Without an adequate DNA extraction protocol, the identification of Plasmodium species in whole mosquitoes by PCR is difficult because of the presence of reaction inhibitors from the insects. In this study, eight DNA extraction protocols were tested, from which a chelex-based protocol was selected. Then a semi-nested multiplex PCR technique that detects and distinguishes among the four human Pla...

Four cytochrome P450 cDNAs, CYP6AA7, CYP9J40, CYP9J34, and CYP9M10, were isolated from mosquitoes, Culex quinquefasciatus. The P450 gene expression and induction by permethrin were compared for three different mosquito populations bearing different resistance phenotypes, ranging from susceptible (S-Lab), through intermediate (HAmCq(G0), the field parental population) to highly resistant (HAmCq(...

Female mosquitoes display preferences for certain individuals over others, which is determined by differences in volatile chemicals produced by the human body and detected by mosquitoes. Body odour can be controlled genetically but the existence of a genetic basis for differential attraction to insects has never been formally demonstrated. This study investigated heritability of attractiveness ...

It has often been suggested that vector-borne parasites alter their vector's feeding behaviour to increase their transmission, but these claims are often based on laboratory studies and lack rigorous testing in a natural situation. We show in this field study that the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, alters the blood-feeding behaviour of its mosquito vector, Anopheles gambiae s.l., in t...

Mosquito-borne diseases have killed more people than all wars combined. Various Integrated Vector Management (IVM) methods have been used to reduce the risk of these diseases by reducing the population of mosquitoes, e.g. insecticides, bed nets, repellents, traps. New technologies have been developed using attractant toxic sugar baits, such as the ProVector Flower [1]. The ProVector® system use...

Millions of people are infected each year by arboviruses (arthropod-borne viruses) such as chikungunya, dengue, and West Nile viruses, yet for reasons that are largely unknown, only a relatively small number of mosquito species are able to transmit arboviruses. Understanding the complex factors that determine vector competence could facilitate strategies for controlling arbovirus infections. Ap...

The ecology of California encephalitis viruses was studied on the Del Mar Va Peninsula. Adult mosquitoes were collected weekly from May to October of 1971 and monthly from May to October of 1972, using CDC miniature light traps with Dry Ice. Floodwater mosquitoes were assayed for virus in suckling mice or cell cultures. In 1971 over 77,000 mosquitoes were processed, resulting in 33 virus isolat...

A wide range of insect repellent formulations, as well as active ingredients, are currently registered for use in Australia. While topical repellents are most common, there are also commercial products in the form of wristbands impregnated with botanical extracts that purport to repel mosquitoes. In laboratory tests, wristbands impregnated with peppermint oil were tested against the mosquito Ae...

INTRODUCTION Dengue is one of the most widespread mosquito-borne diseases in the world. The causative agent, dengue virus (DENV), is primarily transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, a species that has proved difficult to control using conventional methods. The discovery that A. aegypti transinfected with the wMel strain of Wolbachia showed limited DENV replication led to trial field release...

Mosquito-borne alphaviruses have the potential to cause large outbreaks throughout the world. Here we investigated the causative agent of an unexpected Sindbis virus (SINV) outbreak during August-September, 2013, in a previously nonendemic region of Sweden. Mosquitoes were collected using carbon dioxide-baited CDC traps at locations close to human cases. The mosquitoes were initially screened a...