Article
Ecology
Gordian Rocky Mataba, Nicholas William Clark, Eliningaya J. Kweka, Linus Munishi, Luc Brendonck, Bram Vanschoenwinkel
Summary: The study investigated the effects of the biological larvicide Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) on Culex oviposition and nontarget species. The results showed that Bti effectively reduced larval density and survivorship of Culex mosquitoes without affecting nontarget insects. Additionally, Bti stimulated phytoplankton density but reduced herbivore density.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shilin Xie, John M. Marzluff, Yuebo Su, Yaqing Wang, Nan Meng, Tong Wu, Cheng Gong, Fei Lu, Chaofan Xian, Yan Zhang, Zhiyun Ouyang
Summary: Urban waterbodies play a significant role in avian ecology, acting as hotspots for bird diversity in urban landscapes. Parks with waterbodies attract more bird species and resident forest birds, while surroundings with waterbodies can support a higher richness of forest bird species. These findings emphasize the importance of creating and maintaining urban waterbodies for biodiversity conservation in highly urbanized areas.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Virology
Antoine Filion, Mekala Sundaram, Patrick R. Stephens
Summary: The past few decades have seen significant changes to the environment due to human activities, resulting in increased environmental variability. This can have a drastic impact on species populations at their distributional boundaries, as predicted by Schmalhausen's law. Recent studies have tested this evolutionary theory in vector-borne disease emergence systems and found it effective in predicting emergence patterns. However, it has not been directly tested in transmission of pathogens. This study provides a preliminary test of Schmalhausen's law using data on Marburg virus outbreaks, and suggests that distance to species distributional edge may influence outbreak size, while climatic anomalies may not play a significant role in directly transmitted pathogen outbreaks. Future research should consider ecological variability to improve prediction of emergence patterns.
Article
Biology
Inon Scharf, Tomer Gilad, Yuval Taichman, Aziz Subach
Summary: Wormlions are small fly larvae that dig pit-traps in loose soil to hunt ants and other prey. They are often found closer to walls, but the reasons vary by location; experimental results suggest that wormlions near walls prefer their location.
Article
Entomology
Joanna M. Reinhold, Karthikeyan Chandrasegaran, Helen Oker, Jose E. Crespo, Clement Vinauger, Chloe Lahondere
Summary: This study explores the role of heat and CO2 in host seeking behavior of three disease vectors in the Culex genus. Different species exhibit specific preferences for ambient temperatures and blood hosts, which may be related to their native habitat.
Article
Parasitology
Andre B. B. Wilke, Dan Damian, Maria Litvinova, Thomas Byrne, Agnese Zardini, Piero Poletti, Stefano Merler, John-Paul Mutebi, John Townsend, Marco Ajelli
Summary: The objective of this study is to determine the spatiotemporal distribution of vector mosquito species in Maricopa County, AZ from 2011 to 2021 and identify hotspot areas for West Nile virus and St. Louis Encephalitis virus transmission in 2021. The results show that vector mosquito species are widely distributed and abundant in the urban areas of Maricopa County. The findings of this study can be used to inform vector control operations.
Article
Immunology
Yuan Fang, Ernest Tambo, Jing-Bo Xue, Yi Zhang, Xiao-Nong Zhou, Emad I. M. Khater
Summary: This study reports the first detection of four arboviruses (DENV, CFAV, PAFV, and CxFV) in mosquitoes in Saudi Arabia, showing their co-circulation in Jeddah. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship between the detected DENV-2 strain and strains found in China and Japan, indicating frequent movement of DENV-2 strains among these countries, with at least five introductions into Saudi Arabia from India from 2014 to 2018.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ellen P. Robertson, Evan P. Tanner, R. Dwayne Elmore, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, Jonathan D. Mays, Jennifer Knutson, John R. Weir, Scott R. Loss
Summary: As the effects of climate change intensify, there is a growing need to understand the thermal properties of landscapes and their influence on wildlife. Vegetation structure and composition are key thermal properties of landscapes, which can be altered by management approaches, potentially affecting wildlife thermoregulation. Consideration of spatial scale is important in understanding how management practices impact the thermal properties of landscapes relevant to wildlife.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Flavia P. Franco, Pingxi Xu, Brandon J. Harris, Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy, Walter S. Leal
Summary: The southern house mosquito uses two odorant receptors, CquiOR10 and CquiOR2, to detect oviposition attractants skatole and indole. Through mutation experiments and structural modeling, it was found that a single amino acid substitution can alter the specificity of the receptors, leading to finely tuned volumetric space to accommodate specific oviposition attractants.
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Gunasekaran Suriyakala, Sivaji Sathiyaraj, Arumugam Dhanesh Gandhi, Kayeen Vadakkan, U. S. Mahadeva Rao, Ranganathan Babujanarthanam
Summary: The green synthesized silver nanoparticles using Plumeria pudica Jacq. flower extract showed efficient biomedical applications, including antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, larvicidal activities. These nanoparticles also demonstrated reusability and durability, indicating their potential for drug development and mosquito control.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Innocent Z. Tia, Antoine M. G. Barreaux, Welbeck A. Oumbouke, Alphonsine A. Koffi, Ludovic P. Ahoua Alou, Soromane Camara, Rosine Z. Wolie, Eleanore D. Sternberg, Amal Dahounto, Gregoire Y. Yapi, Matthew B. Thomas, Raphael N'Guessan
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of eave tube technology on Culex quinquefasciatus under laboratory and semi-field conditions. The results showed that eave tube technology was as effective in controlling C. quinquefasciatus as it was against resistant malaria vectors.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pingxi Xu, Young-Moo Choo, Sunny An, Gabriel M. Leal, Walter S. Leal
Summary: The study identifies an odorant receptor (OR) in the southern house mosquito that responds to both odorants and inhibitory compounds. They also discover different currents in two other receptors in response to different odorants. Additionally, they find that gamma-octalactone shows strong repellency activity.
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luisa de Melo Lara, Adalberto Alves Pereira-Filho, Rafael Henrique Mateus Pereira, Luccas Gabriel Ferreira Malta, Grasielle Caldas D'Avila Pessoa, Leonardo Barbosa Koerich, Marcos Horacio Pereira, Ricardo Nascimento Araujo, Nelder de Figueiredo Gontijo, Mauricio Roberto Viana Sant'Anna
Summary: Culex quinquefasciatus, a mosquito species with anthropophilic behavior, predominantly found in tropical and urban regions with poor sanitation, transmits pathogens like West Nile virus and encephalitis viruses to human hosts through blood-feeding females. Research suggests that males of this species may possess anti-complement activity when consuming blood, potentially serving as a pre-adaptation to blood-feeding.
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Maksim Sergeyev, Evan P. Tanner, Michael J. Cherry, Jason V. Lombardi, Michael E. Tewes, Tyler A. Campbell
Summary: This study aims to investigate the selection of thermal cover by ocelots and bobcats and examine the potential occurrence of resource partitioning and interspecific competition.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Integrative & Complementary Medicine
Alireza Sanei-Dehkordi, Mohammad Djaefar Moemenbellah-Fard, Mostafa Saffari, Elham Zarenezhad, Mahmoud Osanloo
Summary: This study investigated the larvicidal effects of essential oils from the Citrus family and their major ingredient, limonene, on mosquito vectors. The efficacy was then improved by preparing nanoliposomes containing these oils. The results showed that the nanoliposomes had a stronger larvicidal effect. Nanoliposomes containing Citrus aurantium essential oil exhibited the best activity against Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus.
BMC COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE AND THERAPIES
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ian Hennessee, Miles A. Kirby, Xavier Misago, Jackie Umupfasoni, Thomas Clasen, Uriel Kitron, Joshua P. Rosenthal, Emmanuel Hakizimana
Summary: This study investigated the impact of different cooking fuel types on the behavior and mortality of Anopheles mosquitoes in experimental huts in Rwanda. The results showed that cooking with liquid petroleum gas (LPG) was associated with significantly increased household entry and host-seeking behavior compared with wood and charcoal. There was no significant difference in household exit across fuel types, and mortality was lower in LPG-burning huts compared with wood-burning huts. These findings suggest that clean fuel adoption may increase exposure to Anopheles mosquitoes.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Charlotte G. Rhodes, Jose R. Loaiza, Luis Mario Romero, Jose Manuel Gutierrez Alvarado, Gabriela Delgado, Obdulio Rojas Salas, Melissa Ramirez Rojas, Carlos Aguilar-Avendano, Ezequias Maynes, Jose A. Valerin Cordero, Alonso Soto Mora, Chystrie A. Rigg, Aryana Zardkoohi, Monica Prado, Mariel D. Friberg, Luke R. Bergmann, Rodrigo Marin Rodriguez, Gabriel L. Hamer, Luis Fernando Chaves
Summary: Costa Rica is close to eliminating malaria, but sporadic outbreaks still occur. The appropriateness of control measures targeting the dominant vector species, Anopheles albimanus, is uncertain. This study used a species distribution model to assess the potential exposure to An. albimanus in palm and pineapple plantations, and to evaluate its presence in transmission foci. The results showed that both oil palm and pineapple plantations are likely to harbor An. albimanus, while environments at the epicenter of malaria transmission had low suitability for this mosquito species. The study highlights the potential use of species distribution models for planning vector control activities.
Letter
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ian Hennessee, Julie A. Clennon, Lance A. Waller, Uriel Kitron, J. Michael Bryan
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Bryson Alberto Ndenga, Francis Maluki Mutuku, Harun Njenga Ngugi, Joel Omari Mbakaya, Dunstan Mukoko, Uriel Kitron, Angelle Desiree LaBeaud
Summary: This study examined the activity of Aedes aegypti in seeking human blood at night. The results showed that Aedes aegypti is mainly active during twilight and daytime, with more mosquitoes collected during twilight compared to night hours. This indicates that extending the activity time into the night increases the chances of Aedes aegypti contacting humans and transmitting diseases.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Francisco Serrano-Peraza, Leopoldo Serrano Cervantes, Luis Fernando Chaves
Summary: Bess beetle species segregate by altitude in Montecristo National Park, El Salvador. The cloud forest has the highest species richness, followed by the dry forest and mixed pine forest. Most species are randomly associated with different tree species trunks.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Raquel Lima de Souza, Gabriel dos Santos Ferreira, Lairton Souza Borja, Romero de Jesus Nazare, Vanio Andre Mugabe, Hernan Dario Argibay, Moyra Machado Portilho, Leile Camila Jacob-Nascimento, Mitermayer Galvao Reis, Uriel D. Kitron, Guilherme Sousa Ribeiro
Summary: We identified several mosquito species in an Atlantic Forest fragment located in a large urban park in Salvador, Brazil, one year after a citywide yellow fever virus epizootic. The most abundant species captured were Culex quinquefasciatus, Limatus spp., and Wyeomyia spp. The diversity of mosquito species was greater in the park area with restinga vegetation compared to the area with dense rainforest.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Economics
Luis Fernando Chaves, Mariel D. Friberg, Lisbeth A. Hurtado, Rodrigo Marin Rodriguez, David O'Sullivan, Luke R. Bergmann
Summary: This study examines the factors influencing the spread of COVID-19 in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean, and finds that uneven development, trade openness, and international city connections have an impact on the number of cases and deaths. Countries with higher trade dependence and uneven development have more severe outbreaks. These results highlight the importance of economic integration in the transmission of the virus.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC PLANNING SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Vanessa J. Pineda, Kadir A. Gonzalez, Milixa Perea, Chystrie Rigg, Jose E. Calzada, Luis F. Chaves, Vanessa Vasquez, Franklyn Samudio, Nicole Gottdenker, Azael Saldana
Summary: Didelphis marsupialis, a competent reservoir for trypanosomatid parasites, showed high rates of T. cruzi infection in Chagas disease endemic regions of Panama. The study provided important information for improved surveillance and management of Chagas disease in the area.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Kenichi W. Okamoto, Virakbott Ong, Robert Wallace, Rodrick Wallace, Luis Fernando Chaves
Summary: To control infectious diseases, such as SARS-CoV-2, surveillance, isolation, contact-tracing, and quarantining are necessary. However, actively removing symptomatic individuals may unintentionally select for strains less likely to cause symptoms. Additionally, the selection pressures on pathogens caused by isolation and quarantine can be influenced by uneven surveillance efforts and distinct transmission risks across host classes.
NONLINEAR DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
John E. E. Vinson, Nicole L. L. Gottdenker, Luis Fernando Chaves, RajReni B. B. Kaul, Andrew M. M. Kramer, John M. M. Drake, Richard J. J. Hall
Summary: Deforestation alters wildlife communities and increases zoonotic spillover potential. The species composition differences between primary and regenerating forests can influence the trajectory of spillover risk. Factors such as forest regeneration rate and the relative spillover risk of regenerating forests determine landscape-level spillover risk.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Joseph R. McMillan, Luis Fernando Chaves, Philip M. Armstrong
Summary: Quantifying synchrony in mosquito populations up to 10 km and arbovirus populations up to 5 km can inform mosquito control operations and the risk of spillover into human populations. Species identity plays a significant role in determining the size of treatment zones needed for mosquito control. Focal-level processes drive the transmission dynamics of vector-borne pathogens.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Charlotte G. Rhodes, Luis F. Chaves, Luke R. Bergmann, Gabriel L. Hamer
Summary: West Nile virus (WNV) is a major mosquito-borne disease in the United States, and its distribution and vectors are crucial to understand. In this study, we used ensemble distribution modeling to estimate the habitat suitability for Culex tarsalis Coquillett, a primary WNV vector, across the contiguous United States. We found that the central plains region and much of the western US have high habitat suitability. Additionally, we identified important temperature and precipitation metrics in predicting the occurrence of Cx. tarsalis.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Luke Bergmann, Luis Fernando Chaves, David O'Sullivan, Robert G. Wallace
Summary: The spread of COVID-19 in agricultural regions varies geographically. Possible explanations include differences in occupational risks, access to healthcare, racial inequalities, and approaches to public health. In this study, the impacts of different modes of agricultural production across counties in the Midwest United States on COVID-19 spread were explored. Using spatial statistical methods, the researchers developed a novel approach to visualize the results and identified distinct regional patterns in epidemiological processes. The findings show that counties with more engagement in regenerative agricultural production have lower COVID-19 rates compared to those dominated by conventional agricultural production, even after considering other factors.
ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Yamila Romer, Kayla Adcock, Zhuoran Wei, Daniel G. Mead, Oscar Kirstein, Steph Bellman, Anne Piantadosi, Uriel Kitron, Gonzalo M. Vazquez-Prokopec
Summary: This study in Georgia, USA, investigated the presence of Heartland virus (HRTV) in ticks and found that it was present in Amblyomma americanum ticks. The virus was isolated and its genome was sequenced, showing similarity with other HRTV isolates but also marked differences. This finding highlights the importance of awareness and understanding of this emerging tickborne pathogen among clinicians and public health professionals.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Luke Bergmann, Luis Fernando Chaves, Carolyn R. Betz, Serena Stein, Brian Wiedenfeld, Ann Wolf, Robert G. Wallace
Summary: This study classifies agricultural lands in the Midwest of the United States into regenerative, conventional, or hybrid categories, using an index and clustering method. The results reveal a diverse landscape of agricultural lands within and between states, providing valuable spatial information for peer-to-peer exchanges among farmers, agricultural extension, civil society, and policy formation.
