Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| inheritance of pyrethroid resistance in the major malaria vector in southern africa, anopheles funestus. | 2008 | 18348783 | |
| revealing pancrustacean relationships: phylogenetic analysis of ribosomal protein genes places collembola (springtails) in a monophyletic hexapoda and reinforces the discrepancy between mitochondrial and nuclear dna markers. | in recent years, several new hypotheses on phylogenetic relations among arthropods have been proposed on the basis of dna sequences. one of the challenged hypotheses is the monophyly of hexapods. this discussion originated from analyses based on mitochondrial dna datasets that, due to an unusual positioning of collembola, suggested that the hexapod body plan evolved at least twice. here, we re-evaluate the position of collembola using ribosomal protein gene sequences. | 2008 | 18366624 |
| microsatellite data suggest significant population structure and differentiation within the malaria vector anopheles darlingi in central and south america. | anopheles darlingi is the most important malaria vector in the neotropics. an understanding of a. darlingi's population structure and contemporary gene flow patterns is necessary if vector populations are to be successfully controlled. we assessed population genetic structure and levels of differentiation based on 1,376 samples from 31 localities throughout the peruvian and brazilian amazon and central america using 5-8 microsatellite loci. | 2008 | 18366795 |
| analysis of repetitive dna distribution patterns in the tribolium castaneum genome. | insect genomes vary widely in size, a large fraction of which is often devoted to repetitive dna. re-association kinetics indicate that up to 42% of the genome of the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum, is repetitive. analysis of the abundance and distribution of repetitive dna in the recently sequenced genome of t. castaneum is important for understanding the structure and function of its genome. | 2008 | 18366801 |
| diversity of bacterial communities in container habitats of mosquitoes. | we investigated the bacterial diversity of microbial communities in water-filled, human-made and natural container habitats of the mosquitoes aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus in suburban landscapes of new orleans, louisiana in 2003. we collected water samples from three classes of containers, including tires (n = 12), cemetery urns (n = 23), and miscellaneous containers that included two tree holes (n = 19). total genomic dna was extracted from water samples, and 16s ribosomal dna fragments (o ... | 2008 | 18373113 |
| malaria: progress, perils, and prospects for eradication. | there are still approximately 500 million cases of malaria and 1 million deaths from malaria each year. yet recently, malaria incidence has been dramatically reduced in some parts of africa by increasing deployment of anti-mosquito measures and new artemisinin-containing treatments, prompting renewed calls for global eradication. however, treatment and mosquito control currently depend on too few compounds and thus are vulnerable to the emergence of compound-resistant parasites and mosquitoes. a ... | 2008 | 18382739 |
| a randomized placebo-controlled trial of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnant women in the context of insecticide treated nets delivered through the antenatal clinic. | current recommendations to prevent malaria in african pregnant women rely on insecticide treated nets (itns) and intermittent preventive treatment (iptp). however, there is no information on the safety and efficacy of their combined use. | 2008 | 18398460 |
| an insight into the sialotranscriptome of the non-blood feeding toxorhynchites amboinensis mosquito. | all adult mosquitoes take sugar meals, and most adult females also take blood meals to develop eggs. salivary glands (sg) of males are thus much smaller and do not contain many of the antihemostatic and antiinflammatory compounds found in females. in the past 5 years, transcriptome analyses have identified nearly 70 different genes expressed in adult female sg. for most of these, no function can be assigned in either blood or sugar feeding. exceptionally, toxorhynchites mosquitoes are unusual in ... | 2008 | 18405828 |
| characterisation of ddt, pyrethroid and carbamate resistance in anopheles funestus from obuasi, ghana. | indoor-resting anopheline mosquitoes were collected from obuasi, ghana, and were identified morphologically and by pcr as anopheles funestus giles. wild-caught females were induced to lay eggs. samples of f1 progeny from each family were divided into cohorts and were either exposed to ddt and permethrin or were stored for biochemical analysis. bioassay data by family show evidence of ddt and pyrethroid resistance in the parent a. funestus population. the sodium channel gene of ddt survivors and ... | 2008 | 18405930 |
| mosquito abundance, bed net coverage and other factors associated with variations in sporozoite infectivity rates in four villages of rural tanzania. | entomological surveys are of great importance in decision-making processes regarding malaria control strategies because they help to identify associations between vector abundance both species-specific ecology and disease intervention factors associated with malaria transmission. sporozoite infectivity rates, mosquito host blood meal source, bed net coverage and mosquito abundance were assessed in this study. | 2008 | 18423018 |
| towards a sterile insect technique field release of anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes in sudan: irradiation, transportation, and field cage experimentation. | the work described in this article forms part of a study to suppress a population of the malaria vector anopheles arabiensis in northern state, sudan, with the sterile insect technique. no data have previously been collected on the irradiation and transportation of anopheline mosquitoes in africa, and the first series of attempts to do this in sudan are reported here. in addition, experiments in a large field cage under near-natural conditions are described. | 2008 | 18439238 |
| synergy and specificity of two na+-aromatic amino acid symporters in the model alimentary canal of mosquito larvae. | the nutrient amino acid transporter (nat) subfamily is the largest subdivision of the sodium neurotransmitter symporter family (snf; also known as slc6; hugo). there are seven members of the nat population in the african malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae, two of which, agnat6 and agnat8, preferably transport indole- and phenyl-branched substrates, respectively. the relative expression and distribution of these aromatic nats were examined with transporter-specific antibodies in xenopus oocytes a ... | 2008 | 18456887 |
| snp discovery and molecular evolution in anopheles gambiae, with special emphasis on innate immune system. | anopheles innate immunity affects plasmodium development and is a potential target of innovative malaria control strategies. the extent and distribution of nucleotide diversity in immunity genes might provide insights into the evolutionary forces that condition pathogen-vector interactions. the discovery of polymorphisms is an essential step towards association studies of susceptibility to infection. | 2008 | 18489733 |
| nature limits filarial transmission. | abstract: lymphatic filariasis, caused by wuchereria bancrofti, brugia malayi and b. timori is a public health problem of considerable magnitude of the tropics and subtropics. presently 1.3 billion people are at risk of lymphatic filariasis (lf) infection and about 120 million people are affected in 83 countries. in this context it is worth mentioning that 'nature' itself limits filarial transmission to a great extent in a number of ways such as by reducing vector populations, parasitic load and ... | 2008 | 18500974 |
| cloning, characterization, and expression of micrornas from the asian malaria mosquito, anopheles stephensi. | micrornas (mirnas) are non-coding rnas that are now recognized as a major class of gene-regulating molecules widely distributed in metozoans and plants. mirnas have been found to play important roles in apoptosis, cancer, development, differentiation, inflammation, longevity, and viral infection. there are a few reports describing mirnas in the african malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae, on the basis of similarity to known mirnas from other species. an. stephensi is the most important malaria v ... | 2008 | 18500992 |
| markets, voucher subsidies and free nets combine to achieve high bed net coverage in rural tanzania. | tanzania has a well-developed network of commercial itn retailers. in 2004, the government introduced a voucher subsidy for pregnant women and, in mid 2005, helped distribute free nets to under-fives in small number of districts, including rufiji on the southern coast, during a child health campaign. contributions of these multiple insecticide-treated net delivery strategies existing at the same time and place to coverage in a poor rural community were assessed. | 2008 | 18518956 |
| the insecticide resistance status of malaria vectors in the mekong region. | knowledge on insecticide resistance in target species is a basic requirement to guide insecticide use in malaria control programmes. malaria transmission in the mekong region is mainly concentrated in forested areas along the country borders, so that decisions on insecticide use should ideally be made at regional level. consequently, cross-country monitoring of insecticide resistance is indispensable to acquire comparable baseline data on insecticide resistance. | 2008 | 18534006 |
| comparison of male reproductive success in malaria-refractory and susceptible strains of anopheles gambiae. | in female mosquitoes that transmit malaria, the benefits of being refractory to the plasmodium parasite are balanced by the immunity costs in the absence of infection. male mosquitoes, however, gain no advantage from being refractory to blood-transmitted parasites, so that any costs associated with an enhanced immune system in the males limit the evolution of female refractoriness and has practical implications for the release of transgenic males. | 2008 | 18534029 |
| african water storage pots for the delivery of the entomopathogenic fungus metarhizium anisopliae to the malaria vectors anopheles gambiae s.s. and anopheles funestus. | we studied the use of african water storage pots for point source application of metarhizium anisopliae against the malaria vectors anopheles gambiae s.s. and an. funestus. clay pots were shown to be attractive resting sites for male and female an. gambiae s.s. and were not repellent after impregnation with fungus. m. anisopliae was highly infective and virulent after spray application inside pots. at a dosage of 4 x 10(10) conidia/m(2), an average of 95 +/- 1.2% of an. gambiae s.s. obtained a f ... | 2008 | 18541768 |
| spatially-explicit risk profiling of plasmodium falciparum infections at a small scale: a geostatistical modelling approach. | there is a renewed political will and financial support to eradicate malaria. spatially-explicit risk profiling will play an important role in this endeavour. patterns of plasmodium falciparum infection prevalence were examined among schoolchildren in a highly malaria-endemic area. | 2008 | 18570685 |
| novel peptide marker corresponding to salivary protein gsg6 potentially identifies exposure to anopheles bites. | in order to improve malaria control, and under the aegis of who recommendations, many efforts are being devoted to developing new tools for identifying geographic areas with high risk of parasite transmission. evaluation of the human antibody response to arthropod salivary proteins could be an epidemiological indicator of exposure to vector bites, and therefore to risk of pathogen transmission. in the case of malaria, which is transmitted only by anopheline mosquitoes, maximal specificity could ... | 2008 | 18575604 |
| a synthetic resilin is largely unstructured. | proresilin is the precursor protein for resilin, an extremely elastic, hydrated, cross-linked insoluble protein found in insects. we investigated the secondary-structure distribution in solution of a synthetic proresilin (an16), based on 16 units of the consensus proresilin repeat from anopheles gambiae. raman spectroscopy was used to verify that the secondary-structure distributions in cross-linked an16 resilin and in an16 proresilin are similar, and hence that solution techniques (such as nmr ... | 2008 | 18586853 |
| the complete mitochondrial genome of the antarctic springtail cryptopygus antarcticus (hexapoda: collembola). | mitogenomics data, i.e. complete mitochondrial genome sequences, are popular molecular markers used for phylogenetic, phylogeographic and ecological studies in different animal lineages. their comparative analysis has been used to shed light on the evolutionary history of given taxa and on the molecular processes that regulate the evolution of the mitochondrial genome. a considerable literature is available in the fields of invertebrate biochemical and ecophysiological adaptation to extreme envi ... | 2008 | 18593463 |
| recent reduction in the water level of lake victoria has created more habitats for anopheles funestus. | the water level of lake victoria has fallen more than 1.5 m since 1998, revealing a narrow strip of land along the shore. this study determined whether the recent drop in the water level has created additional breeding grounds for malaria vectors. | 2008 | 18598355 |
| nutrient content of diet affects the signaling activity of the insulin/target of rapamycin/p70 s6 kinase pathway in the african malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae. | regulation of female mosquito feeding and reproduction plays a central role in their disease-vector competence. in this study we show that anopheles gambiae mosquitoes engorged on albumin, amino acid and saline meals the same way as on blood, whereas sucrose evoked a typical plant nectar feeding response. among the artificial diets, only the albumin-containing ones allowed follicular development. the target of rapamycin (tor)/p70 s6 kinase (s6k) pathway has been identified as an essential nutrie ... | 2008 | 18634792 |
| topi, an is630/tc1/mariner-type transposable element in the african malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae. | is630/tc1/mariner elements are diverse and widespread within insects. the african malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae, contains over 30 families of is630/tc1/mariner elements although few have been studied in any detail. to examine the history of topi elements in an. gambiae populations, topi elements (n=73) were sampled from five distinct populations of an. gambiae from eastern and western africa and evaluated with respect to copy number, nucleotide diversity and insertion site-occupancy freque ... | 2008 | 18634859 |
| the molecular forms of anopheles gambiae: a phenotypic perspective. | the african malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae is undergoing speciation, being split into the m and s molecular forms. speciation is the main process promoting biological diversity, thus, new vector species might complicate disease transmission. genetic differentiation between the molecular forms has been extensively studied, but phenotypic differences between them, the evolutionary forces that generated divergence, and the mechanisms that maintain their genetic isolation have only recently been ... | 2008 | 18640289 |
| dynamics of transmission of plasmodium falciparum by anopheles arabiensis and the molecular forms m and s of anopheles gambiae in dielmo, senegal. | the adaptation of anopheles gambiae to humans and its environment involves an ongoing speciation process that can be best demonstrated by the existence of various chromosomal forms adapted to different environments and of two molecular forms known as incipient taxonomic units. | 2008 | 18651944 |
| impact of urban agriculture on malaria vectors in accra, ghana. | to investigate the impact of urban agriculture on malaria transmission risk in urban accra larval and adult stage mosquito surveys, were performed. local transmission was implicated as anopheles spp. were found breeding and infected anopheles mosquitoes were found resting in houses in the study sites. the predominant anopheles species was anopheles gambiae s.s.. the relative proportion of molecular forms within a subset of specimens was 86% s-form and 14% m-form. anopheles spp. and culex quinque ... | 2008 | 18680565 |
| ethnobotanical study of some of mosquito repellent plants in north-eastern tanzania. | the use of plant repellents against nuisance biting insects is common and its potential for malaria vector control requires evaluation in areas with different level of malaria endemicity. the essential oils of ocimum suave and ocimum kilimandscharicum were evaluated against malaria vectors in north-eastern tanzania. | 2008 | 18687119 |
| abundance of immature anopheles and culicines (diptera: culicidae) in different water body types in the urban environment of malindi, kenya. | in this study we 1) describe the abundance of anopheles and culicine immatures in different water body types in urban malindi, kenya, 2) compare anopheles immature density in relation to culicine immature density, and 3) identify characteristics that influence the likelihood of water bodies being co-colonized by anopheles and culicines. entomological and environmental cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2001 and 2002 were used in the analysis. a total of 889 anopheles and 7,217 culicine immatur ... | 2008 | 18697313 |
| dry season ecology of anopheles gambiae complex mosquitoes in the gambia. | malaria in the gambia is highly seasonal, with transmission occurring as anopheles gambiae s.l. populations expand during and immediately after a single annual rainy season that lasts from june to october. there has been very limited investigation of the ecology of vectors during the dry season, when numbers are very limited and distributions may be restricted. | 2008 | 18710559 |
| establishment of a large semi-field system for experimental study of african malaria vector ecology and control in tanzania. | medical entomologists increasingly recognize that the ability to make inferences between laboratory experiments of vector biology and epidemiological trends observed in the field is hindered by a conceptual and methodological gap occurring between these approaches which prevents hypothesis-driven empirical research from being conducted on relatively large and environmentally realistic scales. the development of semi-field systems (sfs) has been proposed as the best mechanism for bridging this ga ... | 2008 | 18715508 |
| cryptic species within anopheles longipalpis from southern africa and phylogenetic comparison with members of the an. funestus group. | house-resting anopheles mosquitoes are targeted for vector control interventions; however, without proper species identification, the importance of these anopheles to malaria transmission is unknown. anopheles longipalpis, a non-vector species, has been found in significant numbers resting indoors in houses in southern zambia, potentially impacting on the utilization of scarce resources for vector control. the identification of an. longipalpis is currently based on classical morphology using min ... | 2008 | 18715522 |
| malaria incidence in limpopo province, south africa, 1998-2007. | malaria is endemic in the low-altitude areas of the northern and eastern parts of south africa with seasonal transmission. the aim of this descriptive study is to give an overview of the malaria incidence and mortality in limpopo province for the seasons 1998-1999 to 2006-2007 and to detect trends over time and place. | 2008 | 18724866 |
| integrated vector management: the zambian experience. | the zambian malaria control programme with the roll back malaria (rbm) partners have developed the current national malaria strategic plan (nmsp 2006-2011) which focuses on prevention based on the integrated vector management (ivm) strategy. the introduction and implementation of an ivm strategy was planned in accordance with the world health organization (who) steps towards ivm implementation namely introduction phase, consolidation phase and expansion phase. | 2008 | 18752658 |
| unforeseen misuses of bed nets in fishing villages along lake victoria. | to combat malaria, the kenya ministry of health and nongovernmental organizations (ngos) have distributed insecticide-treated nets (itns) for use over beds, with coverage for children under five years of age increasing rapidly. nevertheless, residents of fishing villages have started to use these bed nets for drying fish and fishing in lake victoria. this study investigated the extent of bed net misuse in fishing villages. | 2008 | 18752662 |
| pcr-based detection of plasmodium in anopheles mosquitoes: a comparison of a new high-throughput assay with existing methods. | detection of the four malaria-causing plasmodium species (plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium vivax, plasmodium ovale and plasmodium malariae) within their mosquito hosts is an essential component of vector control programmes. several pcr protocols have been developed for this purpose. many of these methods, while sensitive, require multiple pcr reactions to detect and discriminate all four plasmodium species. in this study a new high-throughput assay was developed and compared with three previous ... | 2008 | 18793416 |
| malaria transmission in dakar: a two-year survey. | according to entomological studies conducted over the past 30 years, there was low malaria transmission in suburb of dakar but little evidence of it in the downtown area. however; there was some evidence of local transmission based on reports of malaria among permanent residents. an entomological evaluation of malaria transmission was conducted from may 2005 to october 2006 in two areas of dakar. | 2008 | 18796138 |
| comparative genomics of small rna regulatory pathway components in vector mosquitoes. | small rna regulatory pathways (srrps) control key aspects of development and anti-viral defense in metazoans. members of the argonaute family of catalytic enzymes degrade target rnas in each of these pathways. srrps include the microrna, small interfering rna (sirna) and piwi-type gene silencing pathways. mosquitoes generate viral sirnas when infected with rna arboviruses. however, in some mosquitoes, arboviruses survive antiviral rna interference (rnai) and are transmitted via mosquito bite to ... | 2008 | 18801182 |
| anopheles gambiae complex along the gambia river, with particular reference to the molecular forms of an. gambiae s.s. | the geographic and temporal distribution of m and s molecular forms of the major afrotropical malaria vector species anopheles gambiae s.s. at the western extreme of their range of distribution has never been investigated in detail. | 2008 | 18803885 |
| dynamics of multiple insecticide resistance in the malaria vector anopheles gambiae in a rice growing area in south-western burkina faso. | insecticide resistance of the main malaria vector, anopheles gambiae, has been reported in south-western burkina faso, west africa. cross-resistance to ddt and pyrethroids was conferred by alterations at site of action in the sodium channel, the leu-phe kdr mutation; resistance to organophosphates and carbamates resulted from a single point mutation in the oxyanion hole of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme designed as ace-1r. | 2008 | 18817564 |
| evidence of increasing leu-phe knockdown resistance mutation in anopheles gambiae from niger following a nationwide long-lasting insecticide-treated nets implementation. | at the end of 2005, a nationwide long-lasting insecticide-treated net (llin) distribution targeting the most vulnerable populations was implemented throughout niger. a large number of studies in africa have reported the existence of anopheline populations resistant to various insecticides, partly due to knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations, but few operational wide-scale control programmes were coupled with the monitoring of such mutations. the distribution of the kdr-west (kdr-w) leu-phe mutati ... | 2008 | 18817574 |
| hyaluronidase of bloodsucking insects and its enhancing effect on leishmania infection in mice. | salivary hyaluronidases have been described in a few bloodsucking arthropods. however, very little is known about the presence of this enzyme in various bloodsucking insects and no data are available on its effect on transmitted microorganisms. here, we studied hyaluronidase activity in thirteen bloodsucking insects belonging to four different orders. in addition, we assessed the effect of hyaluronidase coinoculation on the outcome of leishmania major infection in balb/c mice. | 2008 | 18820742 |
| a pre-intervention study of malaria vector abundance in rio muni, equatorial guinea: their role in malaria transmission and the incidence of insecticide resistance alleles. | following the success of the malaria control intervention on the island of bioko, malaria control by the use of indoor residual spraying (irs) and long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (llitn) was extended to rio muni, on the mainland part of equatorial guinea. this manuscript reports on the malaria vectors present and the incidence of insecticide resistant alleles prior to the onset of the programme. | 2008 | 18823554 |
| operational impact of ddt reintroduction for malaria control on anopheles arabiensis in mozambique. | abstract with the increase in indoor residual spraying in many internationally and nationally funded malaria control programs, and affirmation by world health organization (who) that ddt is appropriate for use in the absence of longer lasting insecticide formulations in some malaria endemic settings, ddt has been reintroduced as a major malaria control intervention in africa. indoor residual spraying with ddt was reintroduced into mozambique for malaria control in 2005, and it is increasingly be ... | 2008 | 18826031 |
| d- and l-lactate dehydrogenases during invertebrate evolution. | the l-lactate and d-lactate dehydrogenases, which are involved in the reduction of pyruvate to l(-)-lactate and d(+)-lactate, belong to evolutionarily unrelated enzyme families. the genes encoding l-ldh have been used as a model for gene duplication due to the multiple paralogs found in eubacteria, archaebacteria, and eukaryotes. phylogenetic studies have suggested that several gene duplication events led to the main isozymes of this gene family in chordates, but little is known about the evolut ... | 2008 | 18828920 |
| pwrn1, a novel ty3/gypsy-like retrotransposon of paragonimus westermani: molecular characters and its differentially preserved mobile potential according to host chromosomal polyploidy. | retrotransposons have been known to involve in the remodeling and evolution of host genome. these reverse transcribing elements, which show a complex evolutionary pathway with diverse intermediate forms, have been comprehensively analyzed from a wide range of host genomes, while the information remains limited to only a few species in the phylum platyhelminthes. | 2008 | 18851759 |
| spatial effects of mosquito bednets on child mortality. | insecticide treated nets (itn) have been proven to be an effective tool in reducing the burden of malaria. few randomized clinical trials examined the spatial effect of itns on child mortality at a high coverage level, hence it is essential to better understand these effects in real-life situation with varying levels of coverage. we analyzed for the first time data from a large follow-up study in an area of high perennial malaria transmission in southern tanzania to describe the spatial effects ... | 2008 | 18854021 |
| intra-specific variation of sperm length in the malaria vector anopheles gambiae: males with shorter sperm have higher reproductive success. | intra-specific variation in sperm length influences male reproductive success in several species of insects. in males of the malaria vector anopheles gambiae, sperm length is highly variable but the significance of this variation is unknown. understanding what determines the reproductive success of male mosquitoes is critical for controlling malaria, and in particular for replacing natural populations with transgenic, malaria-resistant mosquitoes. | 2008 | 18939985 |
| a country-wide malaria survey in mozambique. i. plasmodium falciparum infection in children in different epidemiological settings. | across tropical africa the bulk of malaria-related morbidity and mortality is particularly high during childhood. classical malariometric surveys have relied on assessing malaria infection prevalence. the last comprehensive evaluation of the malaria situation in mozambique was carried out during the 1950s. this study aims to characterize the malaria transmission intensities and to estimate the disease burden that may help guide control programme. | 2008 | 18950486 |
| antibody-mediated growth inhibition of plasmodium falciparum: relationship to age and protection from parasitemia in kenyan children and adults. | antibodies that impair plasmodium falciparum merozoite invasion and intraerythrocytic development are one of several mechanisms that mediate naturally acquired immunity to malaria. attempts to correlate anti-malaria antibodies with risk of infection and morbidity have yielded inconsistent results. growth inhibition assays (gia) offer a convenient method to quantify functional antibody activity against blood stage malaria. | 2008 | 18958285 |
| the effect of a single blood meal on the phenotypic expression of insecticide resistance in the major malaria vector anopheles funestus. | anopheles funestus is a major malaria vector in southern africa. vector control relies on the use of insecticide chemicals to significantly reduce the number of malaria vectors by targeting that portion of the female population that takes blood meals and subsequently rests indoors. it has been suggested that the intake of a blood meal may assist female mosquitoes to tolerate higher doses of insecticide through vigour tolerance. it is hypothesized that during the process of blood digestion, detox ... | 2008 | 18973704 |
| a new method for forensic dna analysis of the blood meal in chagas disease vectors demonstrated using triatoma infestans from chuquisaca, bolivia. | feeding patterns of the vector are important in the epidemiology of chagas disease, the leading cause of heart disease in latin america. chagas disease is caused by the parasite, trypanasoma cruzi, which is transmitted by blood feeding insects. historically, feeding behaviours of haematophagous insects have been investigated using serological reactions, which have detection limits in terms of both taxonomic resolution, and quantity and quality of the blood meal. they are labor intensive, require ... | 2008 | 18974787 |
| spatio-seasonal modeling of the incidence rate of malaria in mozambique. | the objective was to study the seasonal effect on the spatial distribution of the incidence of malaria in children under 10 years old living in the manhiça district, mozambique. | 2008 | 18976458 |
| variations in entomological indices in relation to weather patterns and malaria incidence in east african highlands: implications for epidemic prevention and control. | malaria epidemics remain a significant public health issue in the east african highlands. the aim of this study was to monitor temporal variations in vector densities in relation to changes in meteorological factors and malaria incidence at four highland sites in kenya and uganda and to evaluate the implications of these relationships for epidemic prediction and control. | 2008 | 18983649 |
| effect of a fall in malaria transmission on morbidity and mortality in kilifi, kenya. | as efforts to control malaria are expanded across the world, understanding the role of transmission intensity in determining the burden of clinical malaria is crucial to the prediction and measurement of the effectiveness of interventions to reduce transmission. furthermore, studies comparing several endemic sites led to speculation that as transmission decreases morbidity and mortality caused by severe malaria might increase. we aimed to assess the epidemiological characteristics of malaria in ... | 0 | 18984188 |
| anopheles gambiae apl1 is a family of variable lrr proteins required for rel1-mediated protection from the malaria parasite, plasmodium berghei. | we previously identified by genetic mapping an anopheles gambiae chromosome region with strong influence over the outcome of malaria parasite infection in nature. candidate gene studies in the genetic interval, including functional tests using the rodent malaria parasite plasmodium berghei, identified a novel leucine-rich repeat gene, apl1, with functional activity against p. berghei. | 2008 | 18989366 |
| tsetse flies: genetics, evolution, and role as vectors. | tsetse flies (diptera: glossinidae) are an ancient taxon of one genus, glossina, and limited species diversity. all are exclusively haematophagous and confined to sub-saharan africa. the glossina are the principal vectors of african trypanosomes trypanosoma sp. (kinetoplastida: trypanosomatidae) and as such, are of great medical and economic importance. clearly tsetse flies and trypanosomes are coadapted and evolutionary interactions between them are manifest. numerous clonally reproducing strai ... | 2009 | 18992846 |
| molecular genetic manipulation of vector mosquitoes. | genetic strategies for reducing populations of vector mosquitoes or replacing them with those that are not able to transmit pathogens benefit greatly from molecular tools that allow gene manipulation and transgenesis. mosquito genome sequences and associated est (expressed sequence tags) databases enable large-scale investigations to provide new insights into evolutionary, biochemical, genetic, metabolic, and physiological pathways. additionally, comparative genomics reveals the bases for evolut ... | 0 | 18996342 |
| expression of the cytochrome p450s, cyp6p3 and cyp6m2 are significantly elevated in multiple pyrethroid resistant populations of anopheles gambiae s.s. from southern benin and nigeria. | insecticide resistance in anopheles mosquitoes is threatening the success of malaria control programmes. this is particularly true in benin where pyrethroid resistance has been linked to the failure of insecticide treated bed nets. the role of mutations in the insecticide target sites in conferring resistance has been clearly established. in this study, the contribution of other potential resistance mechanisms was investigated in anopheles gambiae s.s. from a number of localities in southern ben ... | 2008 | 19014539 |
| pyrethroid resistance in the major malaria vector anopheles arabiensis from gwave, a malaria-endemic area in zimbabwe. | insecticide resistance can present a major obstacle to malaria control programmes. following the recent detection of ddt resistance in anopheles arabiensis in gokwe, zimbabwe, the underlying resistance mechanisms in this population were studied. | 2008 | 19038063 |
| functional importance of the conserved n-terminal domain of the mitochondrial replicative dna helicase. | the mitochondrial replicative dna helicase is an essential cellular protein that shows high similarity with the bifunctional primase-helicase of bacteriophage t7, the gene 4 protein (t7 gp4). the n-terminal primase domain of t7 gp4 comprises seven conserved sequence motifs, i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, and an rna polymerase basic domain. the putative primase domain of metazoan mitochondrial dna helicases has diverged from t7 gp4 and in particular, the primase domain of vertebrates lacks motif i, which ... | 2009 | 19063859 |
| ortholog-based protein-protein interaction prediction and its application to inter-species interactions. | the rapid growth of protein-protein interaction (ppi) data has led to the emergence of ppi network analysis. despite advances in high-throughput techniques, the interactomes of several model organisms are still far from complete. therefore, it is desirable to expand these interactomes with ortholog-based and other methods. | 2008 | 19091010 |
| global warming and malaria: knowing the horse before hitching the cart. | speculations on the potential impact of climate change on human health frequently focus on malaria. predictions are common that in the coming decades, tens - even hundreds - of millions more cases will occur in regions where the disease is already present, and that transmission will extend to higher latitudes and altitudes. such predictions, sometimes supported by simple models, are persuasive because they are intuitive, but they sidestep factors that are key to the transmission and epidemiology ... | 2008 | 19091037 |
| integrated vector management for malaria control. | integrated vector management (ivm) is defined as "a rational decision-making process for the optimal use of resources for vector control" and includes five key elements: 1) evidence-based decision-making, 2) integrated approaches 3), collaboration within the health sector and with other sectors, 4) advocacy, social mobilization, and legislation, and 5) capacity-building. in 2004, the who adopted ivm globally for the control of all vector-borne diseases. important recent progress has been made in ... | 2008 | 19091038 |
| use of integrated malaria management reduces malaria in kenya. | during an entomological survey in preparation for malaria control interventions in mwea division, the number of malaria cases at the kimbimbi sub-district hospital was in a steady decline. the underlying factors for this reduction were unknown and needed to be identified before any malaria intervention tools were deployed in the area. we therefore set out to investigate the potential factors that could have contributed to the decline of malaria cases in the hospital by analyzing the malaria cont ... | 2008 | 19115000 |
| characterization of the yellow fever mosquito sterol carrier protein-2 like 3 gene and ligand-bound protein structure. | the sterol carrier protein-2 like 3 gene (aescp-2l3), a new member of the scp-2 protein family, is identified from the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti. the predicted molecular weight of aescp-2l3 is 13.4 kda with a calculated pi of 4.98. aescp-2l3 transcription occurs in the larval feeding stages and the mrna levels decrease in pupae and adults. the highest levels of aescp-2l3 gene expression are found in the body wall, and possibly originated in the fat body. this is the first report of a ... | 2009 | 19130179 |
| sub-microscopic infections and long-term recrudescence of plasmodium falciparum in mozambican pregnant women. | control of malaria in pregnancy remains a public health challenge. improvements in its correct diagnosis and the adequacy of protocols to evaluate anti-malarial drug efficacy in pregnancy, are essential to achieve this goal. | 2009 | 19134201 |
| social and environmental malaria risk factors in urban areas of ouagadougou, burkina faso. | despite low endemicity, malaria remains a major health problem in urban areas where a high proportion of fevers are presumptively treated using anti-malarial drugs. low acquired malaria immunity, behaviour of city-dwellers, access to health care and preventive interventions, and heterogenic suitability of urban ecosystems for malaria transmission contribute to the complexity of the malaria epidemiology in urban areas. | 2009 | 19144144 |
| nhe(vnat): an h+ v-atpase electrically coupled to a na+:nutrient amino acid transporter (nat) forms an na+/h+ exchanger (nhe). | glycolysis, the citric acid cycle and other metabolic pathways of living organisms generate potentially toxic acids within all cells. one ubiquitous mechanism for ridding cells of the acids is to expel h(+) in exchange for extracellular na(+), mediated by electroneutral transporters called na(+)/h(+) exchangers (nhes) that are driven by na(+) concentration gradients. the exchange must be important because the human genome contains 10 nhes along with two na(+)/h(+) antiporters (nhas). by contrast ... | 2009 | 19151209 |
| gene expression studies in mosquitoes. | research on gene expression in mosquitoes is motivated by both basic and applied interests. studies of genes involved in hematophagy, reproduction, olfaction, and immune responses reveal an exquisite confluence of biological adaptations that result in these highly-successful life forms. the requirement of female mosquitoes for a bloodmeal for propagation has been exploited by a wide diversity of viral, protozoan and metazoan pathogens as part of their life cycles. identifying genes involved in h ... | 2008 | 19161831 |
| insight into the sialome of the black fly, simulium vittatum. | adaptation to vertebrate blood feeding includes development of a salivary "magic potion" that can disarm host hemostasis and inflammatory reactions. within the lower diptera, a vertebrate blood-sucking mode evolved in the psychodidae (sand flies), culicidae (mosquitoes), ceratopogonidae (biting midges), simuliidae (black flies), and the frog-feeding corethrellidae. sialotranscriptome analyses from several species of mosquitoes and sand flies and from one biting midge indicate divergence in the e ... | 2009 | 19166301 |
| the multiplicity of malaria transmission: a review of entomological inoculation rate measurements and methods across sub-saharan africa. | plasmodium falciparum malaria is a serious tropical disease that causes more than one million deaths each year, most of them in africa. it is transmitted by a range of anopheles mosquitoes and the risk of disease varies greatly across the continent. the "entomological inoculation rate" is the commonly-used measure of the intensity of malaria transmission, yet the methods used are currently not standardized, nor do they take the ecological, demographic, and socioeconomic differences across popula ... | 2009 | 19166589 |
| the salivary gland transcriptome of the neotropical malaria vector anopheles darlingi reveals accelerated evolution of genes relevant to hematophagy. | mosquito saliva, consisting of a mixture of dozens of proteins affecting vertebrate hemostasis and having sugar digestive and antimicrobial properties, helps both blood and sugar meal feeding. culicine and anopheline mosquitoes diverged ~150 mya, and within the anophelines, the new world species diverged from those of the old world ~95 mya. while the sialotranscriptome (from the greek sialo, saliva) of several species of the cellia subgenus of anopheles has been described thoroughly, no detailed ... | 2009 | 19178717 |
| two duplicated p450 genes are associated with pyrethroid resistance in anopheles funestus, a major malaria vector. | pyrethroid resistance in anopheles funestus is a potential obstacle to malaria control in africa. tools are needed to detect resistance in field populations. we have been using a positional cloning approach to identify the major genes conferring pyrethroid resistance in this vector. a quantitative trait locus (qtl) named rp1 explains 87% of the genetic variance in pyrethroid susceptibility in two families from reciprocal crosses between susceptible and resistant strains. two additional qtls of m ... | 2009 | 19196725 |
| agent-based modelling of mosquito foraging behaviour for malaria control. | traditional environmental management programmes require extensive coverage of larval habitats to reduce drastically the emergence of adult mosquitoes. recent studies have highlighted the impact of reduced availability of aquatic habitats on mosquito foraging for hosts and oviposition sites. in this study, we developed an agent-based model to track the status and movement of mosquitoes individually. mosquito foraging was represented as a two-stage process: random flight when the resource was not ... | 2009 | 19200566 |
| household possession, use and non-use of treated or untreated mosquito nets in two ecologically diverse regions of nigeria--niger delta and sahel savannah. | current use of treated mosquito nets for the prevention of malaria falls short of what is expected in sub-saharan africa (ssa), though research within the continent has indicated that the use of these commodities can reduce malaria morbidity by 50% and malaria mortality by 20%. governments in sub-sahara africa are investing substantially in scaling-up treated mosquito net coverage for impact. however, certain significant factors still prevent the use of the treated mosquito nets, even among thos ... | 2009 | 19228422 |
| molecular evolution of immune genes in the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae. | background: as pathogens that circumvent the host immune response are favoured by selection, so are host alleles that reduce parasite load. such evolutionary processes leave their signature on the genes involved. deciphering modes of selection operating on immune genes might reveal the nature of host-pathogen interactions and factors that govern susceptibility in host populations. such understanding would have important public health implications. methodology/findings: we analyzed polymorphisms ... | 2009 | 19234606 |
| field-based evidence of fast and global increase of plasmodium falciparum drug-resistance by dna-microarrays and pcr/rflp in niger. | over the last years, significant progress has been made in the comprehension of the molecular mechanism of malaria resistance to drugs. together with in vivo tests, the molecular monitoring is now part of the survey strategy of the plasmodium sensitivity. currently, dna-microarray analysis allows the simultaneous study of many single nucleotide polymorphisms (snp) of plasmodium isolates. in december 2005, the international federation of the red cross distributed two million three hundred thousan ... | 2009 | 19236701 |
| mitochondrial pseudogenes in the nuclear genome of aedes aegypti mosquitoes: implications for past and future population genetic studies. | mitochondrial dna (mtdna) is widely used in population genetic and phylogenetic studies in animals. however, such studies can generate misleading results if the species concerned contain nuclear copies of mtdna (numts) as these may amplify in addition to, or even instead of, the authentic target mtdna. the aim of this study was to determine if numts are present in aedes aegypti mosquitoes, to characterise any numts detected, and to assess the utility of using mtdna for population genetics studie ... | 2009 | 19267896 |
| caspar controls resistance to plasmodium falciparum in diverse anopheline species. | immune responses mounted by the malaria vector anopheles gambiae are largely regulated by the toll and imd (immune deficiency) pathways via the nf-kappab transcription factors rel1 and rel2, which are controlled by the negative regulators cactus and caspar, respectively. rel1- and rel2-dependent transcription in a. gambiae has been shown to be particularly critical to the mosquito's ability to manage infection with the rodent malaria parasite plasmodium berghei. using rna interference to deplete ... | 2009 | 19282971 |
| patterns of variation in the inhibitor of apoptosis 1 gene of aedes triseriatus, a transovarial vector of la crosse virus. | aedes triseriatus mosquitoes transovarially transmit (tot) la crosse virus (lacv) to their offspring with minimal damage to infected ovaries. ae. triseriatus inhibitor of apoptosis 1 (atiap1) is a candidate gene conditioning the ability to vertically transmit lacv. atiap1 was amplified and sequenced in adult mosquitoes reared from field-collected eggs. sequence analysis showed that atiap1 has much higher levels of genetic diversity than genes found in other mosquitoes. despite this large amount ... | 2009 | 19308633 |
| novel mutations in vangl1 in neural tube defects. | neural tube defects (ntds) are severe congenital malformations caused by failure of the neural tube to close during neurulation. their etiology is complex involving both environmental and genetic factors. we have recently reported three mutations in the planar cell polarity gene vangl1 associated with ntds. the aim of the present study was to define the role of vangl1 genetic variants in the development of ntds in a large cohort of various ethnic origins. we identified five novel missense varian ... | 2009 | 19319979 |
| the salivary transcriptome of anopheles gambiae (diptera: culicidae) larvae: a microarray-based analysis. | in spite of the many recent developments in the field of vector sialomics, the salivary glands of larval mosquitoes have been largely unexplored. we used whole-transcriptome microarray analysis to create a gene-expression profile of the salivary gland tissue of fourth-instar anopheles gambiae larvae, and compare it to the gene-expression profile of a matching group of whole larvae. we identified a total of 221 probes with expression values that were (a) significantly enriched in the salivary gla ... | 2009 | 19328852 |
| molecular and functional characterization of adipokinetic hormone receptor and its peptide ligands in bombyx mori. | neuropeptides of the adipokinetic hormone (akh) family are among the best studied hormone peptides, but its signaling pathways remain to be elucidated. in this study, we molecularly characterized the signaling of bombyx akh receptor (akhr) and its peptide ligands in hek293 cells. in hek293 cells stably expressing akhr, akh1 stimulation not only led to a ligand concentration dependent mobilization of intracellular ca(2+) and camp accumulation, but also elicited transient activation of extracellul ... | 2009 | 19345219 |
| imgd: an integrated platform supporting comparative genomics and phylogenetics of insect mitochondrial genomes. | sequences and organization of the mitochondrial genome have been used as markers to investigate evolutionary history and relationships in many taxonomic groups. the rapidly increasing mitochondrial genome sequences from diverse insects provide ample opportunities to explore various global evolutionary questions in the superclass hexapoda. to adequately support such questions, it is imperative to establish an informatics platform that facilitates the retrieval and utilization of available mitocho ... | 2009 | 19351385 |
| identifying the most productive breeding sites for malaria mosquitoes in the gambia. | ideally larval control activities should be targeted at sites that generate the most adult vectors, thereby reducing operational costs. despite the plethora of potential mosquito breeding sites found in the floodplains of the gambia river, about 150 km from its mouth, during the rainy season, only a small proportion are colonized by anophelines on any day. this study aimed to determine the characteristics of larval habitats most frequently and most densely populated by anopheline larvae and to e ... | 2009 | 19361337 |
| insights into long-lasting protection induced by rts,s/as02a malaria vaccine: further results from a phase iib trial in mozambican children. | the pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccine rts,s/as02a has shown to confer protection against clinical malaria for at least 21 months in a trial in mozambican children. efficacy varied between different endpoints, such as parasitaemia or clinical malaria; however the underlying mechanisms that determine efficacy and its duration remain unknown. we performed a new, exploratory analysis to explore differences in the duration of protection among participants to better understand the protection afforded b ... | 2009 | 19365567 |
| the cytochrome p450 (cyp) gene superfamily in daphnia pulex. | cytochrome p450s (cyps) in animals fall into two categories: those that synthesize or metabolize endogenous molecules and those that interact with exogenous chemicals from the diet or the environment. the latter form a critical component of detoxification systems. | 2009 | 19383150 |
| insecticide resistance profiles for malaria vectors in the kassena-nankana district of ghana. | malaria is a major public health problem in ghana. the current strategy of the national malaria control programme is based on effective case management and the use of insecticide treated bed nets among vulnerable groups such as children under-five years of age and pregnant women. resistance to pyrethroids by anopheles gambiae s.l. and anopheles funestus has been reported in several african countries including neighbouring burkina faso. | 2009 | 19389257 |
| a resting box for outdoor sampling of adult anopheles arabiensis in rice irrigation schemes of lower moshi, northern tanzania. | malaria vector sampling is the best method for understanding the vector dynamics and infectivity; thus, disease transmission seasonality can be established. there is a need to protecting humans involved in the sampling of disease vectors during surveillance or in control programmes. in this study, human landing catch, two cow odour baited resting boxes and an unbaited resting box were evaluated as vector sampling tools in an area with a high proportion of anopheles arabiensis, as the major malar ... | 2009 | 19393098 |
| absence of knockdown resistance suggests metabolic resistance in the main malaria vectors of the mekong region. | as insecticide resistance may jeopardize the successful malaria control programmes in the mekong region, a large investigation was previously conducted in the mekong countries to assess the susceptibility of the main malaria vectors against ddt and pyrethroid insecticides. it showed that the main vector, anopheles epiroticus, was highly pyrethroid-resistant in the mekong delta, whereas anopheles minimus sensu lato was pyrethroid-resistant in northern vietnam. anopheles dirus sensu stricto showed ... | 2009 | 19400943 |
| cloning and functional expression of the first eukaryotic na+-tryptophan symporter, agnat6. | the nutrient amino acid transporter (nat) subfamily of the neurotransmitter sodium symporter family (nss, also known as the solute carrier family 6, slc6) represents transport mechanisms with putative synergistic roles in the absorption of essential and conditionally essential neutral amino acids. it includes a large paralogous expansion of insect-specific genes, with seven genes from the genome of the malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae. one of the an. gambiae nats, agnat8, was cloned, function ... | 2009 | 19411550 |
| identification, distribution and molecular evolution of the pacifastin gene family in metazoa. | members of the pacifastin family are serine peptidase inhibitors, most of which are produced as multi domain precursor proteins. structural and biochemical characteristics of insect pacifastin-like peptides have been studied intensively, but only one inhibitor has been functionally characterised. recent sequencing projects of metazoan genomes have created an unprecedented opportunity to explore the distribution, evolution and functional diversification of pacifastin genes in the animal kingdom. | 2009 | 19435517 |
| development of vegetable farming: a cause of the emergence of insecticide resistance in populations of anopheles gambiae in urban areas of benin. | a fast development of urban agriculture has recently taken place in many areas in the republic of benin. this study aims to assess the rapid expansion of urban agriculture especially, its contribution to the emergence of insecticide resistance in populations of anopheles gambiae. | 2009 | 19442297 |
| the anopheles gambiae salivary protein gsg6: an anopheline-specific protein with a blood-feeding role. | the anopheles gambiae salivary gland protein 6 (gsg6) is a small protein specifically found in the salivary glands of adult female mosquitoes. we report here the expression of a recombinant form of the protein and we show that in vivo gsg6 is expressed in distal-lateral lobes and is secreted with the saliva while the female mosquito probes for feeding. injection of gsg6 dsrna into adult a. gambiae females results in decreased gsg6 protein levels, increased probing time and reduced blood feeding ... | 2009 | 19442731 |
| origin and evolution of y chromosomes: drosophila tales. | classically, y chromosomes are thought to originate from x chromosomes through a process of degeneration and gene loss. now, the availability of 12 drosophila genomes provides an opportunity to study the origin and evolution of y chromosomes in an informative phylogenetic context. surprisingly, the majority of drosophila y-linked genes are recent acquisitions from autosomes and y chromosome gene gains are more frequent than gene losses. moreover, the drosophila pseudoobscura y chromosome lacks h ... | 2009 | 19443075 |
| an initial linkage map of the west nile virus vector culex tarsalis. | we have constructed the first genetic linkage map for the north american arboviral vector culex tarsalis. 120 f(2) offspring from a cross between two colonies were genotyped using 25 microsatellites and six inter-simple sequence repeat (issr) markers. we resolved four linkage groups which likely correspond to two full-length chromosomes and two arms of the final chromosome. the longest linkage group contains the sex locus and corresponds to chromosome 3. recombination rates around the sex locus ... | 2009 | 19453767 |
| house design modifications reduce indoor resting malaria vector densities in rice irrigation scheme area in western kenya. | simple modifications of typical rural house design can be an effective and relatively inexpensive method of reducing indoor mosquito vector densities and consequently decreasing malaria transmission. public health scientists have shown the potential for house design to protect people against malaria, yet this type of intervention remains virtually ignored. a randomized-controlled study was, therefore, undertaken to determine the effects of this method of vector control on the density of indoor r ... | 2009 | 19454025 |