Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted descending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| a comparative analysis of three vector-borne diseases across australia using seasonal and meteorological models. | ross river virus (rrv), barmah forest virus (bfv), and dengue are three common mosquito-borne diseases in australia that display notable seasonal patterns. although all three diseases have been modeled on localized scales, no previous study has used harmonic models to compare seasonality of mosquito-borne diseases on a continent-wide scale. we fit poisson harmonic regression models to surveillance data on rrv, bfv, and dengue (from 1993, 1995 and 1991, respectively, through 2015) incorporating s ... | 2017 | 28071683 |
| commensal viruses of mosquitoes: host restriction, transmission, and interaction with arboviral pathogens. | recent advances in virus detection strategies and deep sequencing technologies have enabled the identification of a multitude of new viruses that persistently infect mosquitoes but do not infect vertebrates. these are usually referred to as insect-specific viruses (isvs). these novel viruses have generated considerable interest in their modes of transmission, persistence in mosquito populations, the mechanisms that restrict their host range to mosquitoes, and their interactions with pathogens tr ... | 2017 | 28096646 |
| using next-generation sequencing for dna barcoding: capturing allelic variation in its2. | internal transcribed spacer 2 (its2) is a popular dna barcoding marker; however, in some animal species it is hypervariable and therefore difficult to sequence with traditional methods. with next-generation sequencing (ngs) it is possible to sequence all gene variants despite the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps), insertions/deletions (indels), homopolymeric regions, and microsatellites. our aim was to compare the performance of sanger sequencing and ngs amplicon sequencing in c ... | 2017 | 27799340 |
| predictive modelling of ross river virus notifications in southeastern australia. | ross river virus (rrv) is a mosquito-borne virus endemic to australia. the disease, marked by arthritis, myalgia and rash, has a complex epidemiology involving several mosquito species and wildlife reservoirs. outbreak years coincide with climatic conditions conducive to mosquito population growth. we developed regression models for human rrv notifications in the mildura local government area, victoria, australia with the objective of increasing understanding of the relationships in this complex ... | 2017 | 27866492 |
| identification of very small open reading frames in the genomes of holmes jungle virus, ord river virus, and wongabel virus of the genus hapavirus, family rhabdoviridae. | viruses of the family rhabdoviridae infect a broad range of hosts from a variety of ecological and geographical niches, including vertebrates, arthropods, and plants. the arthropod-transmitted members of this family display considerable genetic diversity and remarkable genomic flexibility that enable coding for various accessory proteins in different locations of the genome. here, we describe the genome of holmes jungle virus, isolated from culex annulirostris mosquitoes collected in northern au ... | 2017 | 28747815 |
| determining culex annulirostris larval densities and control efforts across a coastal wetland, northern territory, australia. | the darwin coastal wetlands provide suitable breeding conditions for culex annulirostris, which is abundant between december and august each year. this species is the principal vector for arboviruses, including ross river virus and murray valley encephalitis, and is an appreciable pest species. aerial control is conducted when routine larval surveys for this species predict high numbers of emergent adults. we sought to determine the most productive vegetation categories and seasonal aspects asso ... | 2016 | 27860005 |
| a newly discovered flavivirus in the yellow fever virus group displays restricted replication in vertebrates. | a novel flavivirus, provisionally named bamaga virus (bgv), was isolated from culex annulirostris mosquitoes collected from northern australia. phylogenetic analysis of the complete nucleotide sequence of the bgv genome revealed it clustered with the yellow fever virus (yfv) group, and was most closely related to edge hill virus (ehv), another australian flavivirus, with 61.9% nucleotide and 63.7% amino acid sequence identity. antigenic analysis of the envelope and pre-membrane proteins of bgv f ... | 2016 | 26878841 |
| a new orbivirus isolated from mosquitoes in north-western australia shows antigenic and genetic similarity to corriparta virus but does not replicate in vertebrate cells. | the discovery and characterisation of new mosquito-borne viruses provides valuable information on the biodiversity of vector-borne viruses and important insights into their evolution. in this study, a broad-spectrum virus screening system, based on the detection of long double-stranded rna in inoculated cell cultures, was used to investigate the presence of novel viruses in mosquito populations of northern australia. we detected and isolated a new virus (tentatively named parry's lagoon virus, p ... | 2016 | 27213426 |
| molecular identification of mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) in southeastern australia. | dna barcoding is a modern species identification technique that can be used to distinguish morphologically similar species, and is particularly useful when using small amounts of starting material from partial specimens or from immature stages. in order to use dna barcoding in a surveillance program, a database containing mosquito barcode sequences is required. this study obtained cytochrome oxidase i (coi) sequences for 113 morphologically identified specimens, representing 29 species, six trib ... | 2016 | 27217948 |
| a case report of mycoplasma wenyonii associated immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia in a dairy cow. | a three year old, second lactation holstein dairy cow presented to the scottish centre for production animal health and food safety, glasgow university veterinary school in november 2014 with a history of post-calving vulval/vaginal bleeding nine days prior to presentation, followed by a sudden reduction in milk yield. subsequent investigations resulted in a diagnosis of immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia secondary to infection with mycoplasma wenyonii. | 2016 | 26807214 |
| a bayesian belief network for murray valley encephalitis virus risk assessment in western australia. | murray valley encephalitis virus (mvev) is a clinically important virus in australia responsible for a number of epidemics over the past century. since there is no vaccine for mvev, other preventive health measures to curtail its spread must be considered, including the development of predictive risk models and maps to help direct public health interventions. this article aims to support these approaches by presenting a model for assessing mvev risk in western australia (wa). | 2016 | 26823368 |
| assessment of local mosquito species incriminates aedes aegypti as the potential vector of zika virus in australia. | within the last 10 years zika virus (zikv) has caused unprecedented epidemics of human disease in the nations and territories of the western pacific and south america, and continues to escalate in both endemic and non-endemic regions. we evaluated the vector competence of australian mosquitoes for zikv to assess their potential role in virus transmission. | 2016 | 27643685 |
| mosquito communities and disease risk influenced by land use change and seasonality in the australian tropics. | anthropogenic land use changes have contributed considerably to the rise of emerging and re-emerging mosquito-borne diseases. these diseases appear to be increasing as a result of the novel juxtapositions of habitats and species that can result in new interchanges of vectors, diseases and hosts. we studied whether the mosquito community structure varied between habitats and seasons and whether known disease vectors displayed habitat preferences in tropical australia. | 2016 | 27388293 |
| wolbachia biocontrol strategies for arboviral diseases and the potential influence of resident wolbachia strains in mosquitoes. | arboviruses transmitted by mosquitoes are a major cause of human disease worldwide. the absence of vaccines and effective vector control strategies has resulted in the need for novel mosquito control strategies. the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia has been proposed to form the basis for an effective mosquito biocontrol strategy. resident strains of wolbachia inhibit viral replication in drosophila fruit flies and induce a reproductive phenotype known as cytoplasmic incompatibility that allows ... | 2016 | 26925368 |
| the insect-specific palm creek virus modulates west nile virus infection in and transmission by australian mosquitoes. | insect-specific viruses do not replicate in vertebrate cells, but persist in mosquito populations and are highly prevalent in nature. these viruses may naturally regulate the transmission of pathogenic vertebrate-infecting arboviruses in co-infected mosquitoes. following the isolation of the first australian insect-specific flavivirus (isf), palm creek virus (pcv), we investigated routes of infection and transmission of this virus in key australian arbovirus vectors and its impact on replication ... | 2016 | 27457250 |
| a glance at subgenomic flavivirus rnas and micrornas in flavivirus infections. | the family flaviviridae comprises a wide variety of viruses that are distributed worldwide, some of which are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. there are neither vaccines nor antivirals for most flavivirus infections, reinforcing the importance of research on different aspects of the viral life cycle. during infection, cytoplasmic accumulation of rna fragments mainly originating from the 3' utrs, which have been designated subgenomic flavivirus rnas (sfrnas), has been detect ... | 2016 | 27233361 |
| the spatio-temporal distribution of japanese encephalitis cases in different age groups in mainland china, 2004 - 2014. | japanese encephalitis (je) is very prevalent in china, but the incidence of je among children has been greatly reduced by extensive promotion of vaccinations. the incidence of je among adults, however, has increased in some parts of china. | 2016 | 27050414 |
| new insights into flavivirus evolution, taxonomy and biogeographic history, extended by analysis of canonical and alternative coding sequences. | to generate the most diverse phylogenetic dataset for the flaviviruses to date, we determined the genomic sequences and phylogenetic relationships of 14 flaviviruses, of which 10 are primarily associated with culex spp. mosquitoes. we analyze these data, in conjunction with a comprehensive collection of flavivirus genomes, to characterize flavivirus evolutionary and biogeographic history in unprecedented detail and breadth. based on the presumed introduction of yellow fever virus into the americ ... | 2015 | 25719412 |
| cullin4 is pro-viral during west nile virus infection of culex mosquitoes. | although mosquitoes serve as vectors of many pathogens of public health importance, their response to viral infection is poorly understood. it also remains to be investigated whether viruses deploy some mechanism to be able to overcome this immune response. here, we have used an rna-seq approach to identify differentially regulated genes in culex quinquefasciatus cells following west nile virus (wnv) infection, identifying 265 transcripts from various cellular pathways that were either upregulat ... | 2015 | 26325027 |
| larval temperature-food effects on adult mosquito infection and vertical transmission of dengue-1 virus. | temperature-food interactions in the larval environment can affect life history and population growth of container mosquitoes aedes aegypti (l.) and aedes albopictus skuse, the primary vectors of chikungunya and dengue viruses. we used ae. aegypti, ae. albopictus, and dengue-1 virus (denv-1) from florida to investigate whether larval rearing temperature can alter the effects of larval food levels on ae. aegypti and ae. albopictus life history and denv-1 infection and vertical transmission. altho ... | 2015 | 26489999 |
| ross river virus: many vectors and unusual hosts make for an unpredictable pathogen. | 2015 | 26335937 | |
| global emergence of alphaviruses that cause arthritis in humans. | arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) may cause severe emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, which pose a significant threat to human and animal health in the world today. these infectious diseases range from mild febrile illnesses, arthritis, and encephalitis to haemorrhagic fevers. it is postulated that certain environmental factors, vector competence, and host susceptibility have a major impact on the ecology of arboviral diseases. presently, there is a great interest in the emergence ... | 2015 | 26689654 |
| development and field evaluation of the sentinel mosquito arbovirus capture kit (smack). | although sentinel animals are used successfully throughout the world to monitor arbovirus activity, ethical considerations and cross-reactions in serological assays highlight the importance of developing viable alternatives. here we outline the development of a passive sentinel mosquito arbovirus capture kit (smack) that allows for the detection of arboviruses on honey-baited nucleic acid preservation cards (flinders technology associates; fta®) and has a similar trap efficacy as standard light ... | 2015 | 26444264 |
| epidemiology and control of bovine ephemeral fever. | bovine ephemeral fever (or 3-day sickness) is an acute febrile illness of cattle and water buffaloes. caused by an arthropod-borne rhabdovirus, bovine ephemeral fever virus (befv), the disease occurs seasonally over a vast expanse of the globe encompassing much of africa, the middle east, asia and australia. although mortality rates are typically low, infection prevalence and morbidity rates during outbreaks are often very high, causing serious economic impacts through loss of milk production, p ... | 2015 | 26511615 |
| trypanosomes modify the behavior of their insect hosts: effects on locomotion and on the expression of a related gene. | as a result of evolution, the biology of triatomines must have been significantly adapted to accommodate trypanosome infection in a complex network of vector-vertebrate-parasite interactions. arthropod-borne parasites have probably developed mechanisms, largely still unknown, to exploit the vector-vertebrate host interactions to ensure their transmission to suitable hosts. triatomines exhibit a strong negative phototaxis and nocturnal activity, believed to be important for insect survival agains ... | 2015 | 26291723 |
| evaluation of traps and lures for mosquito vectors and xenomonitoring of wuchereria bancrofti infection in a high prevalence samoan village. | elimination of lymphatic filariasis (lf) in samoa continues to be challenging despite multiple annual mass drug campaigns aimed at stopping transmission by reducing the prevalence and density of microfilaraemia. the persistence of transmission may be partly related to the highly efficient aedes vectors. the assessment of pathogen transmission by mosquito vectors and of vector control relies on the ability to capture mosquitoes efficiently. the aims of this study are to compare trapping methods t ... | 2015 | 26016830 |
| plant essential oils synergize and antagonize toxicity of different conventional insecticides against myzus persicae (hemiptera: aphididae). | plant-derived products can play an important role in pest management programs. essential oils from lavandula angustifolia (lavender) and thymus vulgaris (thyme) and their main constituents, linalool and thymol, respectively, were evaluated for insecticidal activity and synergistic action in combination with insecticides against green peach aphid, myzus persicae (sulzer) (hemiptera: aphididae). the essential oils and their main constituents exerted similar insecticidal activity when aphids were e ... | 2015 | 26010088 |
| environmental and genetic factors determine whether the mosquito aedes aegypti lays eggs without a blood meal. | some mosquito strains or species are able to lay eggs without taking a blood meal, a trait named autogeny. this may allow populations to persist through times or places where vertebrate hosts are scarce. autogenous egg production is highly dependent on the environment in some species, but the ideal conditions for its expression in aedes aegypti mosquitoes are unknown. we found that 3.2% of females in a population of ae. aegypti from kenya were autogenous. autogeny was strongly influenced by temp ... | 2015 | 25646251 |
| field comparison of cyclopentanone versus carbon dioxide as an attractant for adult mosquitoes in southeast queensland, australia. | cyclopentanone is a saturated monoketone typically used as an intermediate in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, biologicals, insecticides, and rubber chemicals. recently, it has been demonstrated that cyclopentanone activates the cpa co2 receptor neuron on the maxillary palp of mosquitoes, suggesting that it may be a viable alternative to co2 as an attractant for mosquitoes. furthermore, semifield experiments showed that traps baited with cyclopentanone attract culex quinquefasciatus say at a ... | 2015 | 26334825 |
| the west nile virus-like flavivirus koutango is highly virulent in mice due to delayed viral clearance and the induction of a poor neutralizing antibody response. | the mosquito-borne west nile virus (wnv) is responsible for outbreaks of viral encephalitis in humans, horses, and birds, with particularly virulent strains causing recent outbreaks of disease in eastern europe, the middle east, north america, and australia. previous studies have phylogenetically separated wnv strains into two main genetic lineages (i and ii) containing virulent strains associated with neurological disease. several wnv-like strains clustering outside these lineages have been ide ... | 2014 | 24942584 |
| recent weather extremes and impacts on agricultural production and vector-borne disease outbreak patterns. | we document significant worldwide weather anomalies that affected agriculture and vector-borne disease outbreaks during the 2010-2012 period. we utilized 2000-2012 vegetation index and land surface temperature data from nasa's satellite-based moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) to map the magnitude and extent of these anomalies for diverse regions including the continental united states, russia, east africa, southern africa, and australia. we demonstrate that shifts in temperat ... | 2014 | 24658301 |
| seasonal drivers of the epidemiology of arthropod-borne viruses in australia. | arthropod-borne viruses are a major cause of emerging disease with significant public health and economic impacts. however, the factors that determine their activity and seasonality are not well understood. in australia, a network of sentinel cattle herds is used to monitor the distribution of several such viruses and to define virus-free regions. herein, we utilize these serological data to describe the seasonality, and its drivers, of three economically important animal arboviruses: bluetongue ... | 2014 | 25412443 |
| environmental predictors of west nile fever risk in europe. | west nile virus (wnv) is a mosquito-borne pathogen of global public health importance. transmission of wnv is determined by abiotic and biotic factors. the objective of this study was to examine environmental variables as predictors of wnv risk in europe and neighboring countries, considering the anomalies of remotely sensed water and vegetation indices and of temperature at the locations of west nile fever (wnf) outbreaks reported in humans between 2002 and 2013. | 2014 | 24986363 |
| complete coding sequences of three members of the kokobera group of flaviviruses. | the kokobera group of flaviviruses circulates in australia and papua, new guinea, and has been associated with occasional human polyarticular disease. to facilitate future studies to identify virulence determinants, the complete coding regions of the stratford virus, and isolates of the bainyik virus and torres virus were obtained. | 2014 | 25237018 |
| a spatial and temporal analysis of japanese encephalitis in mainland china, 1963-1975: a period without japanese encephalitis vaccination. | more than a million japanese encephalitis (je) cases occurred in mainland china from the 1960s to 1970s without vaccine interventions. the aim of this study is to analyze the spatial and temporal pattern of je cases reported in mainland china from 1965 to 1973 in the absence of je vaccination, and to discuss the impacts of climatic and geographical factors on je during that period. thus, the data of reported je cases at provincial level and monthly precipitation and monthly mean temperature from ... | 2014 | 24911168 |
| regional impact of climate on japanese encephalitis in areas located near the three gorges dam. | in this study, we aim to identify key climatic factors that are associated with the transmission of japanese encephalitis virus in areas located near the three gorges dam, between 1997 and 2008. | 2014 | 24404159 |
| a new species of mesonivirus from the northern territory, australia. | here we describe casuarina virus (casv), a new virus in the family mesoniviridae. this is the first report of a mesonivirus in australia, which extends the geographical range of this virus family to 3 continents. the virus was isolated in 2010 from coquillettidia xanthogaster mosquitoes during surveillance in the suburbs of darwin, the capital of the northern territory. cryo-electron microscopy of the casv virions revealed spherical particles of 65 nm in size with large club-shaped projections o ... | 2014 | 24670468 |
| programmed ribosomal frameshift alters expression of west nile virus genes and facilitates virus replication in birds and mosquitoes. | west nile virus (wnv) is a human pathogen of significant medical importance with close to 40,000 cases of encephalitis and more than 1,600 deaths reported in the us alone since its first emergence in new york in 1999. previous studies identified a motif in the beginning of non-structural gene ns2a of encephalitic flaviviruses including wnv which induces programmed -1 ribosomal frameshift (prf) resulting in production of an additional ns protein ns1'. we have previously demonstrated that mutant w ... | 2014 | 25375107 |
| rainfall and sentinel chicken seroconversions predict human cases of murray valley encephalitis in the north of western australia. | murray valley encephalitis virus (mvev) is a flavivirus that occurs in australia and new guinea. while clinical cases are uncommon, mvev can cause severe encephalitis with high mortality. sentinel chicken surveillance is used at many sites around australia to provide an early warning system for risk of human infection in areas that have low population density and geographical remoteness. mvev in western australia occurs in areas of low population density and geographical remoteness, resulting in ... | 2014 | 25490948 |
| ross river virus (rrv) infection in horses and humans: a review. | a fascinating and important arbovirus is ross river virus (rrv) which is endemic and epizootic in nature in certain parts of the world. rrv is a member of the genus alphavirus within the semliki forest complex of the family togaviridae, which also includes the getah virus. the virus is responsible for causing disease both in humans as well as horses. mosquito species (aedes camptorhynchus and aedes vigilax; culex annulirostris) are the most important vector for this virus. in places of low tempe ... | 2014 | 26035950 |
| koolpinyah and yata viruses: two newly recognised ephemeroviruses from tropical regions of australia and africa. | koolpinyah virus (koolv) isolated from healthy australian cattle and yata virus (yatv) isolated from a pool of mansonia uniformis mosquitoes in the central african republic have been tentatively identified as rhabdoviruses. koolv was shown previously to be related antigenically to kotonkon virus, an ephemerovirus that has caused an ephemeral fever-like illness in cattle in nigeria, but yatv failed to react antigenically with any other virus tested. here we report the complete genome sequences of ... | 2014 | 25457369 |
| role of enhanced vector transmission of a new west nile virus strain in an outbreak of equine disease in australia in 2011. | in 2011, a variant of west nile virus kunjin strain (wnvkun) caused an unprecedented epidemic of neurological disease in horses in southeast australia, resulting in almost 1,000 cases and a 9% fatality rate. we investigated whether increased fitness of the virus in the primary vector, culex annulirostris, and another potential vector, culex australicus, contributed to the widespread nature of the outbreak. | 2014 | 25499981 |
| epidemiologic patterns of ross river virus disease in queensland, australia, 2001-2011. | ross river virus (rrv) infection is a debilitating disease that has a significant impact on population health, economic productivity, and tourism in australia. this study examined epidemiologic patterns of rrv disease in queensland, australia, during january 2001-december 2011 at a statistical local area level. spatio-temporal analyses were used to identify the patterns of the disease distribution over time stratified by age, sex, and space. the results show that the mean annual incidence was 54 ... | 2014 | 24799374 |
| complete genome sequences of the prototype isolates of genotypes 2, 3, and 4 of murray valley encephalitis virus. | murray valley encephalitis virus (mvev) (flaviviridae family, flavivirus genus), a mosquito-borne pathogen of humans and horses, is endemic to the australasian region. we report here the complete genomes of the prototype strains of mvev genotypes 2, 3, and 4. | 2014 | 24948762 |
| the changing epidemiology of murray valley encephalitis in australia: the 2011 outbreak and a review of the literature. | murray valley encephalitis virus (mvev) is the most serious of the endemic arboviruses in australia. it was responsible for six known large outbreaks of encephalitis in south-eastern australia in the 1900s, with the last comprising 58 cases in 1974. since then mvev clinical cases have been largely confined to the western and central parts of northern australia. in 2011, high-level mvev activity occurred in south-eastern australia for the first time since 1974, accompanied by unusually heavy seas ... | 2014 | 24466360 |
| comparison of genotypes i and iii in japanese encephalitis virus reveals distinct differences in their genetic and host diversity. | japanese encephalitis (je) is an arthropod-borne disease associated with the majority of viral encephalitis cases in the asia-pacific region. the causative agent, japanese encephalitis virus (jev), has been phylogenetically divided into five genotypes. recent surveillance data indicate that genotype i (gi) is gradually replacing genotype iii (giii) as the dominant genotype. to investigate the mechanism behind the genotype shift and the potential consequences in terms of vaccine efficacy, human c ... | 2014 | 25056890 |
| ecology of west nile virus in north america. | the introduction, dispersal and establishment of west nile virus in north america were reviewed, focusing on factors that may have enhanced receptivity and enabled the invasion process. the overwintering persistence of this tropical virus within temperate latitudes was unexpected, but was key in the transition from invasion to endemic establishment. the cascade of temporal events allowing sporadic amplification to outbreak levels was discussed within a future perspective. | 2013 | 24008376 |
| a new insect-specific flavivirus from northern australia suppresses replication of west nile virus and murray valley encephalitis virus in co-infected mosquito cells. | recent reports of a novel group of flaviviruses that replicate only in mosquitoes and appear to spread through insect populations via vertical transmission have emerged from around the globe. to date, there is no information on the presence or prevalence of these insect-specific flaviviruses (isfs) in australian mosquito species. to assess whether such viruses occur locally, we used reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) and flavivirus universal primers that are specific to the ... | 2013 | 23460804 |
| review of insecticide resistance and behavioral avoidance of vectors of human diseases in thailand. | physiological resistance and behavioral responses of mosquito vectors to insecticides are critical aspects of the chemical-based disease control equation. the complex interaction between lethal, sub-lethal and excitation/repellent ('excito-repellent') properties of chemicals is typically overlooked in vector management and control programs. the development of "physiological" resistance, metabolic and/or target site modifications, to insecticides has been well documented in many insect groups and ... | 2013 | 24294938 |
| enhanced arbovirus surveillance with deep sequencing: identification of novel rhabdoviruses and bunyaviruses in australian mosquitoes. | viral metagenomics characterizes known and identifies unknown viruses based on sequence similarities to any previously sequenced viral genomes. a metagenomics approach was used to identify virus sequences in australian mosquitoes causing cytopathic effects in inoculated mammalian cell cultures. sequence comparisons revealed strains of liao ning virus (reovirus, seadornavirus), previously detected only in china, livestock-infecting stretch lagoon virus (reovirus, orbivirus), two novel dimarhabdov ... | 2013 | 24314645 |
| mosquito consumption by insectivorous bats: does size matter? | insectivorous bats have often been touted as biological control for mosquito populations. however, mosquitoes generally represent only a small proportion of bat diet. given the small size of mosquitoes, restrictions imposed on prey detectability by low frequency echolocation, and variable field metabolic rates (fmr), mosquitoes may not be available to or profitable for all bats. this study investigated whether consumption of mosquitoes was influenced by bat size, which is negatively correlated w ... | 2013 | 24130851 |
| foraging ranges of insectivorous bats shift relative to changes in mosquito abundance. | the need to develop effective management strategies for insectivorous bat populations requires an understanding of factors influencing habitat use. availability of pest prey, such as mosquitoes is likely to be one such factor. to assess whether this is the case, we radio-tracked vespadelus vulturnus thomas (little forest bat), a predator of aedes vigilax skuse (saltmarsh mosquito), in saltmarsh and adjacent coastal swamp forest during periods of high and low ae. vigilax abundance. when mosquito ... | 2013 | 23667699 |
| a tyrosine-to-histidine switch at position 18 of the ross river virus e2 glycoprotein is a determinant of virus fitness in disparate hosts. | arthritogenic alphaviruses are human pathogens maintained in nature through alternating replication in vertebrates and mosquitoes. using chimeric viruses, we previously reported that replacement of the pe2 coding region of the t48 strain of ross river virus (rrv-t48) with that from the attenuated dc5692 strain, which differ by 7 amino acids, resulted in an attenuated disease phenotype in a mouse model of rrv-induced rheumatic disease. here, we demonstrate that introduction of one of these amino ... | 2013 | 23514884 |
| potential changes in disease patterns and pharmaceutical use in response to climate change. | as climate change alters environmental conditions, the incidence and global patterns of human diseases are changing. these modifications to disease profiles and the effects upon human pharmaceutical usage are discussed. climate-related environmental changes are associated with a rise in the incidence of chronic diseases already prevalent in the northern hemisphere, for example, cardiovascular disease and mental illness, leading to greater use of associated heavily used western medications. suffe ... | 2013 | 23909463 |
| gene duplication and phylogeography of north american members of the hart park serogroup of avian rhabdoviruses. | flanders virus (flav) and hart park virus (hpv) are rhabdoviruses that circulate in mosquito-bird cycles in the eastern and western united states, respectively, and constitute the only two north american representatives of the hart park serogroup. previously, it was suggested that flav is unique among the rhabdoviruses in that it contains two pseudogenes located between the p and m genes, while the cognate sequence for hpv has been lacking. herein, we demonstrate that flav and hpv do not contain ... | 2013 | 24314659 |
| natural exposure of horses to mosquito-borne flaviviruses in south-east queensland, australia. | in 2011 an unprecedented epidemic of equine encephalitis occurred in south-eastern (se) australia following heavy rainfall and severe flooding in the preceding 2-4 months. less than 6% of the documented cases occurred in queensland, prompting the question of pre-existing immunity in queensland horses. a small-scale serological survey was conducted on horses residing in one of the severely flood-affected areas of se-queensland. using a flavivirus-specific blocking-elisa we found that 63% (39/62) ... | 2013 | 24048209 |
| distribution of mosquito larvae on kosrae island, kosrae state, the federated states of micronesia. | surveys of mosquito larvae were carried out in six areas of kosrae island, kosrae state, the federated states of micronesia in december 2009 and june 2012. a total of 962 larvae of six species were collected from 106 natural and artificial habitats. they were identified as aedes aegypti, ae. albopictus, ae. marshallensis, culex quinquefasciatus, cx. annulirostris, and cx. kusaiensis. this is the first report from kosrae island for three of these species-ae. marshallensis, cx. quinquefasciatus, a ... | 2013 | 24478593 |
| full genome sequencing and genetic characterization of eubenangee viruses identify pata virus as a distinct species within the genus orbivirus. | eubenangee virus has previously been identified as the cause of tammar sudden death syndrome (tsds). eubenangee virus (eubv), tilligery virus (tilv), pata virus (patav) and ngoupe virus (ngov) are currently all classified within the eubenangee virus species of the genus orbivirus, family reoviridae. full genome sequencing confirmed that eubv and tilv (both of which are from australia) show high levels of aa sequence identity (>92%) in the conserved polymerase vp1(pol), sub-core vp3(t2) and outer ... | 2012 | 22438872 |
| surveillance should be strengthened to improve epidemiological understandings of mosquito-borne barmah forest virus infection. | barmah forest virus (bfv) is a mosquito-borne virus causing epidemic polyarthritis in australia. this study used case follow-up of cases from the surveillance system to demonstrate that routinely collected bfv notification data were an unreliable indicator of the true location of exposure. | 2012 | 23908926 |
| ecological niche modeling to estimate the distribution of japanese encephalitis virus in asia. | culex tritaeniorhynchus is the primary vector of japanese encephalitis virus (jev), a leading cause of encephalitis in asia. jev is transmitted in an enzootic cycle involving large wading birds as the reservoirs and swine as amplifying hosts. the development of a jev vaccine reduced the number of je cases in regions with comprehensive childhood vaccination programs, such as in japan and the republic of korea. however, the lack of vaccine programs or insufficient coverage of populations in other ... | 2012 | 22724030 |
| rapid molecular detection methods for arboviruses of livestock of importance to northern europe. | arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) have been responsible for some of the most explosive epidemics of emerging infectious diseases over the past decade. their impact on both human and livestock populations has been dramatic. the early detection either through surveillance or diagnosis of virus will be a critical feature in responding and resolving the emergence of such epidemics in the future. although some of the most important emerging arboviruses are human pathogens, this paper aims to high ... | 2012 | 22219660 |
| culex annulirostris (diptera: culicidae) host feeding patterns and japanese encephalitis virus ecology in northern australia. | japanese encephalitis virus (jev) transmission in northern australia has, in the past, been facilitated by culex annulirostris skuse feeding on domestic pigs, the primary amplifying hosts of the virus. to further characterize mosquito feeding behavior in northern australia, 1,128 bloodmeals from cx. annulirostris were analyzed using a double-antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. overall, cx. annulirostris obtained > 94% of blood meals from mammals, comprising marsupials (37%), pigs (20%), ... | 2012 | 22493857 |
| murray valley encephalitis: a review of clinical features, diagnosis and treatment. | murray valley encephalitis virus (mvev) is a mosquito-borne virus that is found across australia, papua new guinea and irian jaya. mvev is endemic to northern australia and causes occasional outbreaks across south-eastern australia. 2011 saw a dramatic increase in mvev activity in endemic regions and the re-emergence of mvev in south-eastern australia. this followed significant regional flooding and increased numbers of the main mosquito vector, culex annulirostris, and was evident from the wide ... | 2012 | 22432670 |
| efficacy of residual insecticide biflex aquamax applied as barrier treatments for managing mosquito populations in suburban residential properties in southeast queensland. | the pyrethroid insecticide biflex aquamax (bifenthrin) was evaluated for its ability to suppress coastal mosquito populations in a controlled suburban backyard study in mango hill, queensland, australia. the insecticide was applied to perimeter vegetation, fencing in selected backyards, or both, and mosquito populations were monitored weekly from 3 wk before to 8 wk after treatment (11 wk total) by using cdc miniature light traps and human bait landing rates. in addition, bioassays were conducte ... | 2012 | 23025182 |
| a comparison of adult mosquito trapping regimes across seasons and ecosystems in darwin, australia. | mosquitoes are problematic as vectors and pests in many tropical cities, including darwin, the principal city in the northern territory of australia. to monitor peaks in mosquito populations, the medical entomology unit of the health department sets overnight co(2) -baited traps weekly. trap setting and retrieving, followed by mosquito counting and identification, are labor intensive. aiming to reduce this workload, we tested the hypothesis that fortnightly trapping is as effective as weekly tra ... | 2012 | 23181850 |
| malakal virus from africa and kimberley virus from australia are geographic variants of a widely distributed ephemerovirus. | kimberley virus (kimv) is an arthropod-borne rhabdovirus that was isolated in 1973 and on several subsequent occasions from healthy cattle, mosquitoes (culex annulirostris) and biting midges (culicoides brevitarsis) in australia. malakal virus (malv) is an antigenically related rhabdovirus isolated in 1963 from mosquitoes (mansonia uniformis) in sudan. we report here the complete genome sequences of kimv (15442 nt) and malv (15444 nt). the genomes have a similar organisation (3'-l-n-p-m-g-g(ns)- ... | 2012 | 22925335 |
| effects of landscape disturbance on mosquito community composition in tropical australia. | emerging infectious diseases are considered to be a growing threat to human and wildlife health. such diseases might be facilitated by anthropogenic land-use changes that cause novel juxtapositions of different habitats and species and result in new interchanges of vectors, diseases, and hosts. to search for such effects in tropical australia, we sampled mosquito populations across anthropogenic disturbance gradients of grassland, artificial rainforest edge, and rainforest interior. from >15,000 ... | 2012 | 22548538 |
| the contribution of rodent models to the pathological assessment of flaviviral infections of the central nervous system. | members of the genus flavivirus are responsible for a spectrum of important neurological syndromes in humans and animals. rodent models have been used extensively to model flavivirus neurological disease, to discover host-pathogen interactions that influence disease outcome, and as surrogates to determine the efficacy and safety of vaccines and therapeutics. in this review, we discuss the current understanding of flavivirus neuroinvasive disease and outline the host, viral and experimental facto ... | 2012 | 22592957 |
| Globalization, land use, and the invasion of West Nile virus. | Many invasive species that have been spread through the globalization of trade and travel are pathogens. A paradigmatic case is the introduction of West Nile virus (WNV) into North America in 1999. A decade of research on the ecology and evolution of WNV includes three findings that provide insight into the outcome of future pathogen introductions. First, WNV transmission in North America is highest in urbanized and agricultural habitats, in part because the hosts and vectors of WNV are abundant ... | 2011 | 22021850 |
| application of satellite precipitation data to analyse and model arbovirus activity in the tropics. | murray valley encephalitis virus (mvev) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus (flaviviridae: flavivirus) which is closely related to japanese encephalitis virus, west nile virus and st. louis encephalitis virus. mvev is enzootic in northern australia and papua new guinea and epizootic in other parts of australia. activity of mvev in western australia (wa) is monitored by detection of seroconversions in flocks of sentinel chickens at selected sample sites throughout wa. rainfall is a major environmental ... | 2011 | 21255449 |
| the 6a resolution cryo-em barmah forest virus structure shows detailed transmembrane proteins architecture and interactions. | barmah forest virus (bfv) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that infects humans. a 6å resolution cryo-electron microscopy three-dimensional structure of bfv exhibits a typical alphavirus organization with rna-containing nucleocapsid surrounded by a bilipid membrane anchored with the surface proteins e1 and e2. the map allows details of the transmembrane regions of e1 and e2 to be seen. the c-terminal end of the e2 transmembrane helix binds to the capsid protein. following the e2 transmembrane helix ... | 2011 | 21752915 |
| entomological study of chikungunya infections in the state of kelantan, malaysia. | chikungunya infection has become a public health threat in malaysia since the 2008 nationwide outbreaks. aedes albopictus skuse has been identified as the chikungunya vector in johor state during the outbreaks. in 2009, several outbreaks had been reported in the state of kelantan. entomological studies were conducted in kelantan in four districts, namely jeli, tumpat, pasir mas and tanah merah to identify the vector responsible for the virus transmission. | 2011 | 21727669 |
| type iii ifns in pteropid bats: differential expression patterns provide evidence for distinct roles in antiviral immunity. | bats are known to harbor a number of emerging and re-emerging zoonotic viruses, many of which are highly pathogenic in other mammals but result in no clinical symptoms in bats. the ability of bats to coexist with viruses may be the result of rapid control of viral replication early in the immune response. ifns provide the first line of defense against viral infection in vertebrates. type iii ifns (ifn-?s) are a recently identified ifn family that share similar antiviral activities with type i if ... | 2011 | 21278349 |
| the current status and future directions of myxoma virus, a master in immune evasion. | abstract: myxoma virus (myxv) gained importance throughout the twentieth century because of the use of the highly virulent standard laboratory strain (sls) by the australian government in the attempt to control the feral australian population of oryctolagus cuniculus (european rabbit) and the subsequent illegal release of myxv in europe. in the european rabbit, myxv causes a disease with an exceedingly high mortality rate, named myxomatosis, which is passively transmitted by biting arthropod vec ... | 2011 | 21658227 |
| west nile virus (kunjin subtype) disease in the northern territory of australia--a case of encephalitis and review of all reported cases. | west nile virus kunjin subtype (wnv/kunv) is enzootic across the tropical north of australia, with epizootic spread into other jurisdictions. the clinical spectrum of illness in humans is poorly described. we report a clinical case of wnv/kunv encephalitis and performed a retrospective chart audit of all cases of wnv/kunv notified in the northern territory from 1992 to 2010. thirteen cases of wnv/kunv disease were identified; case notes were available for 10 of these presentations. six of these ... | 2011 | 22049056 |
| Habitat modification for mosquito control in the Ilparpa Swamp, Northern Territory, Australia. | Habitat modification is an established method of effective long-term mosquito management, particularly in salt-marsh environments. It is especially pertinent when mosquitoes are known vectors of life-threatening disease and their larval breeding habitat is in close proximity to residential areas. The Ilparpa Swamp is located less than 10 km from Alice Springs, Northern Territory. Wet season rainfall, often followed by effluent discharges to the swamp from the adjacent sewage treatment plant, cre ... | 2011 | 22129400 |
| spatio-temporal patterns of barmah forest virus disease in queensland, australia. | barmah forest virus (bfv) disease is a common and wide-spread mosquito-borne disease in australia. this study investigated the spatio-temporal patterns of bfv disease in queensland, australia using geographical information system (gis) tools and geostatistical analysis. | 2011 | 22022430 |
| Umatilla virus genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis: identification of stretch lagoon orbivirus as a new member of the Umatilla virus species. | The genus Orbivirus, family Reoviridae, includes 22 species of viruses with genomes composed of ten segments of linear dsRNA that are transmitted between their vertebrate hosts by insects or ticks, or with no identified vectors. Full-genome sequence data are available for representative isolates of the insect borne mammalian orbiviruses (including bluetongue virus), as well as a tick borne avian orbivirus (Great Island virus). However, no sequence data are as yet available for the mosquito borne ... | 2011 | 21897849 |
| environmental monitoring to enhance comprehension and control of infectious diseases. | in a world of emerging and resurging infectious diseases, dominated by zoonoses, environmental monitoring plays a vital role in our understanding their dynamics and their spillover to humans. here, we critically review the ecology, epidemiology and need for monitoring of a variety of directly transmitted (sin nombre virus, avian influenza) and vector-borne (ross river virus, west nile virus, lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis) zoonoses. we focus on the valuable role that existing monitori ... | 2010 | 20957286 |
| application of broad-spectrum resequencing microarray for genotyping rhabdoviruses. | the rapid and accurate identification of pathogens is critical in the control of infectious disease. to this end, we analyzed the capacity for viral detection and identification of a newly described high-density resequencing microarray (rma), termed pathogenid, which was designed for multiple pathogen detection using database similarity searching. we focused on one of the largest and most diverse viral families described to date, the family rhabdoviridae. we demonstrate that this approach has th ... | 2010 | 20610710 |
| difference in mosquito species (diptera: culicidae) and the transmission of ross river virus between coastline and inland areas in brisbane, australia. | this study examined the distribution of major mosquito species and their roles in the transmission of ross river virus (rrv) infection for coastline and inland areas in brisbane, australia (27 degrees 28' s, 153 degrees 2' e). we obtained data on the monthly counts of rrv cases in brisbane between november 1998 and december 2001 by statistical local areas from the queensland department of health and the monthly mosquito abundance from the brisbane city council. correlation analysis was used to a ... | 2010 | 20146843 |
| bayesian spatiotemporal analysis of socio-ecologic drivers of ross river virus transmission in queensland, australia. | this study aims to examine the impact of socio-ecologic factors on the transmission of ross river virus (rrv) infection and to identify areas prone to social and ecologic-driven epidemics in queensland, australia. we used a bayesian spatiotemporal conditional autoregressive model to quantify the relationship between monthly variation of rrv incidence and socio-ecologic factors and to determine spatiotemporal patterns. our results show that the average increase in monthly rrv incidence was 2.4% ( ... | 2010 | 20810846 |
| melanotaenia duboulayi influence oviposition site selection by culex annulirostris (diptera: culicidae) and aedes notoscriptus (diptera: culicidae) but not culex quinquefasciatus (diptera: culicidae). | some species of mosquito can detect the presence of larvivorous fish and select against ovipositing in pools supporting them. the effect of kairomones released by the crimson-spotted rainbowfish melanotaenia duboulayi (castelnau) on the oviposition behavior of the freshwater mosquitoes culex annulirostris skuse, culex quinquefasciatus say, and aedes notoscriptus skuse was evaluated in both laboratory and outdoor artificial pool experiments. in the laboratory, colony-reared cx. annulirostris sele ... | 2010 | 20388286 |
| blood feeding patterns of mosquitoes: random or structured? | abstract: | 2010 | 20205866 |
| exploiting mosquito sugar feeding to detect mosquito-borne pathogens. | arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) represent a global public health problem, with dengue viruses causing millions of infections annually, while emerging arboviruses, such as west nile, japanese encephalitis, and chikungunya viruses have dramatically expanded their geographical ranges. surveillance of arboviruses provides vital data regarding their prevalence and distribution that may be utilized for biosecurity measures and the implementation of disease control strategies. however, current su ... | 2010 | 20534559 |
| arboviral encephalitides: transmission, emergence, and pathogenesis. | arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are of paramount concern as a group of pathogens at the forefront of emerging and re-emerging diseases. although some arboviral infections are asymptomatic or present with a mild influenza-like illness, many are important human and veterinary pathogens causing serious illness ranging from rash and arthritis to encephalitis and hemorrhagic fever. here, we discuss arboviruses from diverse families (flaviviruses, alphaviruses, and the bunyaviridae) that are cau ... | 2010 | 20652430 |
| larval environmental temperature and the susceptibility of aedes albopictus skuse (diptera: culicidae) to chikungunya virus. | a key feature in the recent widespread epidemic of the mosquito-borne alphavirus chikungunya virus (chikv) was the important role of aedes albopictus, formerly regarded as a secondary vector, compared to the presumed primary vector aedes aegypti. ae. albopictus, a container-inhabiting mosquito, is an invasive species that occurs over a wide geographic range spanning tropical and temperate latitudes. in this study we examine the effects of a broad range of larval rearing temperatures on chikv inf ... | 2010 | 19725768 |
| determination of mosquito (diptera: culicidae) bloodmeal sources in western australia: implications for arbovirus transmission. | a double-antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the bloodmeal sources of adult mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) collected in encephalitis vector surveillance mosquito traps in western australia between may 1993 and august 2004. in total, 2,606 blood-fed mosquitoes, representing 29 mosquito species, were tested, and 81.7% reacted with one or more of the primary antibodies. aedes camptorhynchus (thomson) and culex annulirostris skuse were the most common species tested, ma ... | 2009 | 19769051 |
| are commercially available essential oils from australian native plants repellent to mosquitoes? | while the use of topical insect repellents, particularly those containing synthetic active ingredients such as deet (n,n-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide), are a mainstay in personal protection strategies emphasized in public health messages, there is a growing demand in the community for alternative repellents, particularly those of botanical origin and thus deemed to be "natural." this study evaluated the repellency of essential oils from 11 australian native plants in 5% v/v formulations against aed ... | 2009 | 19852219 |
| resolving genetic diversity in australasian culex mosquitoes: incongruence between the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase i and nuclear acetylcholine esterase 2. | insects that vector pathogens are under constant surveillance in australasia although the repertoire of genetic markers to distinguish what are often cryptic mosquito species remains limited. we present a comparative assessment of the second exon-intron region of the acetylcholine esterase 2 gene (ace-2) and the mitochondrial dna cytochrome c oxidase i (coi) using two closely related australasia mosquitoes culex annulirostris and culex palpalis. the coi revealed eight divergent lineages of which ... | 2009 | 19059488 |
| tahyna virus and human infection, china. | in 2006, tahyna virus was isolated from culex spp. mosquitoes collected in xinjiang, people's republic of china. in 2007, to determine whether this virus was infecting humans, we tested serum from febrile patients. we found immunoglobulin (ig) m and igg against the virus, which suggests human infection in this region. | 2009 | 19193280 |
| genomic sequence and phylogenetic analysis of culex flavivirus, an insect-specific flavivirus, isolated from culex pipiens (diptera: culicidae) in iowa. | adult mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) were collected in 2007 and tested for specific viruses, including west nile virus, as part of the ongoing arbovirus surveillance efforts in the state of iowa. a subset of these mosquitoes (6,061 individuals in 340 pools) was further tested by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) using flavivirus universal primers. of the 211 pools of culex pipiens (l.) tested, 50 were positive. one of 51 pools of culex tarsalis coquillet was also positive ... | 2009 | 19645300 |
| laboratory and field evaluation of ss220 and deet against mosquitoes in queensland, australia. | laboratory and field efficacy trials comparing deet (n,n-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) and ss220 [(is, 2's)-2-methylpiperindinyl-3-cyclohexen-1-carboxamide] against mosquitoes in queensland, australia, were conducted. in the laboratory, both compounds provided between 150 and 195 min of protection against aedes aegypti and between 18 and 80 min of protection against anopheles farauti. in laboratory tests against culex annulirostris, 20% ss220 provided 3 h of protection and 20% deet provided >6 h of ... | 2009 | 19653499 |
| transmission of japanese encephalitis virus from the black flying fox, pteropus alecto, to culex annulirostris mosquitoes, despite the absence of detectable viremia. | to determine the potential role of flying foxes in transmission cycles of japanese encephalitis virus (jev) in australia, we exposed pteropus alecto (megachiroptera: pteropididae) to jev via infected culex annulirostris mosquitoes or inoculation. no flying foxes developed symptoms consistent with jev infection. anti-jev igg antibodies developed in 6/10 flying foxes exposed to infected cx. annulirostris and in 5/5 inoculated flying foxes. low-level viremia was detected by real-time reverse transc ... | 2009 | 19706915 |
| quantifying the drivers of larval density patterns in two tropical mosquito species to maximize control efficiency. | understanding the contributions of environmental variation and density feedbacks to changes in vector populations is essential for designing effective vector control. we analyzed monitoring datasets describing larval densities over 7 yr of the two dominant mosquito species, aedes vigilax (skuse) and culex annulirostris (skuse), of the greater darwin area (northern territory, australia). using generalized linear and linear mixed-effects models, we tested hypotheses regarding the environmental det ... | 2009 | 19689879 |
| genetic and epidemiological characterization of stretch lagoon orbivirus, a novel orbivirus isolated from culex and aedes mosquitoes in northern australia. | stretch lagoon orbivirus (slov) was isolated in 2002 from pooled culex annulirostris mosquitoes collected at stretch lagoon, near the wolfe creek national park in the kimberley region of western australia. conventional serological tests were unable to identify the isolate, and electron microscopy indicated a virus of the genus orbivirus, family reoviridae. here, a cdna subtraction method was used to obtain approximately one-third of the viral genome, and further sequencing was performed to compl ... | 2009 | 19282430 |
| changing patterns of west nile virus transmission: altered vector competence and host susceptibility. | west nile virus (wnv) is a flavivirus (flaviviridae) transmitted between culex spp. mosquitoes and avian hosts. the virus has dramatically expanded its geographic range in the past ten years. increases in global commerce, climate change, ecological factors and the emergence of novel viral genotypes likely play significant roles in the emergence of this virus; however, the exact mechanism and relative importance of each is uncertain. previously wnv was primarily associated with febrile illness of ... | 2009 | 19406093 |
| comparative field evaluation of repellent formulations containing deet and ir3535 against mosquitoes in queensland, australia. | field trials comparing repellent formulations containing ir3535 (ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate) and deet (n,n-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) against mosquitoes in queensland, australia, were conducted. two repellents were compared: avon bug guard, containing 7.5% ir3535; and australian defense force (adf) deet, containing 35% deet in a gel. two tests were conducted, one in february-march 2006, and the second in february 2007. in the 1st test, the predominant mosquito species collected were manson ... | 2009 | 20099600 |
| differential impact of west nile virus on california birds. | the strain of west nile virus (wnv) currently epidemic in north america contains a genetic mutation elevating its virulence in birds, especially species in the family corvidae. although dead american crows (corvus brachyrhynchos) have been the hallmark of the epidemic, the overall impact of wnv on north america's avifauna remains poorly understood and has not been addressed thoroughly in california. here, we evaluate variation by species in the effect of wnv on california birds from 2004 to 2007 ... | 2009 | 20589226 |
| microsporidia evolved from ancestral sexual fungi. | microsporidia are obligate, intracellular eukaryotic pathogens that infect animal cells, including humans [1]. previous studies suggested microsporidia share a common ancestor with fungi [2-7]. however, the exact nature of this phylogenetic relationship is unclear because of unusual features of microsporidial genomes, which are compact with fewer and highly divergent genes [8]. as a consequence, it is unclear whether microsporidia evolved from a specific fungal lineage, or whether microsporidia ... | 2008 | 18976912 |