Review
Infectious Diseases
Anurag Kumar Kushwaha, Breanna M. Scorza, Om Prakash Singh, Edgar Rowton, Phillip Lawyer, Shyam Sundar, Christine A. Petersen
Summary: Leishmania donovani is the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis on the Indian subcontinent, transmitted by sand flies which have been shown to feed on domestic animals in addition to humans. Understanding the role of non-human reservoirs in transmission is critical for sustainable elimination goals. Efforts towards VL elimination in the region may be hindered by the presence of animal reservoirs.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Veterinary Sciences
Caitlin M. Jones, Susan C. Welburn
Summary: Climate change has a significant impact on our environment and ecosystems, affecting public health, migration, food security, and land conflict. Activities such as forest clearance for land repurposing and urbanization are linked to the increase in emerging vector borne parasitic diseases. In East Africa, leishmaniasis remains a major health concern, with a lack of reporting and control interventions hindering progress toward elimination.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Debashis Ghosh, Abdul Alim, M. Mamun Huda, Christine M. Halleux, Md Almahmud, Piero L. Olliaro, Greg Matlashewski, Axel Kroeger, Dinesh Mondal
Summary: This pilot study compared the effects of different vector control tools on sandfly densities and mortality, and found varying effectiveness and acceptability of existing interventions at different time points. The results will guide the National Kala-azar Elimination Program in selecting appropriate control tools during the elimination process.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Awnish Kumar, Vishal Kumar Singh, Rahul Tiwari, Prasoon Madhukar, Shashi Kumar, Vibhav Gautam, Christian Engwerda, Shyam Sundar, Rajiv Kumar
Summary: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a severe and often fatal form of leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani in the Indian sub-continent. Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a late cutaneous manifestation of VL, serving as a significant yet neglected reservoir of infection and posing a serious threat to the VL elimination program in India. Eradicating PKDL should be a priority within the current VL elimination program by understanding its pathogenesis and developing effective strategies for disease management.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Geological
R. Vijaya, A. Boominathan
Summary: Through studying the seismic site response in the Kutch basin, significant amplification was observed at the basin center and the region between the center and the edge, with the frequency content of the surface motion shifting from a narrow to a broad spectrum from the edge towards the basin center.
SOIL DYNAMICS AND EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Shyla Faria, Sarder Mahmud Hossain, Md. Sahidul Islam, Vashkar Chowdhury, Rajib Chowdhury
Summary: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to kala-azar in Bangladesh, in order to provide recommendations for the national elimination program. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two endemic subdistricts, and data were collected through interviews and questionnaires. The findings showed that while most participants had heard of kala-azar, there were gaps in their understanding of its transmission and prevention methods. Additionally, the study highlighted the importance of strengthening community engagement and healthcare facilities in the national program.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Megha Raj Banjara, Anand Ballabh Joshi, Vivek Kumar Singh, Murari Lal Das, Chitra Kumar Gurung, Piero Olliaro, Christine Halleux, Greg Matlashewski, Axel Kroeger
Summary: The visceral leishmaniasis elimination program in Nepal is progressing towards consolidation and maintenance phases. However, new VL foci are appearing, requiring the development and testing of innovative community-centered strategies. Early case detection combined with sandfly control through indoor residual spraying (IRS) or insecticidal wall painting (IWP) has shown efficacy and cost-effectiveness in new and low-endemic districts of Palpa and Surkhet.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Helen Ashwin, Jovana Sadlova, Barbora Vojtkova, Tomas Becvar, Patrick Lypaczewski, Eli Schwartz, Elizabeth Greensted, Katrien Van Bocxlaer, Marion Pasin, Kai S. Lipinski, Vivak Parkash, Greg Matlashewski, Alison M. Layton, Charles J. Lacey, Charles L. Jaffe, Petr Volf, Paul M. Kaye
Summary: Leishmaniasis is considered a vaccine-preventable disease, but costs and uncertainty hinder progress in vaccine development. Controlled human infection models offer a way to speed up vaccine development and gain better understanding of disease pathogenesis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Nibedeeta Rani Sarraf, Saikat Mukhopadhyay, Anindyajit Banerjee, Anjan Kumar Das, Syamal Roy, Saikat Chakrabarti, Madhumita Manna, Partha Saha
Summary: The study conducted whole genome sequencing of L. donovani strains from Indian patients, revealing unique genomic variations in 24 genes among para-KDL strains compared to other strains. These distinctive genomic changes among para-KDL strains could be significant for the parasites to become dermatotropic.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Cai Lin, Denise da Gama Jaen Batista, Ana Lia Mazzeti, Roberson Donola Girao, Gabriel Melo de Oliveira, Izet Karalic, Fabian Hulpia, Maria de Nazare C. Soeiro, Louis Maes, Guy Caljon, Serge Van Calenbergh
Summary: Chagas disease and leishmaniasis are poverty-related neglected tropical diseases that require safer and more effective drugs. This study explored purine nucleoside analogues as chemotherapeutic agents against Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania infections. The methyl analogue showed the best activity against both parasites and high selectivity against host cells. Oral administration reduced parasitemia levels and increased animal survival rates in a mouse model.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Rajesh Garlapati, Eva Iniguez, Tiago D. Serafim, Prabhas K. Mishra, Basab Rooj, Bikas Sinha, Jesus G. Valenzuela, Sridhar Srikantiah, Caryn Bern, Shaden Kamhawi
Summary: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a potentially deadly parasitic disease prevalent in the northern part of the Indian sub-continent. India, Bangladesh, and Nepal are working together to eliminate VL as a public health problem by 2020 through early detection, prompt treatment, and vector control measures. Despite being close to the elimination target, important aspects of vector biology and sand fly transmission dynamics still need to be determined to ensure sustained elimination.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Vanessa Osmari, Mauricio Tatto, Andrey Jose de Andrade, Fabiana Raquel Ratzlaff, Jaine Soares de Paula Vasconcellos, Sonia de Avila Botton, Fernanda Silveira Flores Vogel, Luis Antonio Sangioni
Summary: In recent years, autochthonous cases of leishmaniasis have emerged in Rio Grande do Sul State, southern Brazil. By installing light traps, researchers confirmed that the municipality is an area of disease transmission and detected the presence of Lutzomyia longipalpis. The spread of Leishmania spp. has had a negative impact on public health.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Aditya Sengupta, Naresh Krishna Vissa, Indrani Roy
Summary: The study investigates the seasonal changes in precipitation-temperature scaling rates over the Indian subcontinent. The analysis reveals significant seasonal differences in the contributions of dynamics and thermodynamics, with thermodynamics dominating during the Indian summer monsoon season and dynamics being higher during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season.
Article
Entomology
David Campos Andrade, Antonio Fernando Viana de Assis Lima, Veronica de Lourdes Sierpe Jeraldo, Claudia Moura de Melo, Mara Cristina Pinto, Rubens Riscala Madi
Summary: This study updates and determines the distribution of sand fly species responsible for transmitting Leishmania spp. in the state of Sergipe. The study identifies 27 species, 15 of which are of sanitary relevance. Evandromyia lenti and Lutzomyia longipalpis are the most prevalent species, with Lutzomyia longipalpis being the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Shomik Maruf, Soumik Kha Sagar, Md Utba Rashid, Md Rasel Uddin, Debashis Ghosh, Prakash Ghosh, Rupen Nath, Abu Nayeem Mohammad Sohel, M. M. Aktaruzzaman, Md. Nazmul Islam, Megha Raj Banjara, Axel Kroeger, Abraham Aseffa, Dinesh Mondal
Summary: COVID-19 has impacted the management of Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Bangladesh, resulting in extended treatment and reporting times for VL patients, as well as hindrances in indoor residual spraying activities. The study emphasizes the importance of long-term follow-up, effective vector control measures, and capacity development in sustaining the elimination goal in VL endemic regions.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Andrea Villamizar-Gomez, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, Miranda R. Peterson, William E. Grant, Michael R. J. Forstner
Summary: Research on museum specimens in Texas identified key environmental drivers impacting the prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and developed a predictive model showing a potential expansion of Bd distribution in the future.
DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Thomas Hue, Anna Berger, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, William E. Grant, Pete D. Teel, Adalberto A. Perez de Leon
Summary: The development of the Pasture and Cattle Management (PCM) method is crucial for controlling cattle ticks in New Caledonia, as it reduces acaricide use and improves cattle production efficiency. By analyzing questionnaire data from beef cattle producers, the study found a significant 33% reduction in acaricide treatments per year using PCM, demonstrating its utility for integrated control of R. australis infestations.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Norman Elliott, Kristopher Giles, Michael Brewer, Adriana Szczepaniec, Allen Knutson, J. P. Michaud, Casi Jessie, Ashleigh Faris, Blake Elkins, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, Tomasz Koralewski, William Grant
Summary: Sorghum is an important summer grain crop in the U.S. Southern Great Plains, but sorghum fields in Texas and Oklahoma are commonly infested by sugarcane aphids. Research indicates that there is no significant numerical response by natural enemies to sugarcane aphid density across different locations and years, but a numerical response is consistently observed when comparing fields within the same locations.
SOUTHWESTERN ENTOMOLOGIST
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Blake H. Elkins, Micky D. Eubanks, Ashleigh M. Faris, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, Michael J. Brewer
Summary: This study found that complex landscape configuration can increase aphid and natural enemy abundance, but decrease parasitism and have little effect on predator numerical response. These results are crucial for determining the dynamics between pests and natural enemies in large-scale cereal agroecosystems.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Tomasz E. Koralewski, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, William E. Grant, Michael J. Brewer, Norman C. Elliott
Summary: Airborne pests pose a significant challenge in agriculture, and integrated pest management programs and pest forecasting can help address this challenge and aid in decision-making. This study developed an individual-based model that simulated and predicted infestations of the sugarcane aphid in the Great Plains region of North America. The model forecasts showed some agreement with field observations, but this agreement varied between locations and seasons. Therefore, predictive modeling has the potential to play a central role in areawide integrated pest management programs, but it is important to consider local agricultural practices and environmental conditions, as well as involve producers in field monitoring efforts.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emily E. Brockinton, Miranda R. Peterson, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, William E. Grant
Summary: The study identified maximum salinity, distance to platform, minimum nitrate, and mean pH as the most influential factors impacting Tubastraea coccinea invasion in the northern Gulf of Mexico. These findings highlight the importance of considering the effects of anthropogenic factors, such as oil/gas platforms, on the expansion of invasive corals.
Article
Geography, Physical
Kai Xu, Min Chen, Albert J. Kettner, C. Michael Barton, Barry F. W. Croke, Anthony J. Jakeman, Daniel P. Ames, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, Susan M. Cuddy, Songshan Yue, Yongning Wen, Fengyuan Zhang, Yixuan Zhang, Guonian Lu
Summary: In this study, a method for evaluating the academic impact of geographic simulation models is proposed. Five indices are designed and the weights of the indices are calculated using the analytic hierarchy process. The weighted sum method is used to quantify the academic impacts of the models. The results show that the proposed method can quantify the academic impact of a model and identify the major research areas impacted by the models.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DIGITAL EARTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Alexandra Bishop, Jennifer Borski, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, Taylor G. Donaldson, Avery Michalk, Annie Montgomery, Samantha Heldman, Michael Mogg, Zakary Derouen, William E. Grant, Pete D. Teel
Summary: This study summarizes and evaluates the surveillance data of spotted fever cases reported to the CDC from 2010 to 2018. The incidence of spotted fevers has increased, highlighting the need for improvement in the identification of different spotted fever group Rickettsia species.
VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, William E. E. Grant, Taylor G. G. Donaldson, Pete D. D. Teel
Summary: This study used a spatially explicit model to simulate the effects of exclosures and acaricides on the distribution and abundance of lone star ticks in forestlands of the southeastern United States. The results showed that both exclosures and acaricides were successful in reducing tick densities, with exclosures being more effective at larger sizes and acaricides losing their effectiveness at smaller sizes. Targeting acaricides at medium-sized hosts may be an effective method for tick suppression.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Elizabeth Edgerton, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, William E. Grant, Michael Masser
Summary: Negative impacts from aquatic invasive plants in the United States include economic costs, loss of commercial and recreational use, and environmental damage. Simulation models are valuable tools for predicting invasion potentials and managing existing infestations.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, Alexandra E. Bishop, Tomasz E. Koralewski, William E. Grant
Summary: Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, exists alongside other bacteria in the environment and shares genes with Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus cereus, which can result in phenotypic differences due to plasmids. Simulation results suggest that the horizontal transfer of plasmids containing anthrax toxin genes among Bacillus species outside the host could trigger anthrax outbreaks.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Simon Kiacz, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, Donald J. Brightsmith
Summary: Many plants and animals thrive in urban habitats and benefit from increased urbanization. The Red-crowned Parrot is endangered in its native range but does well in urban landscapes, serving as a genetic reservoir for conservation and research opportunities. This study aims to determine the parrot's dependence on urban areas and the drivers of its distribution in the United States.
Article
Parasitology
Alexandra Bishop, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, Taylor G. Donaldson, Emily E. Brockinton, Esha Kothapalli, Scott Clark, Tanvi Vishwanath, Tatyana Canales, Krishnendu Sreekumar, William E. Grant, Pete D. Teel
Summary: This report summarizes the passive surveillance data of tularemia cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2011 through 2019. There were 1984 cases reported in the USA during this period. The average national incidence was 0.07 cases per 100,000 person-years (PY), compared to 0.04 cases per 100,000 PY during 2001-2010.
CURRENT RESEARCH IN PARASITOLOGY & VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Thomas Hue, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, William E. Grant, Pete D. Teel, Adalberto A. Perez de Leon
Summary: This article presents research on implementing the Pasture and Cattle Management (PCM) method for integrated control of Rhipicephalus australis in New Caledonia. The PCM method optimizes the use of long-acting acaricides and allows for flexibility in incorporating other control technologies like the use of a vaccine. Recommendations for further research to refine integrated control of R. australis using the PCM method are discussed, with a focus on adapting the method for semi-extensive cattle management settings.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Takuya Iwanaga, Hsiao-Hsuan Wang, Tomasz E. Koralewski, William E. Grant, Anthony J. Jakeman, John C. Little
Summary: Modeling in interconnected socioenvironmental systems (SES) requires interdisciplinary collaboration to address issues of model complexity and uncertainty. Isolated team members may face challenges in conceptualizing scale. Reflecting on two case studies can provide lessons such as promoting collaborative learning, documenting rationale for scale choices, and embracing change.
ELEMENTA-SCIENCE OF THE ANTHROPOCENE
(2021)
