scholarly journals Geographic Spatial Distribution Patterns of Dirofilaria immitis and Brugia pahangi Infection in Community Dogs in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Manusvee Kaikuntod ◽  
Orapun Arjkumpa ◽  
Doolyawat Kladkempetch ◽  
Shinya Fukumoto ◽  
Kriangkrai Thongkorn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Dirofilaria Immitis ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Northern Thailand ◽  
Brugia Pahangi ◽  
Its1 Region ◽  
Pcr Rflp

Filariasis is emerging as a public health concern in tropical and subtropical areas. Filariasis is an endemic problem commonly found in southeast Asian countries. Using the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) of the ITS1 region with Vsp I, the overall prevalence rates of Dirofilaria immitis (12.2% (41/337); 95% confidence interval: 9.1–16.1%) and Brugia pahangi (8.3% (28/337); 95% confidence interval: 5.8–11.8%) were determined based on 337 free-roaming community dogs from 20 districts in Northern Thailand. Microfilaremia was found in only 6.2% of dogs (21/337). Co-infection with D. immitis and B. pahangi was observed in two dogs. Of the 215 blood samples examined using a Canine Heartworm Ag Kit, only 3.72% (eight dogs) were D. immitis antigen positive. Among these eight, six dogs had occult D. immitis infections. In terms of geographic distribution, we found the abundance of D. immitis and B. pahangi in the central areas at altitudes less than 400 m to be 12.1% and 10.3%, respectively. In contrast, at higher altitudes between 400 and 800 m, a significantly higher number of B. pahangi compared with D. immitis infected individuals were observed at 14.29% and 4.1%, respectively. In conclusion, D. immitis and B. pahangi were the most common filarial infections found in community dogs in Northern Thailand. Dogs might be an important reservoir of B. pahangi in that region. Increasing awareness and concern and including proper deworming programs for community dogs should be endorsed to reduce the transmission risk. Additionally, the population dynamics of the mosquito vector of B. pahangi across altitudinal gradients deserved further investigation.

Collection and DNA Detection of Dirofilaria immitis (Rhabditida Onchocercidae), Using a Novel Primer Set, in Wild-Caught Mosquitoes From Gainesville, FL

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Holderman ◽  
Nicole O Abruzzo ◽  
Noor A Abdelsamad ◽  
Phillip E Kaufman ◽  
Peter M DiGennaro
Keyword(s):  
Dirofilaria Immitis ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
Culiseta Melanura ◽  
Heartworm Disease ◽  
New Association ◽  
Severe Infections ◽  
Residential Yards ◽  
Probe Set

Abstract Dirofilaria immitis, the causative agent of dog heartworm disease, is an important cause of canine morbidity and mortality, expensive to treat, and severe infections are often fatal. Much is known about the pathogen in the canine host, yet little is known on the basic ecology of the nematode in the mosquito vector. Thus, to evaluate the effectiveness of collection techniques on ability to capture dog heartworm-infected mosquitoes (Diptera Culicidae), we conducted a field study spanning 111 wk. Four methods were used: two aspirators types, sweep netting, and a CDC trap. All sites had canines present in either residential yards (n = 4) or dog kennel facilities (n = 3). Collected mosquitoes were sorted by site, trap, species, and date, then pooled into groups of up to 25 individuals. Mosquito head and thorax pools were extracted for DNA, that was screened using currently available protocols. These protocols were found unreliable; thus, we developed a novel qPCR primer and probe set. Using this method, the original samples were re-assayed and provided 494 positive pools. Approximately 10% of positive samples were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Twenty-two mosquito species tested positive for dog heartworm DNA, including a new association with Wyeomyia mitchellii (Theobald). Although Aedes atlanticus (Dyar and Knab), Anopheles crucians Wiedemann, and Culiseta melanura (Coquillett) composed nearly 36% of the total collection, these species represented 42% of the qPCR positive pools. Infection rates within commonly collected mosquitoes ranged up to 2.5%, with more rarely collected species ranging up to 14%. The CDC trap was the most effective collection method at trapping infected mosquitoes.

scholarly journals A dataset of distribution and diversity of mosquito-associated viruses and their mosquito vectors in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evans Atoni ◽  
Lu Zhao ◽  
Cheng Hu ◽  
Nanjie Ren ◽  
Xiaoyu Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dengue Virus ◽  
Japanese Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Japanese Encephalitis ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Mosquito Vectors ◽  
Culex Flavivirus ◽  
Conference Papers

Abstract Mosquito-borne viruses such as Zika virus, Japanese Encephalitis virus and Dengue virus present an increasing global health concern. However, in-depth knowledge of the distribution and diversity of mosquito-associated viruses and their related vectors remains limited, especially for China. To promote their understanding, we present the first comprehensive dataset of the distribution and diversity of these viruses and their related vectors in China (including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau). Data was drawn from peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers and thesis publications in both English and Chinese. Geographical data on mosquito-associated viruses’ occurrence and related mosquito vector species was extracted, and quality-control processes employed. This dataset contains 2,428 accounts of mosquito-associated viruses’ and mosquito species geo-referenced occurrences at various administrative levels in China. The prevalent mosquito-associated virus includes Japanese encephalitis virus, Dengue virus, Banna virus and Culex flavivirus, whereas the abundant mosquito vectors are Culex tritaeryohynchus, Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens pallens. This geographical dataset delivers a distribution and diversity outline of mosquito-associated viruses in China, and also applicable in various spatial and risk-assessment analysis.

Mapping the Potential for Infectious Disease Transmission in a Wide-Body Aircraft Cabin

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seif Mahmoud ◽  
James S. Bennett ◽  
Mohammad H. Hosni ◽  
Byron Jones
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Radial Distance ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Tracer Gas ◽  
Infectious Disease Transmission ◽  
Gas Concentration ◽  
Aircraft Cabin

Abstract With more than two billion passengers annually, in-flight transmission of infectious diseases is a major global health concern. It is widely believed that principal transmission risk associated with air travel for most respiratory infectious diseases is limited to within two rows of an infectious passenger. However, several passengers became infected despite sitting several rows away from the contagious passenger. This work thoroughly investigated the potential for disease spread inside airplane cabins using tracer gas to quantify airborne dispersion. Measurements were conducted in a full-scale, 11-row mock-up of a wide-body aircraft cabin. Heated mannequins to simulate passengers’ thermal load were placed on the cabin seats. Tracer gas was injected at the breathing level at four different hypothetical contagious passenger locations. The tracer gas concentration was measured radially up to 3.35 m away from the injection location representing four rows of a standard aircraft. A four-port sampling tree was used to collect samples at the breathing level at four different radial locations simultaneously. Each port was sampled for 30 minutes. A total of 42 tests were conducted in matching pairs to alleviate potential statistical or measurements bias. The results showed that the airflow pattern inside the mock-up airplane cabin plays a major role in determining tracer gas concentration meaning that the concentration at the same radial distance in different directions are not necessarily the same. Also, due to the air distribution pattern and cabin walls, concentrations at some seats may be higher than the source seat.

scholarly journals Laboratory colonization by Dirofilaria immitis alters the microbiome of female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulsalam Adegoke ◽  
Erik Neff ◽  
Amie Geary ◽  
Montana Ciara Husser ◽  
Kevin Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Dirofilaria Immitis ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Klebsiella Oxytoca ◽  
Variable Region ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Filarial Nematodes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: The ability of blood feeding arthropods to successfully acquire and transmit pathogens of medical and veterinary importance has been shown to be interfered with, or enhanced by, the arthropod’s native microbiome. Mosquitoes transmit viruses, protozoan and filarial nematodes, the majority of which contribute to the 17% of infectious disease cases worldwide. Dirofilaria immitis , a mosquito transmitted by filarial nematodes of dogs and cats, is vectored by several mosquito species including Aedes aegypti . Methods: In this study, we investigated the impact of D. immitis colonization on the microbiome of laboratory reared female A. aegypti . Metagenomic analysis of the V3-V4 variable region of the microbial 16SRNA was used for identification of the microbial differences down to species level. Results We generated a total of 1068 OTUs representing 16 phyla, 181 genera and 271 bacterial species. Overall, in order of abundance, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were the most represented phylum with D. immitis infected mosquitoes having more of Proteobacteria (71%) than uninfected mosquitoes (56.9%). An interesting finding in this study is the detection of Klebsiella oxytoca in relatively similar abundance in infected and uninfected mosquitoes, suggesting a possible endosymbiotic relationship, and has been previously shown to indirectly compete for nutrients with fungi on domestic housefly eggs and larva. While D. immitis colonization has no effect on the overall species richness, we identified significant differences in the composition of selected bacteria genus and phylum between the two groups. We also reported distinct compositional and phylogenetic differences in the individual bacteria species when commonly identified bacteria were compared. Conclusions In conclusion, this is the first study to the best of our knowledge to understand the impact of a filarial infection on the microbiome of its mosquito vector. Further studies are required to identify bacteria species that could play an important role in the mosquito biology. While the microbiome composition of A. aegypti mosquito have been previously reported, our study shows that in an effort to establish itself, a filarial nematode modifies and alters the overall microbial diversity within its mosquito host.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document