Article
Environmental Sciences
Jessica Jimenez-Penuela, Martina Ferraguti, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Ramon C. Soriguer, Jordi Figuerola
Summary: This study monitored the infection status of bird blood parasites in different regions of southern Spain, revealing different infection patterns possibly related to the composition and density of vector communities. The specific reproductive environmental requirements of different vector groups involved in transmission may be affected by climatic conditions and landscape features.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Alan Fecchio, Iubata P. de Faria, Jeffrey A. Bell, Renata Nunes, Jason D. Weckstein, Marcos R. Lima
Summary: Contrasting parasite prevalence and host-parasite community structure between pristine and disturbed environments can enhance our understanding of deforestation impacts on disease transmission and parasite extinction. Our study in Northeast Amazonia found that avian haemosporidian prevalence was higher in secondary forests, contrary to the lower prevalence pattern in disturbed tropical forests in Africa. This suggests that forest disturbance can have diverse effects on parasite transmission and host communities.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Juergen Kruecken, Gabor A. Czirjak, Sabrina Ramunke, Maria Serocki, Sonja K. Heinrich, Joerg Melzheimer, M. Carolina Costa, Heribert Hofer, Ortwin H. K. Aschenborn, Nancy A. Barker, Stefano Capodanno, Luis Madeira de Carvalho, Georg von Samson-Himmelstjerna, Marion L. East, Bettina Wachter
Summary: A study on brown and spotted hyenas in Namibia and Tanzania revealed high frequencies of various pathogens, with frequent co-infections observed in the samples. Ecological conditions were found to have a greater impact on pathogen diversity and frequency than host taxonomy.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Joel J. Brown, Mercedes Pascual, Michael C. Wimberly, Leah R. Johnson, Courtney C. Murdock
Summary: This article explores the thermal effects of humidity on the transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens, presenting a conceptual model for how temperature and humidity interact to shape the temperature range in which mosquitoes persist and achieve high transmission potential. The article highlights how neglecting these interactions hinders efforts to predict transmission dynamics and respond to mosquito-borne infections.
Article
Microbiology
Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Rafael Gutierrez-Lopez, Alazne Diez-Fernandez, Ramon C. Soriguer, Isabel Moreno-Indias, Jordi Figuerola
Summary: The study found that mosquito microbiota significantly impact mosquito survival and the presence of parasite DNA in their saliva. Antibiotic treatment can significantly increase the survival rate of mosquitoes fed on infected birds, but does not affect the survival rate of mosquitoes fed on uninfected birds. The control group mosquitoes had a higher number of unique features in their microbiota and were enriched in biochemical pathways related to the immune system.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Martina Ferraguti, Hans Heesterbeek, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Miguel Angel Jimenez-Clavero, Ana Vazquez, Santiago Ruiz, Francisco Llorente, David Roiz, Hans Vernooij, Ramon Soriguer, Jordi Figuerola
Summary: Vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, such as West Nile virus and avian malaria parasites of the genus Plasmodium, have severe impacts on public health and economy. Different species of Culex mosquitoes play important roles in the transmission of these pathogens, with Cx. perexiguus identified as the most important species contributing to the amplification of WNV in southern Spain. Targeted surveillance and control of specific mosquito species may be effective measures to reduce the transmission of these diseases.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Entomology
Ly Na Huynh, Long Bien Tran, Hong Sang Nguyen, Van Hoang Ho, Philippe Parola, Xuan Quang Nguyen
Summary: This review provides a checklist of Vietnamese mosquitoes, an overview of mosquito-borne diseases in Vietnam, and preventive measures for mosquitoes. Malaria and dengue are the most common mosquito-borne diseases in Vietnam, posing a significant threat to public health. Effective control and prevention of mosquito-borne diseases can be achieved through mechanical, chemical, biological, and genetic methods.
Article
Parasitology
Daniela de Angeli Dutra, Alan Fecchio, Erika Martins Braga, Robert Poulin
Summary: Research shows that fully migratory species have higher parasite prevalence and greater richness of parasite lineages. However, there is no significant difference in parasite prevalence between migratory and non-migratory species when looking at Plasmodium and Haemoproteus separately.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Van Hai Khong, Philippe Carmona, Sylvain Gandon
Summary: Seasonality can have unpredictable effects on the persistence of vector-borne diseases, as it varies across different stages of the pathogen's life cycle. This study uses a general disease model to analyze the impact of periodic fluctuations on the basic reproduction ratio of the pathogen. The analysis reveals that seasonal variations in vector density or biting rate can either increase or decrease pathogen persistence, depending on the covariance between key compartments of the epidemiological model.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Benjamin W. Lee, Liesl C. Oeller, David W. Crowder
Summary: Insect vectors interact with both host-vector-pathogen and other species in food webs, influencing virus transmission. However, studies on these interactions are limited, hindering the development of models that capture community-level effects on virus prevalence.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jose Roberto Rodrigues, Scott W. Roy, Ravinder N. M. Sehgal
Summary: Avian haemosporidian parasites can cause malaria-like symptoms and threaten bird species, and recently, new RNA viruses associated with these parasites have been discovered. Analysis of transcriptome data revealed the presence of two novel RNA viruses associated with different genera of avian haemosporidians.
Article
Microbiology
Carolina C. Anjos, Carolina R. F. Chagas, Alan Fecchio, Fabio Schunck, Maria J. Costa-Nascimento, Eliana F. Monteiro, Bruno S. Mathias, Jeffrey A. Bell, Lilian O. Guimaraes, Kiba J. M. Comiche, Gediminas Valkiunas, Karin Kirchgatter
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence, diversity, and distribution of avian haemosporidian parasites among resident and migratory birds in Serra do Mar, Brazil. The results showed that migratory species may harbor a higher diversity and prevalence of parasites than resident species, but transportation of some parasites by migratory hosts may not always affect local transmission. Additionally, a new species of Haemoproteus was described in this study.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Antoine Filion, Lucas Deschamps, Chris N. Niebuhr, Robert Poulin
Summary: Anthropogenic changes can have significant impacts on wild populations and contribute to the emergence of diseases, such as avian malaria, which threaten native bird species in New Zealand. Understanding the cascading effects of human modifications on fragile species is crucial for conservation efforts.
Article
Parasitology
Larissa Ortega-Guzman, Octavio Rojas-Soto, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Leonardo Chapa-Vargas
Summary: This study characterized the climatic niche and climate drivers of haemosporidian parasite prevalence in central-eastern Mexico. The study found a high statistical association between global prevalence and two bioclimatic variables, mean diurnal temperature range and annual temperature range. Climate change projections for 2070 showed significant modification of the current distribution of suitable climate areas for haemosporidians in the region.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Irene Pellegrino, Luca Ilahiane, Giovanni Boano, Marco Cucco, Marco Pavia, Heather L. Prestridge, Gary Voelker
Summary: This study is the first to investigate the prevalence of haemosporidian parasites in breeding birds on Sardinia, revealing an infection rate of 55.3% with 84 novel haplotypes. Phylogenetic analysis did not identify Sardinia-specific clades, suggesting a relationship between Sardinian lineages and those from continental Europe. Host-parasite network analysis indicated a specialized community, and statistical models showed an elevational effect on haemosporidian occurrence probability and differences in infection likelihood between sedentary and migratory birds.