Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
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| 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 |
| identifying permethrin resistance loci in malaria vectors by genetic mapping. | identification of the major loci responsible for insecticide resistance in malaria vectors would aid the development and implementation of effective resistance management strategies, which are urgently needed to tackle the growing threat posed by resistance to the limited insecticides available for malaria control. genome-wide association studies in the major malaria vector, anopheles gambiae, have been hindered by the high degree of within-population structuring and very low levels of linkage d ... | 2013 | 23448678 |
| the genetic architecture of degenerin/epithelial sodium channels in drosophila. | degenerin/epithelial sodium channels (deg/enac) represent a large family of animal-specific membrane proteins. although the physiological functions of most family members are not known, some have been shown to act as nonvoltage gated, amiloride-sensitive sodium channels. the deg/enac family is exceptionally large in genomes of drosophila species relative to vertebrates and other insects. to elucidate the evolutionary history of the deg/enac family in drosophila, we took advantage of the genomic ... | 2013 | 23449991 |
| the effect of indoor residual spraying on malaria and anemia in a high-transmission area of northern uganda. | indoor residual spraying (irs) with insecticide is now recommended for malaria control in high-transmission settings. however, concerns about insecticide resistance have increased. we conducted a cross-sectional household survey in high-transmission northern uganda in two districts previously sprayed with pyrethroids before documentation of pyrethroid resistance and at least one round of carbamates and in one contiguous district that was not sprayed. parasitemia prevalence among children < 5 yea ... | 2013 | 23458956 |
| impact of indoor residual spraying of lambda-cyhalothrin on malaria prevalence and anemia in an epidemic-prone district of muleba, north-western tanzania. | the government of tanzania introduced indoor residual spraying (irs) in muleba district in north-western tanzania after frequent malaria epidemics. malaria parasitological baseline and two cross-sectional follow-up surveys were conducted in villages under the irs program and those not under irs to assess the impact of irs intervention. after two rounds of irs intervention there was a significant reduction of malaria parasitological indices in both two villages. in irs villages overall, parasitem ... | 2013 | 23458959 |
| 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 |
| bed bugs evolved unique adaptive strategy to resist pyrethroid insecticides. | recent advances in genomic and post-genomic technologies have facilitated a genome-wide analysis of the insecticide resistance-associated genes in insects. through bed bug, cimex lectularius transcriptome analysis, we identified 14 molecular markers associated with pyrethroid resistance. our studies revealed that most of the resistance-associated genes functioning in diverse mechanisms are expressed in the epidermal layer of the integument, which could prevent or slow down the toxin from reachin ... | 0 | 23492626 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| a need for better housing to further reduce indoor malaria transmission in areas with high bed net coverage. | the suppression of indoor malaria transmission requires additional interventions that complement the use of insecticide treated nets (itns) and indoor residual spraying (irs). previous studies have examined the impact of house structure on malaria transmission in areas of low transmission. this study was conducted in a high transmission setting and presents further evidence about the association between specific house characteristics and the abundance of endophilic malaria vectors. | 2013 | 23497471 |
| the benefits or otherwise of managing malaria cases with or without laboratory diagnosis: the experience in a district hospital in ghana. | this study was conducted at the kintampo municipal hospital in ghana to determine whether there was any benefit (or otherwise) in basing the management of cases of suspected malaria solely on laboratory confirmation (microscopy or by rdt) as compared with presumptive diagnosis. | 2013 | 23505457 |
| malariometric indices among nigerian children in a rural setting. | malaria contributes to high childhood morbidity and mortality in nigeria. to determine its endemicity in a rural farming community in the south-south of nigeria, the following malariometric indices, namely, malaria parasitaemia, spleen rates, and anaemia were evaluated in children aged 2-10 years. this was a descriptive cross-sectional survey among school-age children residing in a rubber plantation settlement. the children were selected from six primary schools using a multistaged stratified cl ... | 2013 | 23533951 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| reproductive isolation and local adaptation quantified for a chromosome inversion in a malaria mosquito. | chromosome inversions have long been thought to be involved in speciation and local adaptation. we have little quantitative information, however, about the effects that inversion polymorphisms have on reproductive isolation and viability. here we provide the first estimates from any organism for the total amount of reproductive isolation associated with an inversion segregating in natural populations. we sampled chromosomes from 751 mosquitoes of the malaria vector anopheles funestus along a 142 ... | 2012 | 23550747 |
| extensive circadian and light regulation of the transcriptome in the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae. | mosquitoes exhibit 24 hr rhythms in flight activity, feeding, reproduction and development. to better understand the molecular basis for these rhythms in the nocturnal malaria vector anopheles gambiae, we have utilized microarray analysis on time-of-day specific collections of mosquitoes over 48 hr to explore the coregulation of gene expression rhythms by the circadian clock and light, and compare these with the 24 hr rhythmic gene expression in the diurnal aedes aegypti dengue vector mosquito. | 2013 | 23552056 |
| integrin triplets of marine sponges in the murine and human mhci-cd8 interface and in the interface of human neural receptor heteromers and subunits. | based on our theory, main triplets of amino acid residues have been discovered in cell-adhesion receptors (integrins) of marine sponges, which participate as homologies in the interface between two major immune molecules, mhc class i (mhci) and cd8αβ. they appear as homologies also in several human neural receptor heteromers and subunits. the obtained results probably mean that neural and immune receptors also utilize these structural integrin triplets to form heteromers and ion channels, which ... | 2013 | 23556147 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| a second chance to tackle african malaria vector mosquitoes that avoid houses and don't take drugs. | 2013 | 23589532 | |
| asymptomatic plasmodium infection and cognition among primary schoolchildren in a high malaria transmission setting in uganda. | asymptomatic parasitemia is common among schoolchildren living in areas of high malaria transmission, yet little is known about its effect on cognitive function in these settings. to investigate associations between asymptomatic parasitemia, anemia, and cognition among primary schoolchildren living in a high malaria transmission setting, we studied 740 children enrolled in a clinical trial in tororo, uganda. parasitemia, measured by thick blood smears, was present in 30% of the children. infecte ... | 2013 | 23589533 |
| stable and fluctuating temperature effects on the development rate and survival of two malaria vectors, anopheles arabiensis and anopheles funestus. | understanding the biology of malaria vector mosquitoes is crucial to understanding many aspects of the disease, including control and future outcomes. the development rates and survival of two afrotropical malaria vectors, anopheles arabiensis and anopheles funestus, are investigated here under conditions of constant and fluctuating temperatures. these data can provide a good starting point for modelling population level consequences of temperature change associated with climate change. for comp ... | 2013 | 23590860 |
| wild anopheles funestus mosquito genotypes are permissive for infection with the rodent malaria parasite, plasmodium berghei. | malaria parasites undergo complex developmental transitions within the mosquito vector. a commonly used laboratory model for studies of mosquito-malaria interaction is the rodent parasite, p. berghei. anopheles funestus is a major malaria vector in sub-saharan africa but has received less attention than the sympatric species, anopheles gambiae. the imminent completion of the a. funestus genome sequence will provide currently lacking molecular tools to describe malaria parasite interactions in th ... | 2013 | 23593423 |
| review of the malaria epidemiology and trends in zambia. | a comprehensive desk review of malaria trends was conducted between 2000-2010 in zambia to study malaria epidemiology and trends to guide strategies and approaches for effective malaria control. this review considered data from the national health information management system, malaria surveys and programme review reports and analyzed malaria in-patient cases and deaths in relation to intervention coverage for all ages. data showed three distinct epidemiological strata after a notable malaria re ... | 0 | 23593585 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| arbonematodes - nematode infections transmissible by arthropods: arbeitskreis blut, untergruppe «bewertung blutassoziierter krankheitserreger»*. | 2013 | 23637651 | |
| 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 |
| insecticide resistance status of anopheles gambiae s.s population from m'bé: a whopes-labelled experimental hut station, 10 years after the political crisis in côte d'ivoire. | an experimental hut station built at m'bé in 1998 was used for many years for the evaluation of insecticidal product for public health until the civil war broke out in 2002. breeding sites of mosquitoes and selection pressure in the area were maintained by local farming practices and the west african rice development association (warda, actually africarice) in a large rice growing area. ten years after the crisis, bioassays, molecular and biochemical analyses were conducted to update the resista ... | 2013 | 23641777 |
| using a new odour-baited device to explore options for luring and killing outdoor-biting malaria vectors: a report on design and field evaluation of the mosquito landing box. | mosquitoes that bite people outdoors can sustain malaria transmission even where effective indoor interventions such as bednets or indoor residual spraying are already widely used. outdoor tools may therefore complement current indoor measures and improve control. we developed and evaluated a prototype mosquito control device, the 'mosquito landing box' (mlb), which is baited with human odours and treated with mosquitocidal agents. the findings are used to explore technical options and challenge ... | 2013 | 23642306 |
| community perceptions of a malaria vaccine in the kintampo districts of ghana. | malaria remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-saharan africa despite tools currently available for its control. making malaria vaccine available for routine use will be a major hallmark, but its acceptance by community members and health professionals within the health system could pose considerable challenge as has been found with the introduction of polio vaccinations in parts of west africa. some of these challenges may not be expected since decisions people make are man ... | 2013 | 23651533 |
| a 3d analysis of flight behavior of anopheles gambiae sensu stricto malaria mosquitoes in response to human odor and heat. | female mosquitoes use odor and heat as cues to navigate to a suitable landing site on their blood host. the way these cues affect flight behavior and modulate anemotactic responses, however, is poorly understood. we studied in-flight behavioral responses of females of the nocturnal malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae sensu stricto to human odor and heat. flight-path characteristics in a wind tunnel (flow 20 cm/s) were quantified in three dimensions. with wind as the only stimulus (control), short ... | 2013 | 23658792 |
| 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 |
| physical condition of olyset® nets after five years of utilization in rural western kenya. | long-lasting insecticidal nets (llins) are a cornerstone of malaria control at present, and millions are used each day across the globe. however, there is limited information about the durability of llins under different conditions of utilization and there is no consensus about when a llin ceases to be protective due to physical deterioration. this knowledge is important for malaria control programmes to plan for procurement and replacement. | 2013 | 23663421 |
| transcriptomic and proteomic responses of sweetpotato whitefly, bemisia tabaci, to thiamethoxam. | the sweetpotato whitefly, bemisia tabaci (hemiptera: aleyrodidae), is one of the most widely distributed agricultural pests. although it has developed resistance to many registered insecticides including the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam, the mechanisms that regulate the resistance are poorly understood. to understand the molecular basis of thiamethoxam resistance, "omics" analyses were carried out to examine differences between resistant and susceptible b. tabaci at both transcriptiona ... | 2013 | 23671574 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| role of species composition in malaria transmission by the anopheles funestus group (diptera: culicidae) in ghana. | malaria remains a public health problem in ghana, with anopheles gambiae and anopheles funestus as the predominant vectors. while much information exists on the species composition of an. gambiae, very little exists for an. funestus. this study was carried out to determine the species composition of an. funestus giles populations from three ecological areas in ghana and investigate their role in malaria transmission. mosquitoes were collected using human landing and pyrethrum spray methods. a to ... | 2013 | 23701614 |
| population dynamics and spatial structure of human-biting mosquitoes, inside and outside of houses, in the chockwe irrigation scheme, southern mozambique. | focal control of malaria vectors, a potentially cost-effective alternative to conventional control, requires a spatio-temporal understanding of the mosquitoes. trapping of african malaria vectors has generally been limited to inside houses making distribution estimates dependent on the location of dwellings. the development of tent-traps to sample outdoor biting mosquitoes has enabled more independent estimates. here we describe both temporal and spatial variation in mosquito movements in an irr ... | 2013 | 23733293 |
| detection of clade types (clades i and ii) within anopheles funestus sensu stricto by the hydrolysis probe analysis (taqman assay). | recent studies presented two clades (clades i and ii) within the major malaria vector, anopheles funestus s.s. on the mitochondrial dna. we describe a hydrolysis probe analysis (taqman assay) method for the rapid identification of these two clades. | 2013 | 23758959 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| marked biological differences between insecticide resistant and susceptible strains of anopheles funestus infected with the murine parasite plasmodium berghei. | anopheles funestus is one of the major malaria vectors in africa but research on this species has been restricted due to the lack of viable laboratory colonies. the vectorial capacity of natural populations of an. funestus is well known but its ability to host plasmodium in the laboratory and the development cycle of the parasite within this mosquito species was, until very recently, unknown. in this study we compared laboratory strains of an. funestus that were resistant and susceptible to pyre ... | 2013 | 23782642 |
| health effects of drought: a systematic review of the evidence. | introduction. climate change projections indicate that droughts will become more intense in the 21 century in some areas of the world. the el niño southern oscillation is associated with drought in some countries, and forecasts can provide advance warning of the increased risk of adverse climate conditions. the most recent available data from emdat estimates that over 50 million people globally were affected by drought in 2011. documentation of the health effects of drought is difficult, given t ... | 2013 | 23787891 |
| 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 |
| a first report of anopheles funestus sibling species in western kenya highlands. | understanding disease vector composition is of priority in designing effective disease control programs. in integrated vector control management, understanding of disease vector species among species complexes simplifies priorities for effective control tools selection. this study identified members of the anopheles funestus complex sampled in western kenya from 2002 to 2011 from different breeding sites. larval sampling was carried out using the standard dipper (350ml) in larval habitats in wes ... | 2013 | 23792011 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| malaria, clinical features and acute crisis in children suffering from sickle cell disease in resource-limited settings: a retrospective description of 90 cases. | the prevalence of sickle cell disease (scd) is extremely high in the democratic republic of congo (drc). despite the high prevalence of this disease in our midst, there has been no report on the clinical features in the sickle cell pediatric population suffering from malaria in our midst. | 0 | 23816320 |
| 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 |
| abundance and diversity of anopheles species (diptera: culicidae) associated with malaria transmission in human dwellings in rural and urban communities in oyo state, southwestern nigeria. | mosquito samples were collected from rural and urban communities in three selected major towns in southwestern nigeria to determine the impact of urbanization on the diversity and abundance of anopheles species associated with malaria transmission in human habitations. a total of ten anopheles species were identified in the rural communities, while eight anopheles species were identified in the urban communities. out of the ten anopheles species identified, only four species, anopheles gambiae ( ... | 2013 | 23842885 |
| the central role of mosquito cytochrome p450 cyp6zs in insecticide detoxification revealed by functional expression and structural modelling. | the resistance of mosquitoes to chemical insecticides is threatening vector control programmes worldwide. cytochrome p450 monooxygenases (cyps) are known to play a major role in insecticide resistance, allowing resistant insects to metabolize insecticides at a higher rate. among them, members of the mosquito cyp6z subfamily, like aedes aegypti cyp6z8 and its anopheles gambiae orthologue cyp6z2, have been frequently associated with pyrethroid resistance. however, their role in the pyrethroid degr ... | 0 | 23844938 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| in-vivo parasitological response to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in pregnant women in southern malawi. | malaria in pregnancy is a significant cause of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. malawi adopted intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxinepyrimethamine (sp) for the control of malaria in pregnancy in 1993. however there is little information on the in-vivo sp efficacy in pregnant women. this study was conducted to determine: prevalence of malaria and anaemia at the first antenatal visit and rate of parasitological failure to sp in pregnancy. | 0 | 23878625 |
| 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 |
| cloning, expression analysis, and molecular modeling of the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor alpha2 subunit gene from the common cutworm, spodoptera litura. | intensive research on the molecule structures of the gamma-nminobutyric acid (gaba) receptor in agricultural pests has great significance to the mechanism investigation, resistance prevention, and molecular design of novel pesticides. the gaba receptor a2 (slgabarα2) subunit gene in spodoptera litura (fabricius) (lepidoptera: noctuidae) was cloned using the technologies of reverse transcription pcr and rapid amplification of cdna ends. the gemonic dna sequence of slgabarα2 has 5164 bp with 8 exo ... | 0 | 23909412 |
| an age-size reaction norm yields insight into environmental interactions affecting life-history traits: a factorial study of larval development in the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae sensu stricto. | environmental factors frequently act nonindependently to determine growth and development of insects. because age and size at maturity strongly influence population dynamics, interaction effects among environmental variables complicate the task of predicting dynamics of insect populations under novel conditions. we reared larvae of the african malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae sensu stricto (s.s.) under three factors relevant to changes in climate and land use: food level, water depth, and temp ... | 2013 | 23919132 |
| analysis of the genitalia rotation in the male anopheles funestus (diptera: culicidae). | anopheles funestus is a major malaria vector in africa. insecticide resistance has developed in populations of this species in several african countries, prompting the need to develop additional vector control methods such as the sterile insect technique (sit). this technique requires an understanding of those underlying physiological events that lead to sexual maturity of an. funestus males, the rotation of their genitalia in particular. the aim of this study was to qualitatively and quantitati ... | 2014 | 23932945 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| biochemical characterization of chitin synthase activity and inhibition in the african malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae. | chitin synthase (chs) is an important enzyme catalyzing the formation of chitin polymers in all chitin containing organisms and a potential target site for insect pest control. however, our understanding of biochemical properties of insect chss has been very limited. we here report enzymatic and inhibitory properties of chs prepared from the african malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae. our study, which represents the first time to use a nonradioactive method to assay chs activity in an insect sp ... | 2012 | 23955856 |
| the effect of bacterial challenge on ferritin regulation in the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti. | secreted ferritin is the major iron storage and transport protein in insects. here, we characterize the message and protein expression profiles of yellow fever mosquito (aedes aegypti) ferritin heavy chain homologue (hch) and light chain homologue (lch) subunits in response to iron and bacterial challenge. in vivo experiments demonstrated tissue-specific regulation of hch and lch expression over time post-blood meal (pbm). transcriptional regulation of hch and lch was treatment specific, with di ... | 2012 | 23956079 |
| dose and developmental responses of anopheles merus larvae to salinity. | saltwater tolerance is a trait that carries both ecological and epidemiological significance for anopheles mosquitoes that transmit human malaria, as it plays a key role in determining their habitat use and ecological distribution, and thus their local contribution to malaria transmission. here, we lay the groundwork for genetic dissection of this trait by quantifying saltwater tolerance in three closely related cryptic species and malaria vectors from the afrotropical anopheles gambiae complex ... | 0 | 23966587 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| diversity and convergence of sodium channel mutations involved in resistance to pyrethroids. | pyrethroid insecticides target voltage-gated sodium channels, which are critical for electrical signaling in the nervous system. the intensive use of pyrethroids in controlling arthropod pests and disease vectors has led to many instances of pyrethroid resistance around the globe. in the past two decades, studies have identified a large number of sodium channel mutations that are associated with resistance to pyrethroids. the purpose of this review is to summarize both common and unique sodium c ... | 0 | 24019556 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| monitoring malaria vector control interventions: effectiveness of five different adult mosquito sampling methods. | long-term success of ongoing malaria control efforts based on mosquito bed nets (long-lasting insecticidal net) and indoor residual spraying is dependent on continuous monitoring of mosquito vectors, and thus on effective mosquito sampling tools. the objective of our study was to identify the most efficient mosquito sampling tool(s) for routine vector surveillance for malaria and lymphatic filariasis transmission in coastal kenya. we evaluated relative efficacy of five collection methods--light ... | 0 | 24180120 |
| characterization of the anopheles funestus group, including anopheles funestus-like, from northern malawi. | limited information is available on malaria vector composition, feeding habits and malaria transmission in northern malawi. evidence of mosquito species diversity in this area was established in 2009, when anopheles funestus-like, a new member of the an. funestus group was described. additional biological information is needed to identify this species and to understand its role in malaria transmission. | 2013 | 24189481 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |