scholarly journals Blood Meal Sources of Anopheles spp. in Malaria Endemic Areas of Honduras

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 450
Author(s):  
Denis Escobar ◽  
Krisnaya Ascencio ◽  
Andrés Ortiz ◽  
Adalid Palma ◽  
Ana Sánchez ◽  
...  

Malaria remains a life-threatening disease in many tropical countries. Honduras has successfully reduced malaria transmission as different control methods have been applied, focusing mainly on indoor mosquitoes. The selective pressure exerted by the use of insecticides inside the households could modify the feeding behavior of the mosquitoes, forcing them to search for available animal hosts outside the houses. These animal hosts in the peridomicile could consequently become an important factor in maintaining vector populations in endemic areas. Herein, we investigated the blood meal sources and Plasmodium spp. infection on anophelines collected outdoors in endemic areas of Honduras. Individual PCR reactions with species-specific primers were used to detect five feeding sources on 181 visibly engorged mosquitoes. In addition, a subset of these mosquitoes was chosen for pathogen analysis by a nested PCR approach. Most mosquitoes fed on multiple hosts (2 to 4), and 24.9% of mosquitoes had fed on a single host, animal or human. Chicken and bovine were the most frequent blood meal sources (29.5% and 27.5%, respectively). The average human blood index (HBI) was 22.1%. None of the mosquitoes were found to be infected with Plasmodium spp. Our results show the opportunistic and zoophilic behavior of Anopheles mosquitoes in Honduras.

Author(s):  
Denis Escobar ◽  
Krisnaya Ascencio ◽  
Andrés Ortiz ◽  
Adalid Palma ◽  
Ana Sánchez ◽  
...  

Malaria remains a life-threatening disease in many tropical countries. Honduras has successfully reduced malaria transmission as different control methods have been applied focusing mainly on indoor mosquitoes. The selective pressure exerted by the use of insecticides inside the households could modify the feeding behavior of the mosquitoes forcing them to search for available animal hosts outside the houses. These animal hosts in the peridomicile could consequently become an important factor in maintaining vector populations in endemic areas. Herein, we investigated the blood meal sources and Plasmodium spp. infection on anophelines collected outdoors in endemic areas of Honduras. Individual PCR reactions with species-specific primers were used to detect five feeding sources on 181 visibly engorged mosquitoes. In addition, a subset of these mosquitoes where chosen for pathogen analysis by a nested PCR approach. Most mosquitoes fed on multiple hosts (2 to 4), and 24.9% of mosquitoes were fed on a single host, animal or human. Chicken and bovine were the most frequent blood meal sources (29.5% and 27.5% respectively). The average human blood index (HBI) was 22.1%. None of the mosquitoes was found to be infected with Plasmodium spp. Our results show the opportunistic and zoophilic behavior of Anopheles mosquitoes in Honduras.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Sofía Ocaña-Mayorga ◽  
Juan José Bustillos ◽  
Anita G. Villacís ◽  
C. Miguel Pinto ◽  
Simone Frédérique Brenière ◽  
...  

Understanding the blood meal patterns of insects that are vectors of diseases is fundamental in unveiling transmission dynamics and developing strategies to impede or decrease human–vector contact. Chagas disease has a complex transmission cycle that implies interactions between vectors, parasites and vertebrate hosts. In Ecuador, limited data on human infection are available; however, the presence of active transmission in endemic areas has been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity of hosts that serve as sources of blood for triatomines in domestic, peridomestic and sylvatic transmission cycles, in two endemic areas of Ecuador (central coastal and southern highland regions). Using conserved primers and DNA extracted from 507 intestinal content samples from five species of triatomines (60 Panstrongylus chinai, 17 Panstrongylus howardi, 1 Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus, 427 Rhodnius ecuadoriensis and 2 Triatoma carrioni) collected from 2006 to 2013, we amplified fragments of the cytb mitochondrial gene. After sequencing, blood meal sources were identified in 416 individuals (146 from central coastal and 270 from southern highland regions), achieving ≥ 95% identity with GenBank sequences (NCBI-BLAST tool). The results showed that humans are the main source of food for triatomines, indicating that human–vector contact is more frequent than previously thought. Although other groups of mammals, such as rodents, are also an available source of blood, birds (particularly chickens) might have a predominant role in the maintenance of triatomines in these areas. However, the diversity of sources of blood found might indicate a preference driven by triatomine species. Moreover, the presence of more than one source of blood in triatomines collected in the same place indicated that dispersal of vectors occurs regardless the availability of food. Dispersal capacity of triatomines needs to be evaluated to propose an effective strategy that limits human–vector contact and, in consequence, to decrease the risk of T. cruzi transmission.


Nematology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 847-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lieven Waeyenberge ◽  
Nicole Viaene ◽  
Maurice Moens

Abstract ITS1, the 5.8S rRNA gene and ITS2 of the rDNA region were sequenced from 20 different Pratylenchus species. Additionally, the same region was sequenced from seven populations of P. penetrans. After purifying, cloning and sequencing the PCR products, all sequences were aligned in order to find unique sites suitable for the design of species-specific primers for P. penetrans. Since ITS regions showed variability between and even within populations of P. penetrans, only three small DNA sequences were suitable for the construction of three potentially useful species-specific primers. New species-specific primers were paired with existing universal ITS primers and tested in all possible primer combinations. The best performing primer set, supplemented with a universal 28S rDNA primer set that served as an internal control, was tested in duplex PCR. The ideal annealing temperature, Mg2+ concentration and primer ratios were then determined for the most promising primer set. The optimised duplex PCR was subsequently tested on a wide range of different Pratylenchus spp. and 25 P. penetrans populations originating from all over the world. To test the sensitivity, the duplex PCR was conducted on DNA extracted from a single P. penetrans nematode mixed with varying amounts of nematodes belonging to another Pratylenchus species. Results showed that a reliable and sensitive P. penetrans species-specific duplex PCR was constructed.


1961 ◽  
Vol 93 (10) ◽  
pp. 855-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Depner

Siphona irritans (L.), commonly known as the horn fly, is a serious pest of cattle. In southern Alberta, ten thousand flies have been counted on a single host animal. Properly conducted control studies require the establishment of a permanent laboratory colony. Previous attempts to establish such a colony had not been successful (McLintock and Depner, 1957) as more information about the biology of the fly was needed. The results presented in this paper will help provide this information.


Mycoses ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 42 (1‐2) ◽  
pp. 71-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Kano ◽  
Y. Nakamura ◽  
T. Watari ◽  
S. Watanabe ◽  
H. Takahashi ◽  
...  

2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 3171-3175 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Bonjoch ◽  
E. Ballesté ◽  
A. R. Blanch

ABSTRACT Bifidobacteria are one of the most common bacterial types found in the intestines of humans and other animals and may be used as indicators of human fecal pollution. The presence of nine human-related Bifidobacterium species was analyzed in human and animal wastewater samples of different origins by using species-specific primers based on 16S rRNA sequences. Only B. adolescentis and B. dentium were found exclusively in human sewage. A multiplex PCR approach with strain-specific primers was developed. The method showed a sensitivity threshold of 10 cells/ml. This new molecular method could provide useful information for the characterization of fecal pollution sources.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Nurul Fizatul Nabilah ◽  
A. R. Ramizah ◽  
A. B. Adibah ◽  
S. Syazwan ◽  
A.G. Intan Faraha ◽  
...  

Peacock bass or the cichlids are known locally as top predator fishes which are invasive in Malaysia freshwater system. Detection probabilities for these fishes are typically low, especially using conventional capture-survey method due to the fish’s behaviour of hiding beneath the water’s surface. Hence, the environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring is a relatively new approach that can be used to assess the distribution of these invasive fishes. Here, we report the strategy to develop small fragment (280- 400 bp) specific-specific primers for three selected invasive Cichla species namely, C. ocellaris, C. monoculus, and C. kelberi based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences. Current research showed that the developed species-specific primers from cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene has high resolution at species level. Species-specific amplification tests also proved the specificity of the developed primers, securing the high- level species identification potential which may help in controlling the spread of alien invasive fish species.


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