Review
Parasitology
Daniela de Angeli Dutra, Robert Poulin, Francisco C. Ferreira
Summary: Transmission mode plays a crucial role in host-parasite coevolution. Vector-borne pathogens, including some of the most important human pathogens such as yellow fever and malaria, have a broad distribution and high lethality. The interactions between hosts, vectors, and pathogens involve a constant antagonistic arms race, with each participant striving to maximize its performance and fitness.
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
Biology
Mario Ignacio Simoy, Juan Pablo Aparicio
Summary: A new vector-borne disease model was developed to incorporate the characteristics of mosquito feeding behavior, successfully estimating the biting rate in the Ross-Macdonald model. Analysis of the SIS-SI and SIR-SI models showed very similar disease dynamics when the basic reproduction number was estimated to be the same for both models.
BULLETIN OF MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
DeAnna J. Friedman-Klabanoff, Megan Birkhold, Mara T. Short, Timothy R. Wilson, Claudio R. Meneses, Joshua R. Lacsina, Fabiano Oliveira, Shaden Kamhawi, Jesus G. Valenzuela, Sally Hunsberger, Allyson Mateja, Gregory Stoloff, Olga Pleguezuelos, Matthew J. Memoli, Matthew B. Laurens
Summary: This study evaluated the immunogenicity and safety of a mosquito salivary peptide vaccine in healthy adults. The results showed that the vaccine had a favorable safety profile and induced robust immune responses. Further research will determine if the vaccine translates into clinical efficacy against mosquito-borne diseases.
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sophie A. Lee, Christopher I. Jarvis, W. John Edmunds, Theodoros Economou, Rachel Lowe
Summary: Spatial connectivity is essential in mosquito-borne disease transmission, with many studies assuming distance-based connections and human movement as driving forces. Mechanistic models are more likely to assume connectivity due to human movement, possibly influenced by a lack of statistical models able to account for these connections.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
(2021)
Editorial Material
Biology
Robert T. Jones, Thomas H. Ant, Mary M. Cameron, James G. Logan
Summary: Mosquito-borne diseases pose a growing global health challenge, with a need for innovative and diverse control technologies. Various technologies are currently under development, ranging from genetic modifications to alterations in housing design.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Marie Edvinsson, Camilla Norlander, Kenneth Nilsson, Andreas Martensson, Elisabet Skoog, Bjorn Olsen
Summary: Antibodies to Bartonella were more common in Swedish patients than in healthy Swedish blood donors, but lower than in blood donors from southern Europe. Positive Bartonella serology was not linked to any specific symptom, nor to suspected tick-bite exposure.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alfred Hubbard, Elizabeth Hemming-Schroeder, Maxwell Gesuge Machani, Yaw Afrane, Guiyun Yan, Eugenia Lo, Daniel Janies
Summary: This study uses landscape genetics to investigate the environmental drivers of malaria and shows that Lake Victoria acts as a barrier to transmission between different areas. It also finds significant correlations between genetic and geographic distance. These findings suggest the importance of landscape genetics in understanding the transmission of vector-borne diseases.
Review
Entomology
Sabina Avosani, Rachele Nieri, Valerio Mazzoni, Gianfranco Anfora, Zeinab Hamouche, Caterina Zippari, Maria Luisa Vitale, Vincenzo Verrastro, Eustachio Tarasco, Ilaria D'Isita, Salvatore Germinara, Thomas F. Doering, Gregor Belusic, Alberto Fereres, Vinton Thompson, Daniele Cornara
Summary: Behavioral manipulation is a control method that interferes with insect perception and interaction with the environment. It can be a win-win strategy for managing vector-borne plant pathogens, such as Xylella fastidiosa, by reducing the number of vectors alighting on host plants and lowering the chances of transmission. This review summarizes current knowledge on how insect vectors locate and accept host plants, specifically focusing on the meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius, and how behavioral manipulation techniques can disrupt the vector-host plant interaction. Furthermore, the combination of diverse behavioral manipulation strategies with integrated pest management tools is discussed as a means to protect olive groves from the fastidious bacterium.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Alberto Moraga-Fernandez, Clara Munoz-Hernandez, Marta Sanchez-Sanchez, Isabel G. Fernandez de Mera, Jose de la Fuente
Summary: Ticks are important vectors for transmitting pathogens to wildlife and domestic animals in Europe. Some of these pathogens can also cause serious health problems in humans. A systematic review of studies using PCR methods was conducted to determine the distribution and range of tick-borne pathogens in Europe. The results show that there are a variety of tick-borne bacteria, protists, and viruses present in different tick species and hosts. The study also identified several zoonotic species that can affect both humans and animals.
VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Patricia Perez Perez, Ivan Rodriguez-Escolar, Elena Carreton, Jose Angel Sanchez Agudo, Jacob Lorenzo-Morales, Jose Alberto Montoya-Alonso, Rodrigo Morchon
Summary: This study analyzed the prevalence and distribution of canine vector-borne diseases caused by Dirofilaria immitis, Leishmania infantum, Anaplasma platys, and Ehrlichia canis in Castilla y Leon, Spain. The results showed that infected animals were mainly located in areas with stagnant water, irrigated agriculture, or riverbanks, always near forest and woodland vegetation. Dogs in this region should take prophylactic measures to prevent infections.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ruairi Donnelly, Christopher A. Gilligan
Summary: Previous reports suggesting low transmission efficiency of cassava mosaic geminivirus (CMB) in Bemisia tabaci whitefly had diminished the importance of whitefly in CMB epidemics. However, recent studies indicate synergies between B. tabaci and CMB, calling for a reconsideration of their role. This paper analyzed the retention period and infectiousness of CMB-carrying B. tabaci, as well as B. tabaci susceptibility to CMB. The findings support the re-calibration of retention periods for other important insect-borne plant pathogens and highlight the high susceptibility of B. tabaci to CMB.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
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
Environmental Sciences
Andrew J. MacDonald, Sofie McComb, Samantha Sambado
Summary: Understanding the community ecology of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases and its impact on disease risk is a major focus in disease ecology. By modeling spatially-explicit Lyme disease risk in California, researchers found that the ecology of key reservoir hosts is central to tick-borne disease risk, leading to a strong predictor of human Lyme disease incidence. The study suggests peridomestic exposure to infected ticks may be more important to Lyme disease epidemiology in California than recreational exposure.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Anastasia Diakou, Dimitra Sofroniou, Barbara Paoletti, Androniki Tamvakis, Stanislav Kolencik, Dimitris Dimzas, Simone Morelli, Marika Grillini, Donato Traversa
Summary: Ticks and fleas in dogs and cats from Cyprus were investigated in this study, and vector-borne pathogens were detected in these ectoparasites. The results emphasize the importance of systematic ectoparasite control in dogs and cats.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Megan A. Greischar, Helen K. Alexander, Farrah Bashey, Ana Bento, Amrita Bhattacharya, Mary Bushman, Lauren M. Childs, David Daversa, Troy Day, Christina L. Faust, Molly E. Gallagher, Sylvain Gandon, Caroline Glidden, Fletcher Halliday, Kathryn A. Hanley, Tsukushi Kamiya, Andrew F. Read, Philipp Schwabl, Amy R. Sweeny, Ann T. Tate, Robin N. Thompson, Nina Wale, Helen J. Wearing, Pamela J. Yeh, Nicole Mideo
EVOLUTION MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2020)
Article
Biology
Troy Day, Todd Parsons, Amaury Lambert, Sylvain Gandon
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Philippe Carmona, Sylvain Gandon
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Sean Meaden, Loris Capria, Ellinor Alseth, Sylvain Gandon, Ambarish Biswas, Luca Lenzi, Stineke van Houte, Edze R. Westra
Summary: Studies using the model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 and its phage DMS3vir have shown that although CRISPR is initially favored, bacteria with phage receptor mutations quickly dominate the population after subsequent reinfections. The expression of phage genes before cleavage by the CRISPR-Cas immune system is the most likely explanation for the observed fitness cost induced by phages.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Bridget S. Penman, Sylvain Gandon
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Vaishnovi Sekar, Ana Rivero, Romain Pigeault, Sylvain Gandon, Anna Drews, Dag Ahren, Olof Hellgren
Summary: This study investigates the transcriptomes of the Avian malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum in its vector Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus, revealing gene expression patterns at different key timepoints and highlighting the presence of highly stage-specific pathways throughout the infection. Analysis identified genes related to host-immune invasion, unknown functions, and potential multifunctionality of some proteins, shedding light on the molecular mechanisms of the parasite's development and gene regulation diversity in its vector stages.
Correction
Ecology
Sean Meaden, Loris Capria, Ellinor Alseth, Sylvain Gandon, Ambarish Biswas, Luca Lenzi, Stineke van Houte, Edze R. Westra
Article
Biology
David McLeod, Sylvain Gandon
Summary: Studying the evolution of multidrug resistance (MDR) by focusing on the dynamical equations for linkage disequilibrium (LD) can simplify calculations, generate more insight, and provide a unified framework for understanding the role of population structure.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
John B. Bruce, Sebastien Lion, Angus Buckling, Edze R. Westra, Sylvain Gandon
Summary: Viruses utilize molecular communication to regulate their infection strategies, with some viruses using signaling molecules to enter dormant infections. Understanding these mechanisms can help manipulate host and phage population dynamics in natural environments.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sylvain Gandon, Sebastien Lion
Summary: Targeted vaccination strategies may lead to faster spread of vaccine-adapted variants, while delaying the second dose of the vaccine may reduce the cumulative number of deaths.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sebastien Lion, Sylvain Gandon
Summary: In this study, the authors present a theoretical framework to understand and predict the long-term evolution of life-history traits under periodic environmental fluctuations. They investigate the influence of these fluctuations on selection in populations structured in distinct classes. The analysis reveals the time-varying selection gradients and their impact on the competitive ability of specific life-history mutations. Using this framework, the authors analyze the evolution of key life-history traits in pathogens and demonstrate how periodic fluctuations in the environment can affect the evolution of virulence, transmission, and host preference. These findings provide new and testable predictions on pathogen evolution and highlight the importance of considering time-varying environmental fluctuations in evolutionary studies.
Article
Ecology
David McLeod, Sylvain Gandon
Summary: This study investigates the joint evolution mechanism of pathogen adaptation to vaccine-induced immune response and pathogen virulence, with a focus on the protective effects of vaccines. The research reveals that vaccines that block infection, reduce transmission, and/or increase clearance generate positive epistasis between vaccine-escape and virulence alleles, while vaccines that reduce mortality generate negative epistasis. High rates of recombination can also affect these predictions.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Troy Day, David A. Kennedy, Andrew F. Read, Sylvain Gandon
Summary: This Essay summarizes the current research on pathogen evolution in the context of immune priming and discusses the future evolution of SARS-CoV-2.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jasmine Gamblin, Sylvain Gandon, Francois Blanquart, Amaury Lambert
Summary: This study theoretically investigates the effects of population bottlenecks on the accessibility of evolutionary paths and the rate of evolution. In the case of large population sizes and small mutation rates, bottlenecks act as a deterministic control of evolutionary paths by influencing the supply and loss of mutants. Additionally, demographic parameters can be tuned to force each possible evolutionary scenario to occur.
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)
