Editorial Material
Parasitology
Francesco Baldini, Mafalda Viana
Summary: It is unclear how malaria mosquitoes in the Sahel region persist during the dry season and rebound quickly at the onset of rains. Recent research by Faiman and colleagues suggests that aestivation, a dormancy mechanism, is a major strategy for the mosquitoes' persistence and could be targeted for vector control.
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Doreen J. Siria, Roger Sanou, Joshua Mitton, Emmanuel P. Mwanga, Abdoulaye Niang, Issiaka Sare, Paul C. D. Johnson, Geraldine M. Foster, Adrien M. G. Belem, Klaas Wynne, Roderick Murray-Smith, Heather M. Ferguson, Mario Gonzalez-Jimenez, Simon A. Babayan, Abdoulaye Diabate, Fredros O. Okumu, Francesco Baldini
Summary: This study presents a rapid and cost-effective surveillance method for monitoring malaria vectors. By using the spectra of mosquito cuticle, the method can simultaneously identify the species and age class of the vectors. With a deep transfer learning model, it is able to predict the age of new populations and detect the impact of control interventions on mosquito populations.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Krithika Venkataraman, Nadav Shai, Priyanka Lakhiani, Sarah Zylka, Jieqing Zhao, Margaret Herre, Joshua Zeng, Lauren A. Neal, Henrik Molina, Li Zhao, Leslie B. Vosshall
Summary: Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes face climate challenges due to rising global temperatures, causing suboptimal conditions for egg-laying. In the laboratory, under drought-like conditions, these mosquitoes retain mature eggs until suitable conditions for laying eggs arise. The genes tweedledee and tweedledum are found to play a crucial role in this extended egg retention.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Franck Adama Yao, Abdoul-Azize Millogo, Patric Stephane Epopa, Ace North, Florian Noulin, Koulmaga Dao, Mouhamed Drabo, Charles Guissou, Souleymane Kekele, Moussa Namountougou, Robert Kossivi Ouedraogo, Lea Pare, Nourou Barry, Roger Sanou, Haida Wandaogo, Roch K. Dabire, Andrew McKemey, Frederic Tripet, Abdoulaye Diabate
Summary: The release of genetically-modified sterile mosquitoes shows potential for malaria control, but its effectiveness has not been tested in the field. This study demonstrates that genetically-modified mosquitoes have reduced survival and dispersal compared to wild-types. These findings provide crucial information for the development of more effective strains of malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Priscille Barreaux, Hilary Ranson, Geraldine M. M. Foster, Philip J. J. McCall
Summary: The blood feeding behavior of female mosquitoes, which affects their ability to transmit malaria, is not well understood in the presence of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). This study examines how both insecticide resistant and susceptible mosquitoes interact with different types of nets while attempting to blood feed on a human arm. The results showed that ITNs did not effectively prevent host searching but significantly reduced blood feeding success and volume for all mosquitoes, although the resistant mosquitoes were able to compensate for the decrease by accelerating their rate of blood ingestion.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lateef. O. Busari, Haleemah O. Raheem, Zarat O. Iwalewa, Kamilu A. Fasasi, Monsuru A. Adeleke
Summary: The study evaluates the resistance and susceptibility of adult female Anopheles gambiae s. l., Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes to four groups of insecticides and the distribution of their larval habitat within Osogbo metropolis. The results indicate that Anopheles gambiae s. l. shows the highest resistance to Permethrin, while Aedes aegypti exhibits highest resistance against OC-Control. The susceptibility of Anopheles gambiae s. l. and Culex quinquefasciatus to Pirimiphos-methyl and Aedes aegypti to Permethrin suggests the potential success of using these insecticides for vector control.
Article
Biology
Ana Beatriz F. Barletta, Banhisikha Saha, Nathanie Trisnadi, Octavio A. C. Talyuli, Gianmarco Raddi, Carolina Barillas-Mury
Summary: Activation of Toll signaling by silencing Cactus enhances mosquito immunity against Plasmodium through modulation of hemocyte differentiation and recruitment of megacytes.
Article
Ecology
Roy Faiman, Benjamin J. Krajacich, Leland Graber, Adama Dao, Alpha Seydou Yaro, Ousmane Yossi, Zana Lamissa Sanogo, Moussa Diallo, Djibril Samake, Daman Sylla, Moribo Coulibaly, Salif Kone, Sekou Goita, Mamadou B. Coulibaly, Olga Muratova, Ashley McCormack, Bronner P. Goncalves, Jennifer Hume, Patrick Duffy, Tovi Lehmann
Summary: The study introduced a novel and long-lasting marking method using a combination of fluorescent dye and synthetic DNA tags for efficient marking of adult mosquitoes. The method allows separation of multiple insect subpopulations by utilizing unlimited length and sequence variation in the synthetic DNA tags, making it suitable for field deployment. The marking did not affect survival, oviposition, or Plasmodium competence of the tested mosquitoes, and the retention of DNA and fluorescence was 100% up to 3 weeks.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ning Zhao, Ishaq Sesay, Hong Tu, Frederick Yamba, Liang Lu, Yuhong Guo, Xiuping Song, Jun Wang, Xiaobo Liu, Yujuan Yue, Haixia Wu, Qiyong Liu
Summary: The study identified An. gambiae as the dominant Anopheles species in Freetown, Sierra Leone, with An. gambiae s.s. being the predominant species within the An. gambiae complex. Surveillance of seasonal fluctuation and high P. falciparum infection rates in Anopheles suggest that June to July and October to November are crucial periods for malaria control and prevention. The high frequency of kdr allele mutations in An. gambiae calls for close monitoring of vector susceptibility to insecticides and tracking of resistance mechanisms to develop more effective vector control measures and strategies.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Gregory C. Lanzaro, Melina Campos, Marc Crepeau, Anthony Cornel, Abram Estrada, Hans Gripkey, Ziad Haddad, Ana Kormos, Steven Palomares
Summary: Novel malaria control strategies involving genetically engineered mosquitoes (GEMs) aim to modify mosquito populations to be refractory to the malaria parasite through gene engineering. The selection of trial sites should prioritize maximizing success chances, minimizing risks, and serving as valid and convincing test locations, based on geographic, geological, and biological criteria. Physical islands are proposed as ideal GEM field trial sites due to their geographic and genetic isolation, biological complexity, and other key factors.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maxwell G. Machani, Eric Ochomo, Fred Amimo, Wolfgang R. Mukabana, Andrew K. Githeko, Guiyun Yan, Yaw A. Afrane
Summary: Long-lasting insecticidal nets are effective in reducing malaria transmission, but it is important to understand the behavior of malaria vectors with insecticide resistance around human-occupied bed nets.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Seynabou Sougoufara, Hanna Yorkston-Dives, Nurul Masyirah Aklee, Adanan Che Rus, Jaal Zairi, Frederic Tripet
Summary: This study found that mosquitoes are able to associate the odor of pesticides with their detrimental effects and subsequently avoid pesticide contact. These findings highlight the importance of mosquito cognition as determinants of pesticide resistance in mosquito populations targeted by chemical control.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Adande A. Medjigbodo, Eric G. Sonounameto, Oswald Y. Djihinto, Emmanuella Abbey, Esther B. Salavi, Laurette Djossou, Athanase Badolo, Luc S. Djogbenou
Summary: The study tested the hypothesis that antibiotic oxytetracycline could interact with insecticide resistance genotypes in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes and inhibit fecundity. Results showed that oxytetracycline had an indirect effect on reducing fecundity in mosquitoes carrying the kdrR (L1014F) genotype. These findings could inform new integrated approaches for malaria vector control in endemic countries.
JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Andreu Vidal-Albalat, Tomas Kindahl, Rajeshwari Rajeshwari, Cecilia Lindgren, Nina Forsgren, Stanley Kitur, Laura Sela Tengo, Fredrik Ekstrom, Luna Kamau, Anna Linusson
Summary: Insecticide resistance poses a threat to the prevention of infectious diseases by controlling disease-transmitting mosquitoes. New insecticidal compounds with minimal adverse effects on humans and the environment are urgently required. In this study, we investigate noncovalent inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), a well-established target for insecticides, and find that certain compounds based on a 4-thiazolidinone scaffold effectively inhibit AChE from Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The selectivity of these compounds depends on the substitution pattern of the phenyl ring.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yogita Sharma, Jared B. Bennett, Gordana Rasic, John M. Marshall
Summary: Close-kin mark-recapture (CKMR) methods have been used to infer demographic parameters for fish, and now extend to mosquitoes and comparable insects. CKMR utilizes genetic marking to estimate population size, dispersal distance, and other parameters without physical marking. Simulation studies using Aedes aegypti show that CKMR provides unbiased estimates of mosquito demographic parameters, and may be informative for intervention impacts. CKMR holds promise for characterizing the demography of insects of epidemiological and agricultural importance.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2022)