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Medical and Veterinary Entomology Sep 2020Species of the genus Anopheles vary with regard to their vector capacity for Plasmodium spp., the causative agent of malaria, and their accurate identification is often...
Species of the genus Anopheles vary with regard to their vector capacity for Plasmodium spp., the causative agent of malaria, and their accurate identification is often required. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a rapid, simple and low-cost method for specific DNA amplification. Primers for LAMP assays specific for the Anopheles funestus group and Anopheles gambiae complex species as well as for the species Anopheles arabiensis, An. funestus, An. gambiae s.s/Anopheles coluzzii (major vectors) and Anopheles rivulorum (minor vector) were designed targeting specific genome or rDNA internal transcribed spacer regions. Reaction conditions (buffer composition, primer concentrations, incubation time) were evaluated and the specificities of the assays confirmed with DNA from non-target Anopheles species. DNA release from the mosquitoes is achieved simply by heating them for 5 min in water. An aliquot of the DNA solutions is transferred to the reaction tube using disposable inoculation loops. The outcome of the LAMP amplifications after 1 h incubation at 65 °C can easily be visualized by a colour change visible to the naked eye. The assays are operable under field conditions requiring only basic equipment (portable heat block programmable at 65 and 80 °C, cooler for master mixes).
Topics: Animals; Anopheles; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; Mosquito Vectors; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques
PubMed: 32154608
DOI: 10.1111/mve.12437 -
Nigerian Journal of Medicine : Journal... 2010Malaria is an important parasitic disease of humans caused by infection with a parasite of the genus Polasmodium and transmitted by female anopheles. Infection caused by... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Malaria is an important parasitic disease of humans caused by infection with a parasite of the genus Polasmodium and transmitted by female anopheles. Infection caused by P. falciparum is the most serious of all the other species (P. ovale, P. vivax and P. malariae) especially in terms of morbidity and mortality hence the reason why most of the research has been focussed on this species. The disease affects up to about 40 per cent of the world's population with around 300-500 million people currently infected and mainly in the tropics. It has a high morbidity and mortality especially in resource-poor tropical and subtropical regions with an economic fall of about US$ 12 billion annually in Africa alone.
METHOD
relevant literatures were reviewed from medical journals, library search and internet source. Other relevant websites like PATH, Malaria Vaccine Initiative and Global Fund were also visited to source for information. The key words employed were: malaria, vaccine, anopheles mosquito, insecticide treated bed-nets, pyrethroids and Plasmodium.
RESULTS
several studies have underscored the need to develop an effective human malaria vaccine for the control and possible eradication of malaria across the globe with the view to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease, improve on the social and economic losses and also protect those at risk.
CONCLUSION
It is very obvious that the need for effective human malaria vaccine is not only to serve those living in malaria endemic regions but also the non-immune travellers especially those travelling to malaria endemic areas; this would offer cost effective means of preventing the disease, reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with it in addition to closing the gap left by other control measures. It is very obvious that there is no single control measure known to be effective in the control of malaria, hence the need for combination of more than one method with the aim of achieving synergy in the total control and possible eradication of the disease. It suffices to say that despite the use of combination of more than one method (e.g., drugs treating patients, breaking the life cycle of the vector mosquito using larvicides, clearing swamps and other mosquito breeding sites), no much progress was made towards achieving this goal, hence the renewed interest especially with regards to vaccine development.
Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan; Antigens, Protozoan; Humans; Malaria; Malaria Vaccines; Plasmodium; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Travel
PubMed: 20232750
DOI: 10.4314/njm.v19i1.52464 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2014The four main Plasmodium species that cause human malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, and Plasmodium ovale, are transmitted between... (Review)
Review
The four main Plasmodium species that cause human malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, and Plasmodium ovale, are transmitted between humans by mosquito vectors belonging to the genus Anopheles. It has recently become evident that Plasmodium knowlesi, a parasite that typically infects forest macaque monkeys, can be transmitted by anophelines to cause malaria in humans in Southeast Asia. Plasmodium knowlesi infections are frequently misdiagnosed microscopically as P. malariae. Direct human to human transmission of P. knowlesi by anophelines has not yet been established to occur in nature. Knowlesi malaria must therefore be presently considered a zoonotic disease. Polymerase chain reaction is now the definitive method for differentiating P. knowlesi from P. malariae and other human malaria parasites. The origin of P. falciparum and P. vivax in African apes are examples of ancient zoonoses that may be continuing at the present time with at least P. vivax, and possibly P. malariae and P. ovale. Other non-human primate malaria species, e.g., Plasmodium cynomolgi in Southeast Asia and Plasmodium brasilianum and Plasmodium simium in South America, can be transmitted to humans by mosquito vectors further emphasizing the potential for continuing zoonoses. The potential for zoonosis is influenced by human habitation and behavior as well as the adaptive capabilities of parasites and vectors. There is insufficient knowledge of the bionomics of Anopheles vector populations relevant to the cross-species transfer of malaria parasites and the real extent of malaria zoonoses. Appropriate strategies, based on more research, need to be developed for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of zoonotic malaria.
PubMed: 25184118
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2014.00123 -
Journal of Visualized Experiments : JoVE May 2022Malaria remains one of the most devastating diseases worldwide and, to date, the African region is still responsible for 94% of all cases worldwide. This parasitic...
Malaria remains one of the most devastating diseases worldwide and, to date, the African region is still responsible for 94% of all cases worldwide. This parasitic disease requires a protozoan parasite, an Anopheles mosquito vector, and a vertebrate host. The Anopheles genus comprises more than 500 species, of which 60 are known as vectors of the parasite. The Plasmodium parasite genus consists of 250 species, and 48 of these are involved in disease transmission. Furthermore, the Plasmodium falciparum parasite has contributed toward an estimated 99.7% of malaria cases in sub-Saharan Africa in recent years. Gametocytes form part of the sexual stage of the parasite and are ingested by the female mosquito upon feeding on an infected human host. Further development of the parasite within the mosquito is enhanced by favorable environmental conditions in the midgut of the mosquito. Here, the fusion of the female and male gametes takes place, and the motile ookinetes originate. The ookinetes enter the midgut epithelium of the mosquito, and mature ookinetes form oocysts, which, in turn, produce motile sporozoites. These sporozoites migrate to the mosquito's salivary glands and are injected as a mosquito takes a blood meal. For drug discovery purposes, mosquitoes were artificially infected with gametocyte-infected blood in the standard membrane feeding assay (SMFA). To detect infection within the mosquito and/or to assess the efficacy of antimalarial compounds, the midguts of the female mosquitoes were removed post infection and were stained with mercurochrome. This method was used to enhance the visual detection of oocysts under the microscope for the accurate determination of oocyst prevalence and intensity.
Topics: Animals; Anopheles; Female; Humans; Malaria; Malaria, Falciparum; Male; Mosquito Vectors; Plasmodium; Plasmodium falciparum; Sporozoites
PubMed: 35635457
DOI: 10.3791/63546 -
Malaria Journal Nov 2018Generating evidence on the dry season occurrence of the larval and adult stages of Anopheles mosquitoes helps to design effective malaria vector control strategy as the...
BACKGROUND
Generating evidence on the dry season occurrence of the larval and adult stages of Anopheles mosquitoes helps to design effective malaria vector control strategy as the populations of the vectors is expected to be low.
METHODS
Larval and adult stages of Anopheles were surveyed during dry seasons in Mender Meter, Jiga Yehlmidar and Wongie Berkegn villages, Jabi Tehnan District, West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia. Larvae were surveyed (along the available surface water collections), sampled, identified into genus, counted and late instars of the genus Anopheles identified into species. Indoor-resting adult mosquitoes were collected using insecticide aerosol spray, processed and identified into species. Data was analysed using SPSS version 20.0 to determine frequencies, mean differences and associations.
RESULTS
A total of 3127 Anopheles larvae were collected among which most (91.7%; 2869/3127) were from streams followed by ponds (4.3%; 136/3127) and swamps (3.9%; 122/3127). Anopheles gambiae sensu lato was the most prevalent (84.9%; 921/1085) followed by Anopheles cinereus (7.0%; 76/1085), Anopheles chrysti (3.7%; 40/1085), Anopheles demeilloni (2.8%; 30/1085) and Anopheles rhodesiensis (1.6%; 18/1085). The mean number (mean = 15.3) of An. gambiae from Jiga Yehlmidar was significantly (p = 0.024) higher than the corresponding number (mean = 3.2) from Mender Meter. The mean number (mean = 36.3) of An. gambiae larvae in April 2017 was significantly (p = 0.001) higher than the number (mean = 4.0) in December 2013 and the number (mean = 2.6) in March 2013. A total of 1324 adult Anopheles were collected of which the highest proportion (79.1%; 1048/1324) was An. gambiae, followed by An. chrysti (11.7%; 155/1324), An. demeilloni (6%; 80/1324), An. cinereus (2.6%; 35/1324) and Anopheles coustani (0.5%; 6/1324). The highest proportion (54.3%; 569/1048) of the An. gambiae was collected from Wongie Berkegn followed by Jiga Yehlmidar (23.6%; 247/1048) and Mender Meter (22.1%; 232/1048). The mean number (mean = 7.8) of adult An. gambiae caught in Wongie Berkegn was significantly (p = 0.018) higher compared to the number (mean = 3.0) in Mender Meter. No significant difference was observed in the mean number of adult An. gambiae between the seasons.
CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION
Streams were prolific breeding habitats of Anopheles mosquitoes followed by ponds and swamps in the dry seasons. In addition, a high population of indoor resting An. gambiae was caught from indoors. This implies the need for a strengthened vector control during dry seasons using breeding habitat management and improved housing in addition to the existing insecticide (LLINs and IRS) based interventions in Jabi Tehnan District, West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia.
Topics: Animals; Anopheles; Ecosystem; Ethiopia; Female; Larva; Mosquito Vectors; Population Density; Seasons
PubMed: 30497495
DOI: 10.1186/s12936-018-2599-4 -
The Indian Medical Gazette Sep 1900
PubMed: 29004291
DOI: No ID Found -
Parasites & Vectors Apr 2024Human malaria, an ancient tropical disease, is caused by infection with protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted by female mosquitoes of...
Human malaria, an ancient tropical disease, is caused by infection with protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted by female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. Our understanding of human malaria parasites began officially in 1880 with their discovery in the blood of malaria patients by Charles Louis Alphonse Lavéran (1845-1922), a French army officer working in Algeria. A claim for priority was made by Philipp Friedrich Hermann Klencke (1813-1881) in 1843, who wrote a chapter entitled: "Marvellous parallelism between the manifestations of vertigo and the presence of animalcule vacuoles in living blood." We should not lose sight of this old controversy, which is rarely mentioned in historical reviews on malaria.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Female; Parasites; Malaria; Plasmodium; Anopheles; Algeria
PubMed: 38600596
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06145-4 -
The Biochemical Journal Nov 2019The mosquitoes of the Anopheles and Aedes genus are some of the most deadly insects to humans because of their effectiveness as vectors of malaria and a range of...
The mosquitoes of the Anopheles and Aedes genus are some of the most deadly insects to humans because of their effectiveness as vectors of malaria and a range of arboviruses, including yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya, West Nile and Zika. The use of insecticides from different chemical classes is a key component of the integrated strategy against An. gambiae and Ae. aegypti, but the problem of insecticide resistance means that new compounds with different modes of action are urgently needed to replace chemicals that fail to control resistant mosquito populations. We have previously shown that feeding inhibitors of peptidyl dipeptidase A to both An. gambiae and Ae. aegypti mosquito larvae lead to stunted growth and mortality. However, these compounds were designed to inhibit the mammalian form of the enzyme (angiotensin-converting enzyme, ACE) and hence can have lower potency and lack selectivity as inhibitors of the insect peptidase. Thus, for the development of inhibitors of practical value in killing mosquito larvae, it is important to design new compounds that are both potent and highly selective. Here, we report the first structures of AnoACE2 from An. gambiae in its native form and with a bound human ACE inhibitor fosinoprilat. A comparison of these structures with human ACE (sACE) and an insect ACE homologue from Drosophila melanogaster (AnCE) revealed that the AnoACE2 structure is more similar to AnCE. In addition, important elements that differ in these structures provide information that could potentially be utilised in the design of chemical leads for selective mosquitocide development.
Topics: Aedes; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Anopheles; Drosophila melanogaster; Fosinopril; Humans; Insect Proteins; Insecticides; Larva; Models, Molecular; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A
PubMed: 31682720
DOI: 10.1042/BCJ20190635 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Nov 2017Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) that recently caused outbreaks in the Americas. Over the past 60 years, this virus has been observed... (Review)
Review
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) that recently caused outbreaks in the Americas. Over the past 60 years, this virus has been observed circulating among African, Asian, and Pacific Island populations, but little attention has been paid by the scientific community until the discovery that large-scale urban ZIKV outbreaks were associated with neurological complications such as microcephaly and several other neurological malformations in fetuses and newborns. This paper is a systematic review intended to list all mosquito species studied for ZIKV infection or for their vector competence. We discuss whether studies on ZIKV vectors have brought enough evidence to formally exclude other mosquitoes than Aedes species (and particularly Aedes aegypti) to be ZIKV vectors. From 1952 to August 15, 2017, ZIKV has been studied in 53 mosquito species, including 6 Anopheles, 26 Aedes, 11 Culex, 2 Lutzia, 3 Coquillettidia, 2 Mansonia, 2 Eretmapodites, and 1 Uranotaenia. Among those, ZIKV was isolated from 16 different Aedes species. The only species other than Aedes genus for which ZIKV was isolated were Anopheles coustani, Anopheles gambiae, Culex perfuscus, and Mansonia uniformis. Vector competence assays were performed on 22 different mosquito species, including 13 Aedes, 7 Culex, and 2 Anopheles species with, as a result, the discovery that A. aegypti and Aedes albopictus were competent for ZIKV, as well as some other Aedes species, and that there was a controversy surrounding Culex quinquefasciatus competence. Although Culex, Anopheles, and most of Aedes species were generally observed to be refractory to ZIKV infection, other potential vectors transmitting ZIKV should be explored.
Topics: Aedes; Americas; Animals; Anopheles; Culex; Disease Outbreaks; Humans; Microcephaly; Mosquito Vectors; Saliva; Zika Virus; Zika Virus Infection
PubMed: 29145400
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005933 -
Journal of Arthropod-borne Diseases Jun 2019Malaria is an important mosquito-borne disease considered as one of the public health concerns across many countries. mosquitoes are the main vectors of parasites,...
BACKGROUND
Malaria is an important mosquito-borne disease considered as one of the public health concerns across many countries. mosquitoes are the main vectors of parasites, which cause malaria. Some of these vectors such as s.l. and are considered as complex of sibling species distributed in north of Iran.
METHODS
This study was conducted in north and northwest of Iran including East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Golestan and North Khorasan provinces with emphasis on the northern borders of the country during 2015-2016. Adult specimens were collected and subjected to morphological identification as well as molecular analysis.
RESULTS
Overall, 10405 mosquitoes were collected comprising 21 species. and were found as the most frequent species in whole study area. Morphological identification showed that out of 1455 female specimens, 77% belonged to Group. Out of the identified species, ITS2 region and COI gene sequences of 8 s.s. and 31 representing all provinces were obtained and submitted to GenBank. The COI sequences for revealed the presence of 9 haplotypes with similarity of 98.17-100%.
CONCLUSION
Some investigations have reported as a member of sibling species of among Iranian genus; while based on our study, there was no evidence of the presence of this species in north and northwest of Iran.
PubMed: 31803774
DOI: No ID Found