4 Mosquito Diseases Studies Revealed
New studies reveal how new mosquito studies lead to an understanding on how mosquito diseases are spread and carried.
Study tracks who dengue-carrying mosquitoes bite
The study matched human DNA in mosquito blood meals collected from the villages to DNA of 676 village residents, whose cheeks were swabbed for their genetic profiles. Of 3,677 blood-fed Aedes aegypti mosquitoes collected and 1,186 complete DNA profiles, only 420 meals matched people from the study area; mosquitoes mostly fed on people who were passing through, reports the study published Aug. 7 in the journal Public Library of Science Neglected Tropical Diseases.
“This is by far the biggest study to use this approach to examine mosquito feeding on individual hosts,” said Laura Harrington, professor of entomology and the paper’s lead author. “Our goal was to understand transmission and risk of dengue fever infection from A. aegypti mosquitoes.”
http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2014/09/study-tracks-who-dengue-carrying-mosquitoes-bite
New study explores how dengue virus changes mosquito behavior
Mosquito Protein Kinase G Phosphorylates Flavivirus NS5 and Alters Flight Behavior in Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae
The new study indicates that drug-treated mosquitoes behave differently than those not treated, flying farther or for a longer duration. While this initially is not good news for humans and animals, the research indicates that with this knowledge researchers can develop better intervention tools to stop disease transmission. Results of the study were published this month in the Journal of Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases.
In a previous study, led by Alexandre Peixoto of Fiocruz in Brazil, disease-infected mosquitoes were found to fly around more than uninfected mosquitoes, increasing their ability to spread chronic and deadly diseases.
“What we found was that when the mosquitoes are manipulated with a compound thought to be modified by the dengue virus, it is like they are hyped up on caffeine,”
http://news.nd.edu/news/42143-infected-mosquitoes-are-more-active-than-uninfected-ones-study-finds/
UF/IFAS mosquito-feeding study may help stem dangerous viruses
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Mosquitoes bite male birds nearly twice as often as they bite females, a finding that may help scientists understand how to stem some viruses from spreading to humans, new University of Florida research shows.
“Until now, it’s only been suspected that mosquitoes bite males — whether they’re humans, birds or other animals — more often than females,” he said. “Male birds are infected more often than females with the diseases that mosquitoes carry, so it makes sense that mosquitoes bite males more often. However, until this study, no one had shown it.”
Genetics of Mosquito Vector Competence
Brenda T. Beerntsen1, Anthony A. James1, and Bruce M. Christensen2,*
With the recent successes in the field of mosquito germ line transformation, it seems likely that the generation of a pathogen-resistant mosquito population from a susceptible population soon will become a reality.
During the last several years there have been significant advances in our understanding of the cellular and biochemical intricacies of mosquito-parasite relationships and of the genetic control of these phenotypes.
During the last several years there have been significant advances in our understanding of the cellular and biochemical intricacies of mosquito-parasite relationships and of the genetic control of these phenotypes.
Although the aim of this review is not to detail how we can produce transgenic mosquitoes for release in control programs, we will discuss progress in the research areas that must be developed more fully if this strategy is to be technically feasible.
