Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and Omicron variant RNA in wastewater samples from Manila, Philippines.

Manila, a highly urbanized city, is listed as one of the top cities with the highest recorded number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines. This study aimed to detect and quantify the RNA of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the Omicron variant in 51 wastewater samples collected from three locations in Manila, namely Estero de Santa Clara, Estero de Pandacan, which are open drainages, and a sewage treatment plant (STP) at De La Salle University-Manila, between July 2022 and February 2023. Using one-step reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, SARS-CoV-2 and Omicron variant RNA were detected in 78 % (40/51; 4.

Network Modeling for Post-Entry Management of Invasive Pest Species in the Philippines: The Case of the Colorado Potato Beetle, (Say, 1824) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

Crop shifting is considered as an important strategy to secure future food supply in the face of climate change. However, use of this adaptation strategy needs to consider the risk posed by changes in the geographic range of pests that feed on selected crops. Failure to account for this threat can lead to disastrous results.

Biological Control of Plant Diseases: An Evolutionary and Eco-Economic Consideration.

Biological control is considered as a promising alternative to pesticide and plant resistance to manage plant diseases, but a better understanding of the interaction of its natural and societal functions is necessary for its endorsement. The introduction of biological control agents (BCAs) alters the interaction among plants, pathogens, and environments, leading to biological and physical cascades that influence pathogen fitness, plant health, and ecological function. These interrelationships generate a landscape of tradeoffs among natural and social functions of biological control, and a comprehensive evaluation of its benefits and costs across social and farmer perspectives is required to ensure the sustainable development and deployment of the approach.

Dengue disease dynamics are modulated by the combined influences of precipitation and landscape: A machine learning approach.

Background: Dengue is an endemic vector-borne disease influenced by environmental factors such as landscape and climate. Previous studies separately assessed the effects of landscape and climate factors on mosquito occurrence and dengue incidence. However, both factors concurrently coexist in time and space and can interact, affecting mosquito development and dengue disease transmission.

The influence of roads on the fine-scale population genetic structure of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus).

Dengue is endemic in tropical and subtropical countries and is transmitted mainly by Aedes aegypti. Mosquito movement can be affected by human-made structures such as roads that can act as a barrier. Roads can influence the population genetic structure of Ae.

A Bioclimate-Based Maximum Entropy Model for Barrion, Almarinez and Amalin (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) in the Philippines.

is a host-specific endoparasitoid and effective biological control agent of the diaspidid , whose outbreak from 2010 to 2015 severely threatened the coconut industry in the Philippines. Using the maximum entropy (Maxent) algorithm, we developed a species distribution model (SDM) for based on 19 bioclimatic variables, using occurrence data obtained mostly from field surveys conducted in A. rigidus-infested areas in Luzon Island from 2014 to 2016.

Wing geometry and genetic analyses reveal contrasting spatial structures between male and female Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) populations in metropolitan Manila, Philippines.

The population genetic structure of Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) has been studied in order to understand its role as an efficient vector. Several studies utilized an integrative approach; to combine genetic and phenotypic data to determine its population structure but these studies have only focused on female populations. To address this particular gap, our study compared the population variability and structuring between its male and female populations using phenotypic and genetic data from a highly-urbanized and dengue-endemic region of the Philippines, Metropolitan Manila.

Biological Control: A Major Component of the Pest Management Program for the Invasive Coconut Scale Insect, Reyne, in the Philippines.

The coconut scale insect, Reyne, caused a major pest outbreak in coconut plantations and stands in the Southern Tagalog region of Luzon Island in the Philippines between 2010 and 2015. To determine if parasitism by Barrion, Almarinez and Amalin, a native encyrtid, could have been a factor in the eventual management of the outbreak by 2015, we estimated and assessed its parasitization levels on colonies on field-collected samples from selected points in three provinces in the Southern Tagalog Region across three sampling periods. We observed that consistently occurred only in areas where populations occurred, with high parasitization levels in the Southern Tagalog sites from 2014 to 2015.

Fine-scale population genetic structure of dengue mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines.

Dengue is a highly endemic disease in Southeast Asia and is transmitted primarily by the mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The National Capital Region (NCR) of the Philippines, or Metropolitan Manila, is a highly urbanized area that is greatly affected by this arboviral disease. Urbanization has been shown to increase the dispersal of this mosquito vector.

Unraveling the Genetic Structure of the Coconut Scale Insect Pest ( Reyne) Outbreak Populations in the Philippines.

Despite the fact that massive outbreaks of the coconut scale insect pest, Reyne (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) are inflicting significant economic losses to the Philippines' coconut industry, little is known about the population and dispersal history of this invasive pest in the country. Here, we examined the genetic diversity, structure and demographic history of sampled from localities with reported outbreaks from 2014 to 2017. We analyzed the genetic structure of the outbreak populations using mitochondrial and nuclear markers.

Detection of Wolbachia in field-collected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in metropolitan Manila, Philippines.

Background: Recent reports reveal the presence of Wolbachia in Ae. aegypti. Our study presents additional support for Wolbachia infection in Ae.

Detection and distribution of endobacteria in populations (Diptera : Culicidae) from Metropolitan Manila, Philippines.

Background & Objectives: Culex quinquefasciatus is a peridomestic mosquito known for its ability to transmit pathogenic diseases such as filariasis and Japanese encephalitis. The development and use of novel and innovative vector control measures such as the utilization of Wolbachia, along with the existing ones, are necessary to prevent the transmission of these diseases. Studies exploring the diversity of Wolbachia, particularly in Cx.

A Host-Parasitoid Model for Aspidiotus rigidus (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) and Comperiella calauanica (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae).

The outbreak of the coconut scale insect Aspidiotus rigidus Reyne (Hemiptera: Encyrtidae) posed a serious threat to the coconut industry in the Philippines. In this article, we modeled the interaction between A. rigidus and its parasitoid Comperiella calauanica Barrion, Almarinez, Amalin (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) using a system of ordinary differential equations based on a Holling type III functional response.

Machine learning methods reveal the temporal pattern of dengue incidence using meteorological factors in metropolitan Manila, Philippines.

Background: Several studies have applied ecological factors such as meteorological variables to develop models and accurately predict the temporal pattern of dengue incidence or occurrence. With the vast amount of studies that investigated this premise, the modeling approaches differ from each study and only use a single statistical technique. It raises the question of whether which technique would be robust and reliable.

Spatial analysis of wing geometry in dengue vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae), populations in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines.

Background & Objectives: Aedes aegypti (L.) is an efficient vector for arboviral diseases such as dengue. The wings of Ae.

Sequence-dependent cluster analysis of biomineralization peptides.

A reliable and statistically valid classification of biomineralization peptides is herein presented. 27 biomineralization peptides (BMPep) were randomly selected as representative samples to establish the classification system using k-means method. These biomineralization peptides were either discovered through isolation from various organisms or via phage display.