Publications

mosquito larvae can detect water vibration patterns from a nearby predator.	mosquito larvae have been shown to respond to water-borne kairomones from nearby predators by reducing their activity, and thus visibility. if they can identify the predator, they can then alter their response depending upon the associated predation risk. no studies have shown that mosquito larva may also detect water-borne vibrations from the predator. final instar larvae of three mosquitoes: culiseta longiareolata, culex perexiguus and c. quinquefasciatus, were exposed to recorded vibrations f ...	2017	28065189
species composition, co-occurrence, association and affinity indices of mosquito larvae (diptera: culicidae) in mazandaran province, northern iran.	although considerable progress has been made in the past years in management of mosquito borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever and west nile fever through research in biology and ecology of the vectors, these diseases are still major threats to human health. therefore, more research is required for better management of the diseases. this investigation provides information on the composition, co-occurrence, association and affinity indices of mosquito larvae in mazandaran province, ...	2016	26805471
composition and genetic diversity of mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) on islands and mainland shores of kenya's lakes victoria and baringo.	the lake baringo and lake victoria regions of kenya are associated with high seroprevalence of mosquito-transmitted arboviruses. however, molecular identification of potential mosquito vector species, including morphologically identified ones, remains scarce. to estimate the diversity, abundance, and distribution of mosquito vectors on the mainland shores and adjacent inhabited islands in these regions, we collected and morphologically identified adult and immature mosquitoes and obtained the co ...	2016	27402888
comparative morphological and molecular analysis confirms the presence of the west nile virus mosquito vector, culex univittatus, in the iberian peninsula.	culex univittatus and culex perexiguus mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) are competent arbovirus vectors, but with unclear morphological differentiation. in europe, and in the iberian peninsula in particular, the presence of either or both species is controversial. however, in order to conduct adequate surveillance for arboviruses in this region, it is crucial to clarify whether cx. univittatus is present or not, as well as to critically assess existing differentiation tools. this study aimed to c ...	2016	27884174
landscape effects on the presence, abundance and diversity of mosquitoes in mediterranean wetlands.	environment determines the distribution of mosquito-borne diseases in that it influences the vector-host-pathogen transmission cycle, including vector distribution, abundance and diversity. in this study, we analyse the relationship between environmental variables estimated by remote sensing and the spatial distribution (presence, abundance and diversity) of seven mosquito species vectors of west nile and other pathogens (usutu, avian malaria and dirofilariasis) in the doñana natural park, spain ...	2015	26086804
molecular identification of bloodmeals from sand flies and mosquitoes collected in israel.	in israel, sand flies are the vectors of leishmania ross and mosquitoes are the vectors of west nile virus. in the judean desert and tiberias, the sand fly phlebotomus sergenti parrot is the vector of leishmania tropica (wright) and the rock hyrax (procavia capensis pallas) is considered the main reservoir animal. the main vectors of west nile virus are culex pipiens l. and culex perexiguus theobald. bloodmeals of engorged field-caught female sand flies and mosquitoes are an important source for ...	2014	24897862
barkedji virus, a novel mosquito-borne flavivirus identified in culex perexiguus mosquitoes, israel, 2011.	barkedji virus, named after the area of its first identification in senegal, is a newly discovered flavivirus (fv), for which we propose the abbreviation bjv. in the present study, we report the first-time detection of bjv in culex perexiguus mosquitoes in israel in 2011 and determination of its almost complete polyprotein gene sequence. we characterized the bjv genome and defined putative mature proteins, conserved structural elements and potential enzyme motifs along the polyprotein precursor. ...	2013	23939978
effect of blood meal digestion and dna extraction protocol on the success of blood meal source determination in the malaria vector anopheles atroparvus.	host identification is an essential step in studies on the transmission dynamics of vector-borne disease. nowadays, molecular tools allow the identification of vertebrate hosts to the species level. however, the proportion of successful identifications is variable and may be affected by the quality of the samples and the laboratory protocols. here, the effect of two of these factors, namely the digestion status of mosquito blood meal and the dna extraction procedure, on the success of host ident ...	2013	23517864
host-feeding patterns of culex pipiens and other potential mosquito vectors (diptera: culicidae) of west nile virus (flaviviridae) collected in portugal.	the host blood-feeding patterns of mosquito vectors affects the likelihood of human exposure to zoonotic pathogens, including west nile virus (family flaviviridae, genus flavivirus, wnv). in portugal, data are unavailable regarding the blood-feeding habits of common mosquito species, including culex pipiens l., considered the primary vector of wnv to humans. the sources of bloodmeals in 203 blood-fed mosquitoes of nine species collected from june 2007 to november 2010 in 34 portuguese counties w ...	2012	22679881
feeding patterns of potential west nile virus vectors in south-west spain.	mosquito feeding behaviour determines the degree of vector-host contact and may have a serious impact on the risk of west nile virus (wnv) epidemics. feeding behaviour also interacts with other biotic and abiotic factors that affect virus amplification and transmission.	2012	22745781
west nile and usutu viruses in mosquitoes in spain, 2008-2009.	west nile virus lineage 1 (similar to the strains obtained from golden eagles in spain, 2007) and usutu virus (similar to the strains obtained from culex pipiens in spain, 2006) were detected in pools from culex perexiguus collected in southern spain in 2008 and 2009, respectively. this is the first detection and isolation of west nile virus lineage 1 from mosquitoes in spain.	2011	21734145
insecticide-treated vertical mesh barriers reduce the number of biting mosquitoes.	mosquitoes foraging for blood sources normally fly relatively close to the ground where wind velocities do not exceed their flight speed. an experiment designed to block foraging mosquitoes from reaching inhabited houses was conducted in a rural settlement flanked by agricultural fields. mosquitoes were collected during 9 nights using 30 carbon dioxide-baited traps deployed along the external walls of six houses in the row closest to the settlement's perimeter fence. thereafter, a deltamethrin-i ...	2011	21615442
mosquito vectors survey in the al-ahsaa district of eastern saudi arabia.	the present study aimed to identify the mosquito vectors distributed throughout al-ahsaa district situated in the eastern region of saudi arabia. mosquito larvae were collected seasonally for one year (october 2009 to september 2010) from different breeding sites in seven rural areas utilizing long aquatic nets. salinity and ph of these breeding sites were also measured seasonally. the survey revealed the presence of five mosquito species, aedes caspius pallas (diptera: culicidae), anopheles mul ...	2011	22958070
mosquito fauna on the cape verde islands (west africa): an update on species distribution and a new finding.	to evaluate the risk of transmission of vector-borne diseases, regular updates of the geographic distribution of insect vectors are required. in the archipelago of cape verde, nine mosquito species have been reported. of these, four are major vectors of diseases that have been present in the archipelago: yellow fever, lymphatic filariasis, malaria and, currently, an outbreak of dengue. in order to assess variation in mosquito biodiversity, we have carried out an update on the distribution of the ...	2010	21175936
isolation of west nile and sindbis viruses from mosquitoes collected in the nile valley of egypt during an outbreak of rift valley fever.	as part of an evaluation of potential vectors of arboviruses during a rift valley fever (rvf) outbreak in the nile valley of egypt in august 1993, we collected mosquitoes in villages with known rvf viral activity. mosquitoes were sorted to species, pooled, and processed for virus isolation both by intracerebral inoculation into suckling mice and by inoculation into cell culture. a total of 33 virus isolates was made from 36,024 mosquitoes. viruses were initially identified by indirect fluorescen ...	2002	11931267