Larvicidal activity of endectocides against pest flies in the dung of treated cattle

Cattle were treated with topical formulations of endectocides to assess the larvicidal activity of faecal residues against horn fly, Haematobia irritans (L.), house fly, Musca domestica L., and stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae). In laboratory bioassays, doramectin, eprinomectin and ivermectin suppressed horn fly in dung of cattle treated at least 4 weeks previously and suppressed house fly and stable fly in dung of cattle treated 1-5 weeks previously. Moxidectin suppressed horn fly in dung from cattle treated no more than one week previously and did not suppress house fly and stable fly. Results combined for the three species across two experiments suggested that, ranked in descending order of larvicidal activity, doramectin > ivermectin approximately = eprinomectin > moxidectin.     

Biologically meaningful coverage indicators for eliminating malaria transmission

Mosquitoes, which evade contact with long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual sprays, by feeding outdoors or upon animals, are primary malaria vectors in many tropical countries. They can also dominate residual transmission where high coverage of these front-line vector control measures is achieved. Complementary strategies, which extend insecticide coverage beyond houses and humans, are required to eliminate malaria transmission in most settings. The overwhelming diversity of the world's malaria transmission systems and optimal strategies for controlling them can be simply conceptualized and mapped across two-dimensional scenario space defined by the proportion of blood meals that vectors obtain from humans and the proportion of human exposure to them which occurs indoors.     

Anopheles nili as the main vector of human malaria in villages of southern Cameroon

In villages near Sanaga river, in the forest zone of south Cameroon, Anopheles nili Theobald is the main species of mosquito regularly found biting man inside houses. Its densities are related to the flow level of the river. It is also the main malaria vector in terms of intensity and seasonal duration of transmission. The yearly malaria inoculation rate due to An. nili alone is 104 infective bites/man, varying between 3 infective bites/man in October and 20 in March. Anopheles gambiae Giles is a less important vector in the area but reached its peak in the dry season, when the Sanaga river is at its lowest level. These observations underline the influence of local ecology on malaria transmission and the need for entomological studies in each situation.     

昆明按蚊(Anopheles Kunmingensis)的地理分布、生态习性、传疟作用及其防治研究

1986年—1988年对昆明按蚊(Anopheles kunmingensis Dong et Wang.)在云南的地理分布、生态习性、传疟作用等进行了研究。从地理分布、种群数量、嗜血习性、栖息习性、季节消长、自然感染率以及防治试验证实,昆明按蚊是云南省北纬24°以北,海拔1600米以上地区的重要传疟媒介。用常规的化学杀虫剂滞留喷洒,可有效地控制该蚊的密度及有关疟疾流行病学指数。     

噻虫嗪对蜜蜂健康影响研究进展

新烟碱类杀虫剂被广泛用于防治作物病虫害,然而过度使用导致的药物残留始终是一个不容忽视的问题,如噻虫嗪(Thiamethoxam)在我国主要蜜源植物油菜、棉花等的广泛应用,对授粉昆虫健康带来严重威胁。本文通过综述近几年噻虫嗪对蜜蜂采集飞行能力、生殖能力、生理免疫能力的相关研究,以及其与环境因子协同作用对蜜蜂健康所造成的潜在危害,强调了未来应加速研发高效防治靶标害虫以及对蜜蜂低毒或无毒的高选择性杀虫剂,以保障授粉昆虫安全。     

Last-come,best served? Mosquito biting order and Plasmodium transmission

A pervasive characteristic of parasite infections is their tendency to be overdispersed. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this overdispersed distribution is of key importance as it may impact the transmission dynamics of the pathogen. Although multiple factors ranging from environmental stochasticity to inter-individual heterogeneity may explain parasite overdispersion, parasite infection is also overdispersed in an inbred host population maintained under laboratory conditions, suggesting that other mechanisms are at play. Here, we show that the aggregated distribution of malaria parasites within mosquito vectors is partially explained by a temporal heterogeneity in parasite infectivity triggered by the bites of mosquitoes. Parasite transmission tripled between the mosquito''s first and last blood feed in a period of only 3 h. Surprisingly, the increase in transmission is not associated with an increase in parasite investment in production of the transmissible stage. Overall, we highlight that Plasmodium is capable of responding to the bites of mosquitoes to increase its own transmission at a much faster pace than initially thought and that this is partly responsible for overdispersed distribution of infection. We discuss the underlying mechanisms as well as the broader implications of this plastic response for the epidemiology of malaria.