Increased threat of urban arboviral diseases from mosquitoes in Colombia.

Objectives: Our study targets the potential of the local urban mosquito to experimentally transmit chikungunya virus (CHIKV), dengue virus (DENV), yellow fever virus (YFV), and Zika virus (ZIKV).

Methods: We collected eggs and adults of in Medellín, Colombia (from February to March 2020) for mosquito experimental infections with DENV, CHIKV, YFV and ZIKV and viral detection using the BioMark Dynamic arrays system.

Results: We show that from Medellín was more prone to become infected, to disseminate and transmit CHIKV and ZIKV than DENV and YFV.

wMel Wolbachia alters female post-mating behaviors and physiology in the dengue vector mosquito Aedes aegypti.

Globally invasive Aedes aegypti disseminate numerous arboviruses that impact human health. One promising method to control Ae. aegypti populations is transinfection with Wolbachia pipientis, which naturally infects ~40-52% of insects but not Ae.

Evidence of two mitochondrial lineages and genetic variability in forensically important Lucilia eximia (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Colombia.

Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann, 1819) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a blowfly with medical and forensic importance that shows genetic and color variation, however, these variations have not justified the description of new species. But in forensic entomology an accurate identification of species and subpopulations is crucial. We explored the genetic variation of L.

Local-scale virome depiction in Medellín, Colombia, supports significant differences between Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

Aedes spp. comprise the primary group of mosquitoes that transmit arboviruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses to humans, and thus these insects pose a significant burden on public health worldwide. Advancements in next-generation sequencing and metagenomics have expanded our knowledge on the richness of RNA viruses harbored by arthropods such as Ae.

Distance to public transit predicts spatial distribution of dengue virus incidence in Medellín, Colombia.

Dengue is a growing global threat in some of the world's most rapidly growing landscapes. Research shows that urbanization and human movement affect the spatial dynamics and magnitude of dengue outbreaks; however, precise effects of urban growth on dengue are not well understood because of a lack of sufficiently fine-scaled data. We analyzed nine years of address-level dengue case data in Medellin, Colombia during a period of public transit expansion.

Blood Meals With Active and Heat-Inactivated Serum Modifies the Gene Expression and Microbiome of .

The Asian "tiger mosquito" is currently the most widely distributed disease-transmitting mosquito in the world. Its geographical expansion has also allowed the expansion of multiple arboviruses like dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, to higher latitudes. Due to the enormous risk to global public health caused by mosquitoes species vectors of human disease, and the challenges in slowing their expansion, it is necessary to develop new and environmentally friendly vector control strategies.

Entomovirological Surveillance in Schools: Are They a Source for Arboviral Diseases Transmission?

Surveillance and control activities for virus-transmitting mosquitoes have primarily focused on dwellings. There is little information about viral circulation in heavily trafficked places such as schools. We collected and analyzed data to assess the presence and prevalence of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses in mosquitoes, and measured indices in schools in Medellín (Colombia) between 2016-2018.

Transcriptome of the Mosquito in Response to Human Complement Proteins.

is the primary mosquito vector of several human arboviruses, including the dengue virus (DENV). Vector control is the principal intervention to decrease the transmission of these viruses. The characterization of molecules involved in the mosquito physiological responses to blood-feeding may help identify novel targets useful in designing effective control strategies.

Surveillance of Zika virus in field-caught Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus suggests important role of male mosquitoes in viral populations maintenance in Medellín, Colombia.

Due to the rapid spread of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection after its emergence in the Americas in 2015 and its relationship with birth defects, it became declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (WHO). The main mechanism by which this virus circulates in nature is horizontal transmission between vectors and humans. However, it has been suggested that vertical transmission (parent to offspring infection) or venereal mosquito-mosquito transmission may have an important role in viral populations maintenance during inter-epidemic periods.

A new approach to improve acoustic trapping effectiveness for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

Monitoring mosquito populations is essential to designing and implementing control strategies. Recent strategies based on releasing biologically modified mosquitoes have increased the need to effectively monitor mosquito abundance. Unfortunately, existing surveillance traps are of limited value due to their high cost and low capture rates.

Barriers that limit the implementation of thermal fogging for the control of dengue in Colombia: a study of mixed methods.

Background: Thermal fogging of Insecticides is a vector control strategy used by the Medellin Secretary of Health to combat dengue. This method is employed during outbreaks to curb populations of potentially infectious adult mosquitoes and interrupt transmission cycles. While this strategy has been used in Medellin since 2007, in some years it has not reduced dengue cases as expected.

[Knowledge of malaria and long-lasting insecticidal net use practices in two departments of colombia].

Objectives: To determine the knowledge about malaria and use practice of insecticide-treated mosquito nets in the departments of Antioquia and Chocó in Colombia, 2013.

Materials And Methods: Cross-sectional and descriptive study with probability sampling of clusters, stratified and two-staged. The head of household survey was developed using ten questions on knowledge, transmission, symptoms and preventive measures against malaria, used in the questionnaires of the 2007 National Health Survey in Colombia, as well as 13 questions on long-lasting insecticidal nets, tenure, use, reasons for non-use, short-term health side effects, washing and drying.

Knowledge, practices and entomological aspects of dengue in Medellín, Colombia: A comparative study of neighborhoods with high and low incidence.

Introduction: Dengue, mainly transmitted by Aedes aegypti, is a very important viral disease in terms of public health. Colombia is an endemoepidemic country for dengue and, in cities like Medellín, there are neighborhoods with high and low incidence. The disease dynamics in the neighborhoods might be determined by differences in the knowledge, practices and entomological aspects of the vector among the communities.

Monitoring and Predicting Net Longevity by Measuring Surface Levels of Insecticide: Implementing a Faster, Cost Effective, Nondestructive, and Field-Ready Alternative to the World Health Organization Cone Test Bioassay.

An important component of malaria control programs is the ability to assess the effectiveness of the insecticide in insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) during normal usage. The standard technique to measure insecticidal activity is the World Health Organization (WHO) cone test, which in many circumstances, may be difficult to implement. We have evaluated an alternative technique, the colorimetric field test (CFT) on a group of 24-month-old Permanet 2.

Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) grouping based on larval habitat characteristics in high mountain ecosystems of Antioquia, Colombia.

Information about mosquito ecology in the high mountain ecosystems of the Neotropical region is sparse. In general, few genera and species have been reported in these ecosystems and there is no information available on habitats and the mosquitoes occupying them. In the present study, specimens collected from NW Colombia in HME were grouped using larval habitat data via an Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) determination.

Virological surveillance of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus as support for decision making for dengue control in Medellín.

Introduction: Dengue represents an important public health problem in Colombia. No treatment is available and the vaccine has not been approved in all countries, hence, actions should be strengthened to mitigate its impact through the control of Aedes aegypti, the vector mosquito. In Colombia, surveillance is done using entomological indexes and case notification, which is usually informed late, leading to untimely interventions.

Molecular detection of flaviviruses and alphaviruses in mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from coastal ecosystems in the Colombian Caribbean.

Arboviruses belonging to the genera Flavivirus and Alphavirus were detected in mosquitoes in a rural area of San Bernardo del Viento (Córdoba, Colombia). A total of 22,180 mosquitoes were collected, sorted into 2,102 pools, and tested by generic/nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, dengue virus, West Nile virus, St.

Molecular identification of Saint Louis encephalitis virus genotype IV in Colombia.

Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) is a member of the Japanese-encephalitis virus serocomplex of the genus Flavivirus. SLEV is broadly distributed in the Americas and the Caribbean Islands, where it is usually transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Culex and primarily to birds and mammalian-hosts. Humans are occasionally infected by the virus and are dead-end hosts.

[Evaluation of lethal ovitraps as a strategy for Aedes aegypti control].

Introduction: Dengue fever is a vector-borne viral disease of major public health importance. In the absence of a vaccine, control measures are primarily focused on reducing the mosquito vector. However, these strategies are very expensive, and the use of lethal ovitraps could contribute, in a practical manner, to the design of cost-effective strategies for vector control.

[Ovitraps evaluation for surveillance and control of Aedes aegypti in two urban settlements of Urabá, Antioquia].

Introduction: Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti is the main vector of dengue. Chemical insecticides have been used to control the mosquito and it has developed resistance. It is necessary to evaluate alternative strategies that are efficient, economical and easy to apply, such as ovitraps with Bacillus thuringiesis israeliensis .

[Modelling the effect of local climatic variability on dengue transmission in Medellin (Colombia) by means of time series analysis].

Introduction: Dengue fever is a major impact on public health vector-borne disease, and its transmission is influenced by entomological, sociocultural and economic factors. Additionally, climate variability plays an important role in the transmission dynamics. A large scientific consensus has indicated that the strong association between climatic variables and disease could be used to develop models to explain the incidence of the disease.

Abundance, behavior and entomological inoculation rates of anthropophilic anophelines from a primary Colombian malaria endemic area.

Background: In Colombia for several years, the Urabá-Bajo Cauca and Alto Sinú region has registered the highest numbers of malaria cases in the country. Malaria vector incrimination and the characterization of entomological parameters will allow for a better understanding of malaria transmission dynamics and the design of effective vector control strategies for this region.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal survey between November 2008 and June 2010 to quantify entomological (abundance and biting activity) and transmission parameters, including infection rate (IR) and entomological inoculation rate (EIR), to incriminate potential anopheline vectors in three localities of a major Colombian malaria endemic region, the Urabá-Bajo Cauca and Alto Sinú: La Capilla, Juan Jose and El Loro.