enhancer. after dna immunization, antigen-specific gamma interferon (ifn-gamma) responses were detected by elispot in 15/31 volunteers to multiple class i- and/or class ii-restricted t-cell epitopes derived from all five antigens. responses to multiple epitopes (</=7) we ... | 2005 | 15845492 |
| comparative susceptibility of three important malaria vectors anopheles stephensi, anopheles fluviatilis, and anopheles sundaicus to plasmodium vivax. | the 3 laboratory-colonized malaria vectors, i.e., anopheles stephensi, an. sundaicus, and an. fluviatilis, were studied for their comparative susceptibility to plasmodium vivax sporogony. there was no significant difference in oocyst and sporozoite recruitment by these 3 species, whereas the geometric mean (gm) of the oocyst number per midgut was significantly lower in an. fluviatilis as compared with that in the other 2 species. there was no difference in the gm of oocyst between an. stephensi ... | 2005 | 15856876 |
| entomopathogenic fungi for mosquito control: a review. | fungal diseases in insects are common and widespread and can decimate their populations in spectacular epizootics. virtually all insect orders are susceptible to fungal diseases, including dipterans. fungal pathogens such as lagenidium, coelomomyces and culicinomyces are known to affect mosquito populations, and have been studied extensively. there are, however, many other fungi that infect and kill mosquitoes at the larval and/or adult stage. the discovery, in 1977, of the selective mosquito-pa ... | 2004 | 15861235 |
| influence of age and previous diet of anopheles gambiae on the infectivity of natural plasmodium falciparum gametocytes from human volunteers. | the effect of age and dietary factors of anopheles gambiae (diptera: culicidae) on the infectivity of natural plasmodium falciparum parasites was studied. mosquitoes of various ages (1-3, 4-7 and 8-11 day old) and those fed blood (either single or double meals) and sugar meals were experimentally co-infected with p. falciparum gametocytes obtained from different naturally infected human volunteers. on day 7, midguts were examined for oocyst infection to determine whether mosquito age or diets ha ... | 2004 | 15861248 |
| a mitogen-activated protein kinase regulates male gametogenesis and transmission of the malaria parasite plasmodium berghei. | differentiation of malaria parasites into sexual forms (gametocytes) in the vertebrate host and their subsequent development into gametes in the mosquito vector are crucial steps in the completion of the parasite's life cycle and transmission of the disease. the molecular mechanisms that regulate the sexual cycle are poorly understood. although several signal transduction pathways have been implicated, a clear understanding of the pathways involved has yet to emerge. here, we show that a plasmod ... | 2005 | 15864297 |