The Calcutta Chromosome: An Acknowledgement of Indigenous Caliber and Extrapolation upon the History of Malaria Parasite Discovery

Amitav Ghosh novel The Calcutta Chromosome: a Novel of Fevers, Delirium and Discovery is considered, - an outstanding literary work in which the writer reveals a discourse of science versus counter-science from the earlier world of social, cultural and ethnical history of Indian subcontinent. India is home to the oldest continuous civilization, nevertheless, the long invasive rule of the Mughals and the Britishers has framed minds to undervalue the indigenous knowledge, practices, customs and discourses. Amitav Ghosh novel denies the Western supremacy in every field and puts a question mark in the invention of Anopheles maculipennis as the cause of malaria. Dr. Ronald Ross received the prestigious Nobel Prize in 1902 for his discovery of malaria parasite but Ami- tav Ghosh supports the contribution of Indian assistants Mangala and Laakhan who were not acknowledged by the British researchers. The novel reflects a postcolonial approach to interpret Western scientific mechanism, posits the question to unethical exploitation of native workers by the English and gives voice to the traditional knowledge of the subalterns. An integral part of Ghoshs approach in this novel is to illuminate the richness of ideas and complexity of Indigenous life, and to create a place where aboriginals are acknowledged for their remarkable contributions.

Resistance Status of Anopheles maculipennis and Anopheles superpictus to the Conventional Insecticides in Northeastern Caspian Littoral, Iran

Background: Malaria resurgence has occurred in the northern half parts of Iran. The resurgence of malaria in the prone area could arise from various factors, e.g. wide use of pesticides in the agriculture sector and factors such as habitual patterns of movement of local people from problematic southeastern foci in Iran toward the Caspian Littoral. There are no new data on the re­sistance status of main malaria vectors in the Caspian Littoral, and this study was aimed at renewal data on conventional insecticides. Methods: The field strain of adult Anopheles superpictus and Anopheles maculipennis were collected using the hand catch method and transferred to the laboratory. The susceptibility tests were carried out against DDT 4%, Malathion 5%, Permethrin 0.75%, Deltamethrin 0.05%, and Lambda-cyhalothrin 0.05%, followed by the WHO’s procedure. Results: The primary malaria vector in Caspian Littoral is An. maculipennis, revealed to be still resistant to DDT and mortali­ty rate, LT50 and LT90 of female mosquitoes were 75.0%, 54.2, minutes and 111.3 minutes. The under ’verifica­tion re­quired’ status of An. maculipennis was also revealed to Lambda-cyhalothrin based on recent WHO’s criteria. The ma­laria vector An. superpictus is also considered the second malaria vectors in the west parts of the studied area, which showed to be susceptible to all insecticides tested. Conclusion: DDT resistance is persisted in An. maculipennis despite stopping residual spraying with DDT since 1978 in the Caspian Littoral, but the occurrence of pyrethroid under ’verification required’ status is a progressive threat to the possible development of cross-resistance in the future.

Pathogenic fungi infection attributes of malarial vectors Anopheles maculipennis and Anopheles superpictus in central Iran

Background Due to the effect of synthetic and commercial insecticides on non-target organisms and the resistance of mosquitoes, non-chemical and environmentally friendly methods have become prevalent in recent years. The present study was to isolate entomopathogenic fungi with toxic effects on mosquitoes in natural larval habitats. Methods Larvae of mosquitoes were collected from Central, Qamsar, Niasar, and Barzok Districts in Kashan County, Central Iran by standard dipping method, from April to late December 2019. Dead larvae, live larvae showing signs of infection, and larvae and pupae with a white coating of fungal mycelium on the outer surface of their bodies were isolated from the rest of the larvae and sterilized with 10% sodium hypochlorite for 2 min, then washed twice with distilled water and transferred to potato-dextrose-agar (PDA) and water-agar (WA) media and incubated at 25 ± 2 °C for 3–4 days. Larvae and fungi were identified morphologically based on identification keys. Results A total of 9789 larvae were collected from urban and rural areas in Kashan County. Thirteen species were identified which were recognized to belong to three genera, including Anopheles (7.89%), Culiseta (17.42%) and Culex (74.69%). A total of 105 larvae, including Anopheles superpictus sensu lato (s.l), Anopheles maculipennis s.l., Culex deserticola, Culex perexiguus, and Culiseta longiareolata were found to be infected by Nattrassia mangiferae, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Trichoderma spp., and Penicillium spp. Of these, Penicillium spp. was the most abundant fungus isolated and identified from the larval habitats, while An. superpictus s.l. was the most infected mosquito species. Conclusions Based on the observations and results obtained of the study, isolated fungi had the potential efficacy for pathogenicity on mosquito larvae. It is suggested that their effects on mosquito larvae should be investigated in the laboratory. The most important point, however, is the proper way of exploiting these biocontrol agents to maximize their effect on reducing the population of vector mosquito larvae without any negative effect on non-target organisms.

Assessment of mosquito larvae (Diptera: Culicidae) productivity in urban cemeteries in Wroclaw (SW Poland)

In many European countries, cemeteries are found to be suitable habitats for the proliferation of native and invasive mosquito species. The study aimed to assess for the first time in Poland the suitability of urban cemeteries for mosquito larvae development in water supply wells. From May to September 2019 in three urban cemeteries in Wroclaw (SW Poland), a total of 757 inspection of water supply wells were carried out. The mosquito larvae development, expressed as the general container index (GCI), differed between the examined areas and months of the study. The highest GCI value was calculated for Grabiszyński and Bujwida cemeteries (72.0 % and 59.3 % respectively). Larvae of three native mosquito species were identified in all inspected breeding places during the survey: Culex pipiens s.l. Linnaeus (95 %), Cx. torrentium Martini (4 %), Anopheles maculipennis s.l. Meigen (less than 1 %). No larvae of invasive Aedes mosquito species were found. In the inspected water supply wells larval productivity peaked in June, when the average temperature reached 22.7 °C. Due to the likelihood of the establishment and adaptation of invasive aedine mosquito species in Poland, constant analysis of the larvae composition in cemeteries should be continued.

Etude sur la faune Culicidienne (Diptera: Culicidae) de la région de Tizi-Ouzou (Nord d’Algérie) : Biodiversité, abondance et répartition

Dans le but d’améliorer nos connaissances sur la diversité spécifique de la faune Culicidienne au niveau de la région de Tizi-Ouzou (Nord d’Algérie), nous avons mené un échantillonnage bimensuel dans 20 gîtes larvaires différents au cours d’une période allant du mois de février 2019 jusqu’au mois de juin 2020. Treize (13) espèces ont été recensées (Aedes (Ochlerotatus) caspius (Pallas, 1771), Aedes (Finlaya) geniculatus (Olivier, 1791), Anopheles maculipennis s.l. Meigen, 1818, Anopheles (Anopheles) claviger (Meigen, 1804), Culex (Culex) pipiens Linnaeus,1758, Culex (Maillotia) deserticola Kirkpatrick, 1925, Culex (Maillotia) hortensis Ficalbi, 1889, Culex (Neoculex) impudicus Ficalbi, 1890, Culex (Neoculex) territans Walker,1856, Culex (Culex) perexiguus (Theobald, 1903), Culiseta (Allotheobaldia) longiareolata (Macquart, 1838), Culiseta (Culiseta) subochrea (Edwards, 1921), Uranotaenia (Pseudoficalbia) unguiculata (Edwards,1913) appartenant à cinq genres (Aedes, Anopheles, Culex, Culiseta, Uranotaenia). Culex pipiens est l’espèce la plus abondante avec une fréquence relative de 44,53%, suivie par Culiseta longiareolata avec 41,96%.

Mosquitoes of the Maculipennis complex in Northern Italy

The correct identification of mosquito vectors is often hampered by the presence of morphologically indiscernible sibling species. The Maculipennis complex is one of these groups which include both malaria vectors of primary importance and species of low/negligible epidemiological relevance, of which distribution data in Italy are outdated. Our study was aimed at providing an updated distribution of Maculipennis complex in Northern Italy through the sampling and morphological/molecular identification of specimens from five regions. The most abundant species was Anopheles messeae s.l. (2032), followed by Anopheles maculipennis s.s. (418), Anopheles atroparvus (28) and Anopheles melanoon (13). The distribution of species was characterized by Ecological Niche Models (ENMs), fed by recorded points of presence. ENMs provided clues on the ecological preferences of the detected species, with An. messeae s.l. linked to stable breeding sites and An. maculipennis s.s. more associated to ephemeral breeding sites. We demonstrate that historical Anopheles malaria vectors are still widespread in Northern Italy.