Articles

First report in italy of the exotic mosquito species Aedes (Finlaya) koreicus, a potential vector of arboviruses and filariae

In the Veneto region (north-eastern Italy) an entomological surveillance system has been implemented since the introduction of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) in 1991. During the routine monitoring ac...

Authors: Gioia Capelli, Andrea Drago, Simone Martini, Fabrizio Montarsi, Mauro Soppelsa, Nicola Delai, Silvia Ravagnan, Luca Mazzon, Francis Schaffner, Alexander Mathis, Marco Di Luca, Roberto Romi and Francesca Russo

Implication of haematophagous arthropod salivary proteins in host-vector interactions

The saliva of haematophagous arthropods contains an array of anti-haemostatic, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory molecules that contribute to the success of the blood meal. The saliva of haematophagous ar...

Authors: Albin Fontaine, Ibrahima Diouf, Nawal Bakkali, Dorothée Missé, Frédéric Pagès, Thierry Fusai, Christophe Rogier and Lionel Almeras

Toll-like receptor activation by helminths or helminth products to alleviate inflammatory bowel disease

Helminth infection may modulate the expression of Toll like receptors (TLR) in dendritic cells (DCs) and modify the responsiveness of DCs to TLR ligands. This may regulate aberrant intestinal inflammation in h...

Authors: ShuMin Sun, XueLin Wang, XiuPing Wu, Ying Zhao, Feng Wang, XiaoLei Liu, YanXia Song, ZhiLiang Wu and MingYuan Liu

Distribution and genetic variation of hymenolepidid cestodes in murid rodents on the Canary Islands (Spain)

In the Canary Islands there are no previous data about tapeworms (Cestoda) of rodents. In order to identify the hymenolepidid species present in these hosts, a survey of 1,017 murine (349 Rattus rattus, 13 Rattus...

Authors: Pilar Foronda, Mercedes López-González, Mariano Hernández, Voitto Haukisalmi and Carlos Feliu

The role of cow urine in the oviposition site preference of culicine and Anopheles mosquitoes

Chemical and behavioural ecology of mosquitoes plays an important role in the development of chemical cue based vector control. To date, studies available have focused on evaluating mosquito attractants and re...

Authors: Eliningaya J Kweka, Eunice A Owino, Beda J Mwang'onde, Aneth M Mahande, Mramba Nyindo and Franklin Mosha

Identification of mosquito repellent odours from Ocimum forskolei

Native mosquito repellent plants have a good potential for integrated mosquito control in local settings. Ocimum forskolei, Lamiaceae, is used in Eritrea as a spatial mosquito repellent inside houses, either thro...

Authors: Teun Dekker, Rickard Ignell, Maedot Ghebru, Robert Glinwood and Richard Hopkins

Anaplasmataceae and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the sand lizard Lacerta agilis and co-infection of these bacteria in hosted Ixodes ricinus ticks

Anaplasmataceae and Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. are important tick-borne bacteria maintained in nature by transmission between ticks and vertebrate hosts. However, the potential role of lizards as hosts has not bee...

Authors: Anna Ekner, Krzysztof Dudek, Zofia Sajkowska, Viktória Majláthová, Igor Majláth and Piotr Tryjanowski

Awareness, attitudes and prevention of malaria in the cities of Douala and Yaoundé (Cameroon)

There is little information on the social perception of malaria and the use of prevention methods in Cameroon. This study was designed to assess knowledge, attitude and management of malaria in households livi...

Authors: Cyrille Ndo, Benjamin Menze-Djantio and Christophe Antonio-Nkondjio

Prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis infection in dogs and cats in subtropical southern China

Clonorchiasis, caused by Clonorchis sinensis, is one of the major parasitic zoonoses in China, particularly in China's southern Guangdong province where the prevalence of C. sinensis infection in humans is high. ...

Authors: Rui-Qing Lin, Jian-Dong Tang, Dong-Hui Zhou, Hui-Qun Song, Si-Yang Huang, Jia-Xu Chen, Mu-Xin Chen, Han Zhang, Xing-Quan Zhu and Xiao-Nong Zhou

Chemometric analysis of biofluids from mice experimentally infected with Schistosoma mansoni

The urinary metabolic fingerprint of a patent Schistosoma mansoni infection in the mouse has been characterized using spectroscopic methods. However, the temporal dynamics of metabolic alterations have not been s...

Authors: Jia V Li, Jasmina Saric, Yulan Wang, Jennifer Keiser, Jürg Utzinger and Elaine Holmes

Lymphatic filariasis in the Democratic Republic of Congo; micro-stratification overlap mapping (MOM) as a prerequisite for control and surveillance

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has a significant burden of lymphatic filariasis (LF) caused by the parasite Wuchereria bancrofti. A major impediment to the expansion of the LF elimination programme is the...

Authors: Louise A Kelly-Hope, Brent C Thomas, Moses J Bockarie and David H Molyneux

Ecology of Anopheles darlingi Root with respect to vector importance: a review

Anopheles darlingi is one of the most important malaria vectors in the Americas. In this era of new tools and strategies for malaria and vector control it is essential to have knowledge on the ecology and behavio...

Authors: Hélène Hiwat and Gustavo Bretas

Diagnostic efficacy of monoclonal antibody based sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of Fasciola gigantica excretory/secretory antigens in both serum and stool

This research was carried out to develop a reliable monoclonal antibody (MoAb)-based sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of active Fasciola gigantica infection in both serum and s...

Authors: Zeinab A Demerdash, Tarek M Diab, Ibrahim R Aly, Salwa H Mohamed, Faten S Mahmoud, Mona K Zoheiry, Wafaa A Mansour, Mohy E Attia and Azza E El-Bassiouny

Adult population as potential reservoir of NTD infections in rural villages of Kwale district, Coastal Kenya: implications for preventive chemotherapy interventions policy

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are major public health problems in developing countries where they contribute to suffering of populations living in poor settings. As part of a research project started in S...

Authors: Sammy M Njenga, Charles S Mwandawiro, Erastus Muniu, Mariam T Mwanje, Fatma M Haji and Moses J Bockarie

Efficacy of imidacloprid + moxidectin and selamectin topical solutions against the KS1 Ctenocephalides felis flea strain infesting cats

Two studies were conducted to evaluate and compare the efficacy of imidacloprid + moxidectin and selamectin topical solutions against the KS1 flea strain infesting cats. In both studies the treatment groups we...

Authors: Michael W Dryden, Patricia A Payne, Vicki Smith and Joe Hostetler

The prevalence of canine Leishmania infantum infection in Sichuan Province, southwestern China detected by real time PCR

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is endemic in western China, and becoming an important public health concern. Infected dogs are the main reservoir for Leishmania infantum, and a potential sentinel for human VL in end...

Authors: Li-min Shang, Wei-ping Peng, Hong-tao Jin, Ding Xu, Ni-na Zhong, Wen-long Wang, You-xi Wu and Quan Liu

Monitoring specific antibody responses against the hydrophilic domain of the 23 kDa membrane protein of Schistosoma japonicum for early detection of infection in sentinel mice

Schistosomiasis remains an important public health problem throughout tropical and subtropical countries. Humans are infected through contact with water contaminated with schistosome cercariae. Therefore, issu...

Authors: Jie Wang, Chuan-Xin Yu, Xu-Ren Yin, Wei Zhang, Chun-Yan Qian, Li-Jun Song, Xue-Dan Ke, Yong-Liang Xu, Wei He and Guo-Qun Cao

Dissemination of Metarhizium anisopliae of low and high virulence by mating behavior in Aedes aegypti

Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. It is a threat for public health worldwide and its primary vector Aedes aegypti is becoming resistant to chemical insecticides. These factors have encour...

Authors: Filiberto Reyes-Villanueva, Javier A Garza-Hernandez, Alberto M Garcia-Munguia, Patricia Tamez-Guerra, Annabel FV Howard and Mario A Rodriguez-Perez

Steverding D: Parasites of medical and veterinary importance

Authors: Geoff Hide

Gene expression study using real-time PCR identifies an NTR gene as a major marker of resistance to benznidazole in Trypanosoma cruzi

Chagas disease is a neglected illness, with limited treatments, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Two drugs are prescribed to treat the disease, nifurtimox and benznidazole, which have been previously rep...

Authors: Ana M Mejía-Jaramillo, Geysson J Fernández, Lina Palacio and Omar Triana-Chávez

Evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii as a live vaccine vector in susceptible and resistant hosts

Toxoplasma gondii has been shown to trigger strong cellular immune responses to heterologous antigens expressed by the parasite in the inbred mouse model [1]. We studied the immune response induced by T. gondii a...

Authors: Jun Zou, Xiao-Xi Huang, Guang-Wen Yin, Ye Ding, Xian-Yong Liu, Heng Wang, Qi-Jun Chen and Xun Suo

Tunisian Toxoplasma gondii strains genotyping by the use of AK69 marker

Clinical manifestation due to infection by Toxoplasma gondii is closely linked to the infecting strain of the parasite. Several genetic markers are available to determinate its genotype but few of them are able t...

Authors: Sonia Boughattas, Rym Ben-Abdallah, Emna Siala, Imen Ben-Abda, Olfa Souissi, Karim Aoun and Aida Bouratbine

Identification of the HSP70-II gene in Leishmania braziliensis HSP70 locus: genomic organization and UTRs characterization

The heat stress suffered by Leishmania sp during its digenetic life-cycle is a key trigger for its stage differentiation. In Leishmania subgenera two classes of HSP70 genes differing in their 3' UTR were describe...

Authors: César A Ramírez, José M Requena and Concepción J Puerta

Toxoplasma gondii infection in humans in China

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic infection of humans and animals, caused by the opportunistic protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa. Infection in pregnant women may lead to aborti...

Authors: Peng Zhou, Zhaoguo Chen, Hai-Long Li, Haihong Zheng, Shenyi He, Rui-Qing Lin and Xing-Quan Zhu

Application of DNA-based diagnostics in detection of schistosomal DNA in early infection and after drug treatment

Research is now focused on identification of sensitive and specific diagnostic tests for early identification of schistosomal infection and evaluation of chemotherapy in field situations in China.

Authors: Cen Wang, Lin Chen, Xuren Yin, Wanquan Hua, Min Hou, Minjun Ji, Chuanxin Yu and Guanling Wu

Giardia lamblia: a major parasitic cause of childhood diarrhoea in patients attending a district hospital in Ghana

Acute childhood diarrhoea remains one of the leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The WHO has accordingly underlined the need for epidemiological surveys of infantile di...

Authors: Bernard Nkrumah and Samuel Blay Nguah

Secretory glands in cercaria of the neuropathogenic schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti - ultrastructural characterization, 3-D modelling, volume and pH estimations

Cercariae of schistosomes employ bioactive molecules for penetration into their hosts. These are released from specialized unicellular glands upon stimuli from host skin. The glands were previously well-descri...

Authors: Anna Ligasová, Jana Bulantová, Ondřej Šebesta, Martin Kašný, Karel Koberna and Libor Mikeš

Genetic variants of Anaplasma phagocytophilum from 14 equine granulocytic anaplasmosis cases

Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (EGA) is caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum, a tick-transmitted, obligate intracellular bacterium. In Europe, it is transmitted by Ixodes ricinus. A large number of genetic varia...

Authors: Cornelia Silaghi, Gabriele Liebisch and Kurt Pfister

The importance of considering community-level effects when selecting insecticidal malaria vector products

Insecticide treatment of nets, curtains or walls and ceilings of houses represent the primary means for malaria prevention worldwide. Direct personal protection of individuals and households arises from deterr...

Authors: Gerry F Killeen, Fredros O Okumu, Raphael N'Guessan, Marc Coosemans, Adedapo Adeogun, Sam Awolola, Josiane Etang, Roch K Dabiré and Vincent Corbel

First detection of Leishmania killicki (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomatidae) in Ctenodactylus gundi (Rodentia, Ctenodactylidae), a possible reservoir of human cutaneous leishmaniasis in Tunisia

Leishmania killicki was originally described in 1980 in southeast Tunisia. It was also recently reported in Lybia and Algeria. Nevertheless, neither vector nor reservoirs of this parasite are known. The identific...

Authors: Kaouther Jaouadi, Najoua Haouas, Dhekra Chaara, Mohamed Gorcii, Najla Chargui, Denis Augot, Francine Pratlong, Jean-Pierre Dedet, Selim Ettlijani, Habib Mezhoud and Hamouda Babba

Description of evandromyia spelunca, a new phlebotomine species of the cortelezzii complex, from a cave in Minas Gerais State, Brazil (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae)

The cave fauna of the Brazil is poorly documented, and among the insects those live or frequent caves and their adjacent environments phlebotomine sand flies call for special attention because several species ...

Authors: Gustavo ML Carvalho, Reginaldo P Brazil, Cristiani C Sanguinette and José D Andrade Filho

Development of a rapid dipstick with latex immunochromatographic assay (DLIA) for diagnosis of schistosomiasis japonica

Schistosomiasis japonica (schistosomiasis) is a zoonosis that can seriously affect human health. At present, the immunodiagnostic assays for schistosomiasis detection are time-consuming and require well-traine...

Authors: Li-Ling Yu, Jian-Zu Ding, Li-Yong Wen, Di Lou, Xiao-Lan Yan, Li-Jun Lin, Shao-Hong Lu, Dan-Dan Lin and Xiao-Nong Zhou

Durability associated efficacy of long-lasting insecticidal nets after five years of household use

Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) have been strongly advocated for use to prevent malaria in sub-Saharan Africa and have significantly reduced human-vector contact. PermaNet^® 2.0 is among the five LLINs bran...

Authors: Eliningaya J Kweka, Yousif E Himeidan, Aneth M Mahande, Beda J Mwang'onde, Shandala Msangi, Michael J Mahande, Humphrey D Mazigo and Mramba Nyindo

Differential gene expression in Schistosoma japonicum schistosomula from Wistar rats and BALB/c mice

More than 46 species of mammals can be naturally infected with Schistosoma japonicum in the mainland of China. Mice are permissive and may act as the definitive host of the life cycle. In contrast, rats are less ...

Authors: Jinbiao Peng, Hongxiao Han, Geoffrey N Gobert, Yang Hong, Weibin Jiang, Xinzhi Wang, Zhiqiang Fu, Jinming Liu, Yaojun Shi and Jiaojiao Lin

Extensive permethrin and DDT resistance in Anopheles arabiensis from eastern and central Sudan

The distribution of insecticide treated nets (ITN) has been dramatically scaled up in eastern and central Sudan. Resistance to insecticides has already been reported in this region and there is an urgent need ...

Authors: Yousif E Himeidan, Muzamil M Abdel Hamid, Christopher M Jones and Hilary Ranson

Modelling the impact of vector control interventions on Anopheles gambiae population dynamics

Intensive anti-malaria campaigns targeting the Anopheles population have demonstrated substantial reductions in adult mosquito density. Understanding the population dynamics of Anopheles mosquitoes throughout the...

Authors: Michael T White, Jamie T Griffin, Thomas S Churcher, Neil M Ferguson, María-Gloria Basáñez and Azra C Ghani

Compliance with eight years of annual ivermectin treatment of onchocerciasis in Cameroon and Nigeria

As the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) matured into its 10^th year of ensuring community involvement in mass annual treatment of onchocerciasis with ivermectin, there was recognition of a need ...

Authors: William R Brieger, Joseph C Okeibunor, Adenike O Abiose, Samuel Wanji, Elizabeth Elhassan, Richard Ndyomugyenyi and Uche V Amazigo

Temporal stability in the genetic structure of Sarcoptes scabiei under the host-taxon law: empirical evidences from wildlife-derived Sarcoptes mite in Asturias, Spain

Implicitly, parasite molecular studies assume temporal genetic stability. In this study we tested, for the first time to our knowledge, the extent of changes in genetic diversity and structure of Sarcoptes mite p...

Authors: Samer Alasaad, Álvaro Oleaga, Rosa Casais, Luca Rossi, Annarita Molinar Min, Ramón C Soriguer and Christian Gortázar

Leishmania infantum HSP70-II null mutant as candidate vaccine against leishmaniasis: a preliminary evaluation

Visceral leishmaniasis is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and no effective vaccine exists. The use of live attenuated vaccines is emerging as a promising vaccination strategy.

Authors: Javier Carrión, Cristina Folgueira, Manuel Soto, Manuel Fresno and Jose M Requena

Molecular characterization of cathepsin B from Clonorchis sinensis excretory/secretory products and assessment of its potential for serodiagnosis of clonorchiasis

Cathepsin cysteine proteases play multiple roles in the life cycle of parasites such as food uptake, immune invasion and pathogenesis, making them valuable targets for diagnostic assays, vaccines and drugs. Th...

Authors: Wenjun Chen, Xiaoyun Wang, Xuerong Li, Xiaoli Lv, Chenhui Zhou, Chuanhuan Deng, Huali Lei, Jingtao Men, Yongxiu Fan, Chi Liang and Xinbing Yu

Thelazia callipaeda: infection in dogs: a new parasite for Spain

Thelazia callipaeda (Spirurida, Thelaziidae), eyeworms, are known as the causative agents of thelaziosis, initially described in Asia and, later on, over the last decade, also in some European countries (e.g., It...

Authors: Guadalupe Miró, Ana Montoya, Leticia Hernández, Diana Dado, María Victoria Vázquez, Marta Benito, Manuel Villagrasa, Emanuelle Brianti and Domenico Otranto

Development of Taenia pisiformis in golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus)

The life cycle of Taenia pisiformis includes canines as definitive hosts and rabbits as intermediate hosts. Golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) is a rodent that has been successfully used as experimental model ...

Authors: Elizabeth Toral-Bastida, Adriana Garza-Rodriguez, Diego E Jimenez-Gonzalez, Ramon Garcia-Cortes, Guillermina Avila-Ramirez, Pablo Maravilla and Ana Flisser

First report of field evolved resistance to agrochemicals in dengue mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae), from Pakistan

Agrochemicals have been widely used in Pakistan for several years. This exposes mosquito populations, particularly those present around agricultural settings, to an intense selection pressure for insecticide r...

Authors: Hafiz Azhar Ali Khan, Waseem Akram, Khurram Shehzad and Essam A Shaalan

Generation, analysis and functional annotation of expressed sequence tags from the ectoparasitic mite Psoroptes ovis

Sheep scab is caused by Psoroptes ovis and is arguably the most important ectoparasitic disease affecting sheep in the UK. The disease is highly contagious and causes and considerable pruritis and irritation and ...

Authors: Stewart TG Burgess, Alasdair J Nisbet, Fiona Kenyon and John F Huntley

Surveillance of vector populations and malaria transmission during the 2009/10 El Niño event in the western Kenya highlands: opportunities for early detection of malaria hyper-transmission

Vector control in the highlands of western Kenya has resulted in a significant reduction of malaria transmission and a change in the vectorial system. Climate variability as a result of events such as El Niño ...

Authors: Ednah N Ototo, Andrew K Githeko, Christine L Wanjala and Thomas W Scott

Hippobosca longipennis - a potential intermediate host of a species of Acanthocheilonema in dogs in northern India

Hippobosca longipennis (the 'dog louse fly') is a blood sucking ectoparasite found on wild carnivores such as cheetahs and lions and domesticated and feral dogs in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including Chin...

Authors: Puteri Azaziah Megat Abd Rani, Glen T Coleman, Peter J Irwin and Rebecca J Traub

Modelling age-heterogeneous Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni survey data via alignment factors

Reliable maps of the geographical distribution, number of infected individuals and burden estimates of schistosomiasis are essential tools to plan, monitor and evaluate control programmes. Large-scale disease ...

Authors: Nadine Schur, Jürg Utzinger and Penelope Vounatsou

A survey of canine tick-borne diseases in India

There are few published reports on canine Babesia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Hepatozoon and haemotropic Mycoplasma infections in India and most describe clinical disease in individual dogs, diagnosed by morphological...

Authors: Puteri Azaziah Megat Abd Rani, Peter J Irwin, Glen T Coleman, Mukulesh Gatne and Rebecca J Traub

Population genetics of Glossina palpalis palpalis from central African sleeping sickness foci

Glossina palpalis palpalis (Diptera: Glossinidae) is widespread in west Africa, and is the main vector of sleeping sickness in Cameroon as well as in the Bas Congo Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ho...

Authors: Trésor Tito Tanekou/TT Melachio, Gustave Simo, Sophie Ravel, Thierry De Meeûs, Sandrine Causse, Philippe Solano, Pascal Lutumba, Tazoacha Asonganyi and Flobert Njiokou

Fleas as parasites of the family Canidae

Historically, flea-borne diseases are among the most important medical diseases of humans. Plague and murine typhus are known for centuries while the last years brought some new flea-transmitted pathogens, like R...

Authors: Gerhard Dobler and Martin Pfeffer