The Plasmodium transmission-blocking symbiont, Microsporidia MB, is vertically transmitted through Anopheles arabiensis germline stem cells.

Microsporidia MB is a promising candidate for developing a symbiont-based strategy for malaria control because it disrupts the capacity of An. arabiensis to transmit the Plasmodium parasite. The symbiont is predominantly localized in the reproductive organs and is transmitted vertically from mother to offspring and horizontally (sexually) during mating.

Draft genome of sp. MB-a malaria-blocking microsporidian symbiont of the .

We report the draft whole-genome assembly of sp. MB a symbiotic malaria-transmission-blocking microsporidian isolated from in Kenya. The whole-genome sequence of sp.

Localization and tissue tropism of the symbiont in the germ line and somatic tissues of .

is a symbiont with a strong malaria transmission-blocking phenotype in . It spreads in mosquito populations through mother-to-offspring and sexual transmission. The ability of to block transmission, together with its ability to spread within populations and its avirulence to the host, makes it a very attractive candidate for developing a key strategy to stop malaria transmissions.

Microsporidia MB in the primary malaria vector Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto is avirulent and undergoes maternal and horizontal transmission.

Background: The demonstration that the recently discovered Anopheles symbiont Microsporidia MB blocks malaria transmission in Anopheles arabiensis and undergoes vertical and horizontal transmission suggests that it is a promising candidate for the development of a symbiont-based malaria transmission-blocking strategy. The infection prevalence and characteristics of Microsporidia MB in Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto (s.s.

Friend or Foe: Symbiotic Bacteria in -Parasitoid Associations.

Parasitoids are promising biocontrol agents of the devastating fruit fly, . However, parasitoid performance is a function of several factors, including host-associated symbiotic bacteria. , , and are among the symbiotic bacteria commonly associated with , and they influence the eco-physiological functioning of this pest.

Tsetse blood-meal sources, endosymbionts and trypanosome-associations in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, a wildlife-human-livestock interface.

African trypanosomiasis (AT) is a neglected disease of both humans and animals caused by Trypanosoma parasites, which are transmitted by obligate hematophagous tsetse flies (Glossina spp.). Knowledge on tsetse fly vertebrate hosts and the influence of tsetse endosymbionts on trypanosome presence, especially in wildlife-human-livestock interfaces, is limited.

Pathogens, endosymbionts, and blood-meal sources of host-seeking ticks in the fast-changing Maasai Mara wildlife ecosystem.

The role of questing ticks in the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR), an ecosystem with intensified human-wildlife-livestock interactions, remains poorly understood. We surveyed the diversity of questing ticks, their blood-meal hosts, and tick-borne pathogens to understand potential effects on human and livestock health. By flagging and hand-picking from vegetation in 25 localities, we collected 1,465 host-seeking ticks, mostly Rhipicephalus and Amblyomma species identified by morphology and molecular analysis.

A microsporidian impairs Plasmodium falciparum transmission in Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes.

A possible malaria control approach involves the dissemination in mosquitoes of inherited symbiotic microbes to block Plasmodium transmission. However, in the Anopheles gambiae complex, the primary African vectors of malaria, there are limited reports of inherited symbionts that impair transmission. We show that a vertically transmitted microsporidian symbiont (Microsporidia MB) in the An.

Arboviruses and Blood Meal Sources in Zoophilic Mosquitoes at Human-Wildlife Interfaces in Kenya.

Zoophilic mosquitoes play an important role in the transmission of arboviruses of medical importance at human-wildlife interfaces, yet arbovirus surveillance efforts have been focused mostly on anthropophilic mosquitoes. Understanding the diversity of zoophilic mosquitoes and their associated feeding patterns and arboviruses can inform better vector control strategies. We morphologically identified mosquitoes collected from two game reserves in Kenya, the Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) and locations near the Shimba Hills National Reserve (SHNR).