bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Population Dynamics of Malaria Vectors in Western Kenya Highlands
Authors: Ndenga Bryson , Githeko Andrew , Omukunda Elizabeth , Munyekenye Godwil , Atieli Harrysonne , Wamai Peter , Mbogo Charles , Minakawa Noboru , Zhou Goufa , Yan Guiyun 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Studies were carried out at three sites in the highlands of western Kenya (Iguhu and Mbale in Kakamega and Vihiga districts, respectively, and Marani in Kisii district) and at one site in the western Kenya lowlands (Kombewa in Kisumu district) to determine the spatial-temporal dynamics of malaria vectors and intensity of malaria transmission from June 2003 to June 2004. At the highland sites, Anopheles gambiae Giles predominated, constituting &gt;80% of the vector species, whereas An. funestus Giles made up &lt;20%. In contrast, at the lowland site, An. funestus made up 68% of the vector species. The mean annual indoor resting densities of An. gambiae at Iguhu were 5.0 female mosquitoes per house per night, 14.2- and 26.3-fold greater than those at Mbale and Marani. During the main transmission season, the indoor resting densities of An. gambiae increased 4.1-, 10.1-, and 5.0-fold over the dry season period in Iguhu, Mbale, and Marani, respectively. The estimated annual entomological inoculation rate (EIR) at Iguhu was 16.6 infectious bites per person per year (ib/p/yr), 1.1 at Mbale, and 0.4 at Marani. This suggests high spatial variation in vector abundance and malaria transmission intensity. At the lowland site, Kombewa, the total annual EIR was 31.1 ib/p/yr and the indoor resting densities during the transmission season increased 7.1-fold in An. funestus and 18.5-fold in An. gambiae sensu lato over the dry season. The low level of transmission in the highlands suggests that it may be disrupted by vector control methods such as residual spraying.
Electroantennogram and Behavioral Responses of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) Females to Chemicals Found in Human Skin Emanations
Authors: Puri Sarika N. , Mendki M. J. , Sukumaran D. , Ganesan K. , Prakash Shri , Sekhar K. 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
The southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae), is closely associated with humans and is a vector of filariasis. Use of semiochemicals for control of mosquitoes is a novel and potentially ecofriendly control approach. Human skin emanations are known to attract mosquitoes. In the current study, olfactory and behavioral responses of host-seeking female Cx. quinquefasciatus to various chemical components of human skin emanations (carboxylic acids, alcohols, and aldehydes) were evaluated separately at three doses (0.01, 0.1, and 1 μg) for electroantennogram (EAG) and three doses (0.1, 1, and 10 μg) for behavioral assay. Results of EAG studies indicated that all carboxylic acids elicited significant olfactory responses except tetradecanoic acid (C14) and octadecanoic acid (C18). In particular, hexanoic acid (C6) elicited a maximum, eight-fold olfactory response compared with the solvent control. Ethylene glycol and benzyl alcohol exhibited significant EAG and behavioral responses, whereas among aldehydes, nonanal elicited high EAG and behavioral responses, but only at all three doses tested compared with control. Some carboxylic acids elicited significant behavioral responses, attracting ≈75% of females tested toward chemical stimuli in a Y-tube olfactometer.
Heated Oligonucleotide Ligation Assay (HOLA): An Affordable Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Assay
Authors: Black W. C. , Gorrochotegui-escalante N. , Duteau N. M. 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Most single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection requires expensive equipment and reagents. The oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) is an inexpensive SNP assay that detects ligation between a biotinylated "allele-specific detector" and a 3′ fluorescein-labeled "reporter" oligonucleotide. No ligation occurs unless the 3′ detector nucleotide is complementary to the SNP nucleotide. The original OLA used chemical denaturation and neutralization. Heated OLA (HOLA) instead uses a thermal stable ligase and cycles of denaturing and hybridization for ligation and SNP detection. The cost per genotype is ≈US$1.25 with two-allele SNPs or ≈US$1.75 with three-allele SNPs. We illustrate the development of HOLA for SNP detection in the Early Trypsin and Abundant Trypsin loci in the mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.) and at the α -glycerophosphate dehydrogenase locus in the mosquito Anopheles gambiae s.s.
Insecticide Resistance in Anopheles funestus (Diptera: Culicidae) from Mozambique
Authors: Casimiro S. , Coleman M. , Mohloai P. , Hemingway J. , Sharp B. 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Malaria control in southern Mozambique is currently by indoor residual carbamate insecticide treatment, with pyrethroid-treated bed-nets distributed to pregnant women and children under five in northern Mozambique. The susceptibility of Anopheles funestus s.s. to pyrethroid, carbamate, organochlorine, and organophosphorus insecticides was determined by World Health Organization adult mosquito susceptibility tests at 19 localities in Mozambique, from March 2000 to July 2002. Biochemical assays were carried out on mosquitoes from the same families to detect shifts in the quantity or activity of enzyme families involved in insecticide detoxification. An. funestus from all localities remained fully susceptible to DDT and the organophosphorus insecticide malathion. A high level of pyrethroid resistance was detected in An. funestus populations in southern Mozambique. An. funestus outside Maputo province were still susceptible to pyrethroids. An. funestus from six localities also were resistant to carbamate insecticides propoxur and bendiocarb. Both pyrethroid and carbamate resistance occurred in five of these six localities. Mosquitoes from five of the localities with elevated p450 estimates, compared with the insecticide-susceptible Durban strain, were pyrethroid-resistant. The only exception to this trend was Mozal, which had elevated p450 estimates but full pyrethroid susceptibility by bioassay. The lack of cross-resistance between pyrethroids and DDT in Mozambican An. funestus suggests that a kdr-type target site resistance mechanism has not been selected. Low levels of insecticide-insensitive acetylcholinesterase, the target site for carbamates and organophosphates, were found in all populations tested. The high level of metabolically based pyrethroid resistance has implications for current malaria control programs in Mozambique.
Horizontal Transfer of Shiga Toxin and Antibiotic Resistance Genes Among Escherichia coli Strains in House Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Gut
Authors: Petridis M. , Bagdasarian M. , Waldor M. K. , Walker E. 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Whether the house fly, Musca domestica L., gut is a permissive environment for horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes between strains of Escherichia coli is not known. House flies were immobilized and force fed suspensions of defined, donor strains of E. coli containing chloramphenicol resistance genes on a plasmid, or lysogenic, bacteriophage-born Shiga toxin gene stx1 (bacteriophage H-19B::Ap1). Recipient strains were E. coli lacking these mobile elements and genes but having rifampicin as a selectable marker. Plasmid transfer occurred at rates of 10−2 per donor cell in the fly midgut and 10−3 in the fly crop after 1 h of incubation postfeeding. Bacteriophage transfer rate was ≈10−6 per donor cell without induction, but induction with mitomycin C increased rates of transfer to 10−2 per donor cell. These findings show that genes encoding antibiotic resistance or toxins will transfer horizontally among bacteria in the house fly gut via plasmid transfer or phage transduction. The house fly gut may provide a favorable environment for the evolution and emergence of pathogenic bacterial strains through acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes or virulence factors.
Glossina Proteolytic Lectin Does Not Require a Carbohydrate Moiety for Enzymatic or Trypanosome-Transforming Activities
Authors: Amin Daniel N. , Kamita Shizuo G. , Muluvi Geoffrey M. , Machuka Jesse , Hammock Bruce D. , Osir Ellie O. 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
The developmental cycle of the cyclically transmitted African trypanosome involves an obligatory passage through the tsetse fly, Glossina spp. This intricate relationship requires the presence of molecules within the insect vector, including a midgut lectin, that interact with the trypanosome. Recently, a gene encoding for a proteolytic lectin, with trypanosome-transforming activity, was isolated from a midgut cDNA library of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes Austen in our laboratory. Using the same approach, we have identified a similar gene from a midgut cDNA library of Glossina austeni (Newstead). The protein encoded by this gene was expressed in bacteria and a baculovirus-based expression system. The baculovirus-expressed lectin was found in the medium of baculovirus-infected Sf-21 cell cultures, indicating that the tsetse fly-derived signal peptide was recognized and cleaved by the Sf-21 cells. The baculovirus-expressed protein also was glycosylated despite the absence of classical O-linked and N-linked sugar attachment motifs. Both the baculovirus- and bacterium-expressed lectin proteins were shown to agglutinate trypanosomes and rabbit red blood cells in vitro. This agglutination was strongly inhibited by d-glucosamine. d-Glucosamine also inhibited the action of the authentic and recombinant lectins upon the chromogenic substrate Chromozym TRY. Interestingly, both baculovirus- and bacterium-expressed lectins showed no significant differences in terms of these activities, indicating that a sugar moiety is not essential for biological activity. Our results provide an important molecular tool for further characterization of Glossina proteolytic lectin.
Plasmodium Development in White-Eye (kh
w) and Transformed Strains (kh43) of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)
Authors: Beerntsen Brenda T. , LI Jianyong 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Xanthurenic acid (XA) has been implicated as an inducer in vivo of exflagellation in Plasmodium spp. Consequently, the development of Plasmodium gallinaceum was assessed in a white-eye mosquito strain, kh w, of Aedes aegypti (L.), which is deficient in XA because of a mutation of the gene encoding the enzyme kynurenine hydroxylase, and in a transformed line of kh w mosquitoes that carry the wild-type cn + gene of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen and express a functional enzyme necessary for XA production. Although XA was not detectable in kh w mosquitoes by using high-pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection, parasites were able to develop. Transformed kh w mosquitoes failed to consistently support parasite development at higher prevalences and mean intensities than did the nontransformed kh w lines, even though XA was detectable. These data suggest that factors other than XA may play a role in initiating Plasmodium development in vivo.
Transmission of Vesicular Stomatitis New Jersey Virus to Cattle by the Biting Midge Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)
Authors: De Leon Adalberto A. Perez , Tabachnick Walter J. 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
Laboratory-reared Culicoides sonorensis Wirth & Jones were infected with vesicular stomatitis virus serotype New Jersey (family Rhabdoviridae, genus Vesiculovirus, VSNJV) through intrathoracic inoculation. After 10-d incubation at 25°C, these insects were allowed to blood feed on four steers. Two other steers were exposed to VSNJV through intralingual inoculation with 108 tissue culture infective dose50 VSNJV. All six steers became seropositive for VSNJV. The results demonstrate the ability of C. sonorensis to transmit VSNJV to livestock. Only the animals intralingually inoculated with VSNJV showed clinical signs in the form of vesicles at the site of inoculation. Uninfected C. sonorensis allowed to feed on the exposed animals did not become infected with VSNJV. Animals infected by C. sonorensis showed a slower antibody response compared with intralingually inoculated animals. This is probably because of different amounts of virus received via insect transmission and syringe inoculation. A significant difference was found in the serum acute-phase protein α-1-acid glycoprotein in animals that received VSNJV through C. sonorensis transmission. These animals had previously been exposed to insect attack in the field compared with intralingually inoculated animals and C. sonorensis-infected animals that had been protected from insect attack. The failure to observe clinical signs of vesicular stomatitis through transmission of VSNJV by C. sonorensis may explain widespread subclinical infections during vesicular stomatitis epidemics.
Evaluating Satellite Sensor-Derived Indices for Lyme Disease Risk Prediction
Authors: Rodgers Sarah E. , Mather Thomas N. 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
The wetness and greenness indices created using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data from June 1995 and 1997 and July 2002 were tested for their ability to predict the location of sites with different levels of nymphal blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, abundance in Rhode Island. In 1995, there were statistically significant differences in the mean of greenness and wetness indices between sites classified as low and moderate tick abundance areas (P = 0.005 and P = 0.041, respectively). In 1997, there also were statistically significant differences in the mean of the greenness and wetness indices, but these differences were between the grouping of low/moderate tick abundance and the high tick abundance category (P = 0.023 and P = 0.015, respectively). The same indices from the 2002 image were not significant predictors of tick abundance. It may be that Landsat TM-derived indices can be used to predict nymphal blacklegged tick abundance in years (e.g., 1995 and 1997) when tick abundance is lower than average but not in years when it is higher (e.g., 2002). Thus, it seems unlikely that these remotely sensed indices will be very useful for modeling nonperidomestic Lyme disease risk over a large region in Rhode Island.
Overwintering of West Nile Virus in Southern California
Authors: Reisen William K. , Fang Ying , Lothrop Hugh D. , Martinez Vincent M. , Wilson Jennifer , O’Connor Paul , Carney Ryan , Cahoon-Young Barbara , Shafii Marzieh , Brault Aaron C. 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
West Nile virus (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, WNV) invaded southern California during 2003, successfully overwintered, amplified to epidemic levels, and then dispersed to every county in the state. Although surveillance programs successfully tracked and measured these events, mechanisms that allowed the efficient overwintering and subsequent amplification of WNV have not been elucidated. Our current research provided evidence for three mechanisms whereby WNV may have persisted in southern California during the winters of 2003–2004 and 2004–2005: 1) continued enzootic transmission, 2) vertical transmission by Culex mosquitoes, and 3) chronic infection in birds. WNV was detected in 140 dead birds comprising 32 species, including 60 dead American crows, thereby verifying transmission during the November–March winter period. Dead American crows provide evidence of recent transmission because this species always succumbs rapidly after infection. However, WNV RNA was not detected concurrently in 43,043 reproductively active female mosquitoes comprising 11 species and tested in 1,258 pools or antibody in sera from 190 sentinel chickens maintained in 19 flocks. Although efficient vertical transmission by WNV was demonstrated experimentally for Culex tarsalis Coquillett infected per os, 369 females collected diapausing in Kern County and tested in 32 pools were negative for WNV. Vertical transmission was detected in Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus Say adults reared from field-collected immatures collected from Kern County and Los Angeles during the summer transmission period. Chronic infection was detected by finding WNV RNA in 34 of 82 birds that were inoculated with WNV experimentally, held for &gt;6 wk after infection, and then necropsied. Frequent detection of WNV RNA in kidney tissue in experimentally infected birds &gt;6 wk postinfection may explain, in part, the repeated detection of WNV RNA in dead birds recovered during winter, especially in species such as mourning doves that typically do not die after experimental infection. In summary, our study provides limited evidence to support multiple modes of WNV persistence in southern California. Continued transmission and vertical transmission by Culex p. quinquefasciatus Say seem likely candidates for further study.
Mosquito Species (Diptera: Culicidae) and the Transmission of Ross River Virus in Brisbane, Australia
Authors: Hu Wenbiao , Tong Shilu , Mengersen Kerrie , Oldenburg Brian , Dale Pat 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
This study aimed to identify the major mosquito vectors of Ross River virus (family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, RRV) and to explore the threshold of mosquito abundance necessary for RRV transmission in Brisbane, Australia. Data on the monthly counts of RRV cases by statistical local areas from the Queensland Health and the monthly mosquito abundance in Brisbane between November 1998 and December 2001 from the Brisbane City Council were used to assess the pairwise relationship between mosquito abundance and the incidence of RRV disease over a range of time lags using cross-correlations. We used time series Poisson regression models to identify major mosquito species associated with incidence of RRV after adjusting for overdispersion, maximum temperature, autocorrelation, and seasonality. Our results show that Aedes vigilax (Skuse) (relative risk [RR] = 1.32; 95% CI = 1.01–1.74 per 100 mosquitoes per trap) and Culex annulirostris (Skuse) (RR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.04–1.24 per 100 mosquitoes per trap) were most strongly associated with RRV transmission at a lag of 1 mo. Classification and regression tree (CART) analyses indicate that the occurrence of RRV was associated with an average monthly mosquito abundance of Aedes vigilax above 72 and Cx. annulirostris above 52. The validation analyses indicate that the crude agreement between predicted values and actual observations was 76% (sensitivity, 61%; specificity, 80%). The results may have applications as a decision support tool in planning disease control and risk-management programs.
Amblyomma triste (Acari: Ixodidae): New North American Collection Records, Including the First From the United States
Authors: Mertins James W. , Moorhouse Arnold S. , Alfred Jeffery T. , Hutcheson H. Joel 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
New distribution records for the Neotropical tick, Amblyomma triste Koch, are identified from 27 specimens in 18 separate collections. These collections originated from six now recognized geographical foci in two states in the United States (Cochise and Santa Cruz Counties, Arizona, and Brewster and Jeff Davis Counties, Texas) and from import cattle, Bos taurus L., presented for entry at the United States border and originating in three Mexican states (Coahuila, Durango, and Sonora). For at least 67 yr, A. triste has existed in some areas of the United States as a cryptic species, and specimens there have been confused with and identified as Gulf Coast ticks, Amblyomma maculatum Koch, even by noted tick specialists. Most of the records reported in this study were from reidentified, archived specimens of putative A. maculatum.
γ Ray Dosimetry and Mating Capacity Studies in the Laboratory on Aedes albopictus Males
Authors: Balestrino F. , Medici A. , Candini G. , Carrieri M. , Maccagnani B. , Calvitti M. , Maini S. , Bellini R. 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
In Italy, Aedes albopictus Skuse is currently recognized as the most dangerous mosquito, and as currently applied conventional control methods gave unsatisfactory results, we are developing alternative strategies such as the sterile insect technique. To find the optimal sterilizing dose, male pupae were exposed to different doses of γ rays in the range 20–80 Gy, generated by a Cesium-137 source. The effects of male pupal age at irradiation and γ ray dose on adult male emergence, sterility level, longevity, and mating capacity were evaluated, and dose-response curves of residual fertility were calculated. Radiation tests were also performed on female pupae to observe their reproductive capacity in case of accidental release. Results confirmed that the age at which the male pupa is irradiated is an important factor that affects the longevity of the adult, whereas the effect of age on the induced sterility level is less pronounced. When male pupae older than 30 h were irradiated, the longevity of the adults was not affected by doses up to 40 Gy. The 40-Gy dose appeared sufficient to induce high level of sterility (&gt;99%) at any male pupal age for all the strains tested. The duration of coupling and the number of mated females per male appeared to be affected by the radiation received by male pupae only at doses higher than 40 Gy. The female pupae were more sensitive to radiation than male pupae, with strong reduction in fecundity and fertility at 20 Gy and complete suppression of oviposition at higher doses.
Temporal Dynamics of Malaria Transmission in Two Rural Areas of Burkina Faso With Two Ecological Differences
Authors: Edith Ilboudo-Sanogo , Alfred Tiono B. , N′falé Sagnon , Nadine Cuzin Ouattara , Issa Nébié , B. Sirima Sodiomon 
Published: January 2015

Abstract
To determine the relationship between malaria transmission intensity, clinical malaria, immune response, plasmodic index, and to furthermore characterize a malaria vaccine trial site for potential malaria vaccines candidate testing, a study was conducted in Tensobtenga and Balonguen, two villages in Burkina Faso characterized by different malaria transmission levels. The study villages are located in a Sudan savanna area. Malaria transmission is seasonal and peaks in September in these villages. Tensobtenga and Balonguen are comparables in all aspects, except the presence of an artificial lake and wetlands in Tensobtenga. The mosquitoes sampling sites were randomly selected, taking into consideration the number of potential breeding sites, and the number of households in each village. Three times a week during 12 mo mosquitoes were collected by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention light traps in sentinel sites. To assess the infectivity the mosquitoes double ELISAs tests were performed on thoraces of female Anopheles gambiae s.l. (Giles) and Anopheles funestus. A total of 54,392 female Anopheles, representing 92.71% of the total mosquitoes, were collected. The peaks of aggressiveness because of either An. gambiae s.l. or An. funestus were observed in September in each of the villages. However, these peaks were lower in Balonguen compared with Tensobtenga. Malaria cumulative aggressiveness and transmission intensity because of both species peaked in September in each of the two villages, with lower values in Balonguen in comparison to Tensobtenga. From February to May, malaria transmission intensity is negligible in Balonguen and &lt;1 bite/person/mo is observed in Tensobtenga. These results have confirmed the marked seasonality of malaria transmission in the study area.