scholarly journals Plasmodium metabolite HMBPP stimulates feeding of main mosquito vectors on blood and artificial toxic sources

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktoria E. Stromsky ◽  
Melika Hajkazemian ◽  
Elizabeth Vaisbourd ◽  
Raimondas Mozūraitis ◽  
S. Noushin Emami
Keyword(s):  
Culex Pipiens ◽  
Feeding Rate ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Artificial Feeding ◽  
Anopheles Coluzzii ◽  
Beetroot Juice ◽  
Mosquito Vectors ◽  
Complex Species ◽  
Toxic Plant ◽  
Blood Meals

AbstractRecent data show that parasites manipulate the physiology of mosquitoes and human hosts to increase the probability of transmission. Here, we investigate phagostimulant activity of Plasmodium-metabolite, (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMBPP), in the primary vectors of multiple human diseases, Anopheles coluzzii, An. arabiensis, An. gambiae s.s., Aedes aegypti, and Culex pipiens/Culex torrentium complex species. The addition of 10 µM HMBPP to blood meals significantly increased feeding in all the species investigated. Moreover, HMBPP also exhibited a phagostimulant property in plant-based-artificial-feeding-solution made of beetroot juice adjusted to neutral pH similar to that of blood. The addition of AlbuMAXTM as a lipid/protein source significantly improved the feeding rate of An. gambiae s.l. females providing optimised plant-based-artificial-feeding-solution for delivery toxins to control vector populations. Among natural and synthetic toxins tested, only fipronil sulfone did not reduce feeding. Overall, the toxic-plant-based-artificial-feeding-solution showed potential as an effector in environmentally friendly vector-control strategies.

scholarly journals Meta-Transcriptomic Comparison of the RNA Viromes of the Mosquito Vectors Culex pipiens and Culex torrentium in Northern Europe

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pettersson ◽  
Shi ◽  
Eden ◽  
Holmes ◽  
Hesson
Keyword(s):  
Culex Pipiens ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Mosquito Vectors ◽  
South Central ◽  
Global Movement ◽  
History Of ◽  
Local Habitat

Mosquitoes harbor an extensive diversity of ‘insect-specific’ RNA viruses in addition to those important to human and animal health. However, because most studies of the mosquito virome have been conducted at lower latitudes, little is known about the diversity and evolutionary history of RNA viruses sampled from mosquitoes in northerly regions. Here, we compared the RNA virome of two common northern mosquito species, Culex pipiens and Culex torrentium, collected in south-central Sweden. Following bulk RNA-sequencing (meta-transcriptomics) of 12 libraries, comprising 120 specimens of Cx. pipiens and 150 specimens of Cx. torrentium, we identified 40 viruses (representing 14 virus families) of which 28 were novel based on phylogenetic analysis of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) protein. Hence, we documented similar levels of virome diversity as in mosquitoes sampled from the more biodiverse lower latitudes. Many viruses were also related to those sampled on other continents, indicative of a widespread global movement and/or long host–virus co-evolution. Although the two mosquito species investigated have overlapping geographical distributions and share many viruses, several viruses were only found at a specific location at this scale of sampling, such that local habitat and geography may play an important role in shaping viral diversity in Culex mosquitoes.

scholarly journals Genomic differentiation and intercontinental population structure of mosquito vectors Culex pipiens pipiens and Culex pipiens molestus

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey A. Yurchenko ◽  
Reem A. Masri ◽  
Natalia V. Khrabrova ◽  
Anuarbek K. Sibataev ◽  
Megan L. Fritz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Culex Pipiens ◽  
Mosquito Vectors ◽  
Culex Pipiens Pipiens ◽  
Culex Pipiens Molestus

Urban Landscape Features Influence the Movement and Distribution of the Australian Container-Inhabiting Mosquito Vectors Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) and Aedes notoscriptus (Diptera: Culicidae)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan J Trewin ◽  
Daniel E Pagendam ◽  
Myron P Zalucki ◽  
Jonathan M Darbro ◽  
Gregor J Devine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Mosquito Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Oviposition Behavior ◽  
Gaussian Kernel ◽  
Mosquito Vectors ◽  
Landscape Features ◽  
Rainwater Tanks

Abstract Urban landscape features play an important role in the distribution and population spread of mosquito vectors. Furthermore, current insecticide and novel rear-and-release strategies for urban mosquito management rarely consider the spatial structure of the landscape when applying control practices. Here, we undertake a mark-recapture experiment to examine how urban features influence the movement and distribution of Australian container-inhabiting Aedes vectors. We pay attention to the role of semipermanent water storage containers, called rainwater tanks, and the influence of movement barriers, such as roads, on the spread and distribution of vector populations. Results suggest that Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Culicidae) were more likely to be captured around rainwater tanks, and that released males travel throughout residential blocks but do not cross roads. Conversely, female Aedes notoscriptus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) movement was uninhibited by roads and rainwater tanks did not influence female distribution or oviposition behavior. Using an isotropic Gaussian kernel framework, we show that vector movement is likely to be greater when applying a temporal effect, than when estimated by traditional methods. We conclude that a greater understanding on the role of urban features on vector movement will be important in the new age of rear-and-release mosquito control strategies, particularly those where estimations of movement are important for ensuring efficacy of application.

The identification of blood-meals from Culicine mosquitos from Northern Nigeria

1965 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 637-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. W. Service
Keyword(s):  
Culex Pipiens ◽  
Blood Smear ◽  
Northern Nigeria ◽  
Rock Outcrop ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Culex Pipiens Fatigans ◽  
Blood Smears ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Village ◽  
Blood Meals

Precipitin tests were performed on 238 blood-smears made from Culicine mosquitos collected from natural resting places at three sites, in the area surrounding a village, in uninhabited forest, and at an uninhabited rock outcrop in savannah vegetation in Northern Nigeria. In calculating the percentages of blood-meals that were positive for the various animals, the following criteria were applied: all negative results were subtracted from the totals tested; in calculating mammalian, but not avian or reptilian, percentages, all records that referred to “mammal, weak smear” were subtracted; “unidentified mammal” was included in the calculations. Results showed that Culex pipiens fatigans Wied. (taken only in the area surrounding the village) had fed mainly on man (45%) and birds (36%), and while Aedes vittatus (Big.) (taken only at the rock outcrop) fed to some extent on both man (14%) and birds (18%), the majority of blood-meals (54%) had been obtained from the porcupine (Histrix cristata). It is thought that these feeds on man from individuals of Ae. vittatus taken at an uninhabited site may have been obtained from villagers using a road about 150 yd. from the outcrop. Ae. luteocephalus (Newst.) (the majority of which were taken in forest) also fed to some extent on porcupine (11%) and birds (16%), but the principal host appeared to be Bovids (74%). It was established for the first time that Uranotaenia mashonaensis Theo. (the majority of which were taken in forest) bites man (29%); mammals other than man and birds accounted for 29 and 24 per cent., respectively. Half of the blood-smear samples obtained from females of this species did not react to any antisera, and were classified as negative.

scholarly journals Identification of Blood Meals from Potential Arbovirus Mosquito Vectors in the Peruvian Amazon Basin

2016 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 1026-1030
Author(s):  
Pedro M. Palermo ◽  
Carmen Flores-Mendoza ◽  
Víctor Zorrilla ◽  
Juan F. Sanchez ◽  
Patricia V. Aguilar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Peruvian Amazon ◽  
Mosquito Vectors ◽  
Blood Meals

Evaluation of upgrading a full-scale activated sludge process integrated with floating biofilm carriers

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (10) ◽  
pp. 1594-1601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shijian Ge ◽  
Yunpeng Zhu ◽  
Shuang Qiu ◽  
Xiong Yang ◽  
Bin Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Rate ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Real Time Control ◽  
Aeration Time ◽  
Time Control ◽  
Aeration System ◽  
And Control

This study evaluated the performance of a full-scale upgrade of an existing wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) with the intermittent cyclic extended aeration system (ICEAS), located in Qingdao, China. The ICEAS system was not able to meet effluent standards; therefore, a series of modifications and control strategies were applied as follows: (1) floating plastic carriers were added to the tank to aid biofilm formation; (2) operation parameters such as mixing and aeration time, feeding rate, and settling time were adjusted and controlled with a real-time control system; (3) a sludge return system and submersible water impellers were added; (4) the aeration system was also improved to circulate carriers and prevent clogging. The modified ICEAS system exhibited efficient organic and nutrient removal, with high removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (89.57 ± 4.10%), NH4+-N (95.46 ± 3.80%), and total phosphorus (91.90 ± 4.36%). Moreover, an annual power reduction of 1.04 × 107 kW·h was realized as a result of these modifications.

scholarly journals Physiological Characterization of the Chitin Synthase A Gene Responsible for Biosynthesis of Cuticle Chitin in Culex Pipiens Pallens (Diptera: Culicidae)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoshan Yang ◽  
Yang Xu ◽  
Qi Yin ◽  
Hongbo Zhang ◽  
Haitao Yin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Culex Pipiens ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Chitin Synthase ◽  
Adult Mosquito ◽  
Culex Pipiens Pallens ◽  
Chitin Synthesis ◽  
Chitin Degradation ◽  
Pipiens Pallens

Abstract Background: The pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes (Culex pipiens pallens) to humans and animals cause several emerging and resurgent infectious diseases. Increasing insecticide resistance requires rational action to control the target vector population. Chitin is indispensable for insect growth and development and absent from vertebrates and higher plants. Chitin synthase A (CHSA) represents a crucial enzyme in chitin synthesis; therefore, identifying and characterizing how CHSA determines the chitin content might help with novel vector control strategies. Results: The injection of small interfering RNA targeting CHSA (siCHSA) to knock down CHSA transcripts of in larval, pupal, and adult stages, showed different lethal phenotypes. In the larval and pupal stages, CHSA knockdown prevented larval molting, pupation, and adult eclosion, and affected the production of chitin and chitin degradation, which resulted in an ecdysis defect phenotype of mosquitoes. In the adult stage, it also affected the laminar organization of mesoderm and the formation of pseudo orthogonally large fibers of the endoderm. Conclusion: The present study provides a systematic and comprehensive description of the effects of CHSA on morphogenesis and metamorphosis. The results showed that CHSA not only affects chitin synthesis during molting, but also might be involved in chitin degradation. Our result further showed that CHSA is important for the structural integrity of the adult mosquito cuticle.

scholarly journals Assessing the blood-host plasticity and dispersal rate of the malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Orsborne ◽  
Luis Furuya-Kanamori ◽  
Claire L. Jeffries ◽  
Mojca Kristan ◽  
Abdul Rahim Mohammed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Meal ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Host Choice ◽  
Anopheles Coluzzii ◽  
Dispersal Rate ◽  
Blood Digestion ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Blood Meal Digestion ◽  
Blood Meals

AbstractDifficulties with observing the dispersal of insect vectors in the field have hampered understanding of several aspects of their behaviour linked to disease transmission. Here, a novel method based on detection of blood-meal sources is introduced to inform two critical and understudied mosquito behaviours: plasticity in the malaria vector’s blood-host choice and vector dispersal. Strategically located collections of Anopheles coluzzii from a malaria-endemic village of southern Ghana showed statistically significant variation in host species composition of mosquito blood-meals. Trialling a new sampling approach gave the first estimates for the remarkably local spatial scale across which host choice is plastic. Using quantitative PCR, the blood-meal digestion was then quantified for field-caught mosquitoes and calibrated according to timed blood digestion in colony mosquitoes. We demonstrate how this new ‘molecular Sella score’ approach can be used to estimate the dispersal rate of blood-feeding vectors caught in the field.

scholarly journals The genetic architecture of post-zygotic reproductive isolation between Anopheles coluzzii and An. quadriannulatus

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin C. Deitz ◽  
Willem Takken ◽  
Michel A. Slotman
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Anopheles Gambiae ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Epistatic Interaction ◽  
Hybrid Sterility ◽  
Anopheles Coluzzii ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Backcross Population ◽  
Complex Species

AbstractThe Anopheles gambiae complex is comprised of eight morphologically indistinguishable species and has emerged as a model system for the study of speciation genetics due to the rapid radiation of its member species over the past two million years. Male hybrids between most An. gambiae complex species pairs are sterile, and some genotype combinations in hybrid males cause inviability. We investigated the genetic basis of hybrid male inviability and sterility between An. coluzzii and An. quadriannulatus by measuring segregation distortion and performing a QTL analysis of sterility in a backcross population. Hybrid males were inviable if they inherited the An. coluzzii X chromosome and were homozygous at one or more loci in 18.9 Mb region of chromosome 3. The An. coluzzii X chromosome has a disproportionately large effect on hybrid sterility when introgressed into an An. quadriannulatus genetic background. Additionally, an epistatic interaction between the An. coluzzii X and a 1.12 Mb, pericentric region of the An. quadriannulatus 3L chromosome arm has a statistically significant contribution to the hybrid sterility phenotype. This same epistatic interaction occurs when the An. coluzzii X is introgressed into the genetic background of An. arabiensis, the sister species of An. quadriannulatus, suggesting that this may represent one of the first Dobzhansky–Muller incompatibilities to evolve early in the radiation of the Anopheles gambiae species complex. We describe the additive effects of each sterility QTL, epistatic interactions between them, and genes within QTL with protein functions related to mating behavior, reproduction, spermatogenesis, and microtubule morphogenesis, whose divergence may contribute to post-zygotic reproductive isolation between An. coluzzii and An. quadriannulatus.

scholarly journals Biological Control of Mosquito-Borne Diseases: The Potential ofWolbachia-Based Interventions in an IVM Framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
El Hadji Amadou Niang ◽  
Hubert Bassene ◽  
Florence Fenollar ◽  
Oleg Mediannikov
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Mosquito Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Resistance Mechanisms ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Mosquito Vectors ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
Commensal Microbiota ◽  
Current State ◽  
The World

People living in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world face an enormous health burden due to mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and filariasis. Historically and today, targeting mosquito vectors with, primarily, insecticide-based control strategies have been a key control strategy against major mosquito-borne diseases. However, the success to date of such approaches is under threat from multiple insecticide resistance mechanisms while vector control (VC) options are still limited. The situation therefore requires the development of innovative control measures against major mosquito-borne diseases. Transinfecting mosquitos with symbiotic bacteria that can compete with targeted pathogens or manipulate host biology to reduce their vectorial capacity are a promising and innovative biological control approach. In this review, we discuss the current state of knowledge about the association between mosquitoes andWolbachia, emphasizing the limitations of different mosquito control strategies and the use of mosquitoes’ commensal microbiota as innovative approaches to control mosquito-borne diseases.

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