A study on the diversity of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae) in karstic limestone areas in Vientiane Province, Laos, with a description of two new species of Sergentomyia França and & Parrot.

Background: Southeast Asia is well known as a hotspot of biodiversity. However, very little is known about cave-dwelling hematophagous insects that are medically important. Taxonomic knowledge and ecology of phlebotomine sand flies are very poorly studied in Laos, as well as in other countries in the region.

Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae) from Pha Tong cave, Northern Thailand with a description of two new species and taxonomical thoughts about Phlebotomus stantoni.

Background: In South-East Asia, Thailand is the country with the highest number of human autochthonous cases of leishmaniases mostly due to Leishmania martiniquensis. Their transmission remains unresolved to date even though sand flies are known vectors of leishmaniases. As such, we focused a study on the sand fly fauna of a cave in Thailand to explore the biodiversity of potential Leishmania vectors.

On the systematics of Phlebotomus betisi and two new related species from Laos with proposal of the new subgenus Lewisius.

Phlebotomus betisi was described from Malaysia and classified after its description in the subgenus Larroussius. It was the only species to have a pharyngeal armature composed of dot-like teeth and an annealed spermatheca whose head is carried by a neck in females. Males were characterized by having a style bearing five spines and a simple paramere.

The Genus Haemaphysalis (Acari: Ixodidae) in Laos: An Update of Species Records and a Review of Taxonomic Challenges.

Haemaphysalis Koch, 1844, is the largest genus of ticks in Southeast Asia, but little information is available concerning the species present in Laos. Recent research has yielded records for 10 Haemaphysalis species in Laos, including 5 new records, as well as 3 morphological entities of uncertain status. Further morphological and molecular studies are needed to clarify our taxonomic understanding of this genus in Southeast Asia.

Bat coronaviruses related to SARS-CoV-2 and infectious for human cells.

The animal reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 is unknown despite reports of SARS-CoV-2-related viruses in Asian Rhinolophus bats, including the closest virus from R. affinis, RaTG13 (refs. ), and pangolins.

Screening of ectoparasites from domesticated dogs for bacterial pathogens in Vientiane, Lao PDR.

Arthropod-borne diseases are widespread worldwide and are a complex interaction between animals, humans and ectoparasites. The understanding of the diversity and epidemiology of organisms transmitted by arthropod vectors, and the role of hosts and vectors in transmission of infections remain limited in Lao PDR. What knowledge does exist is primarily focused on more rural regions of the country.

Description of a new species of Dermacentor Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) from the mountains of Laos and Thailand.

Dermacentor pasteuri n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae) is described based on adults ex wild boar and vegetation from Laos and Thailand.

Six Nearly Complete Genome Segments of a Novel Reovirus Identified in Laotian Batflies.

As part of the characterization of viral communities of Laotian batflies, we report here the sequencing of six nearly complete genome segments of a novel reovirus identified in Laotian batflies that is distantly related to reoviruses recently reported in various Diptera species.

New records and updated checklist of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from Lao People's Democratic Republic, with special emphasis on adult and larval surveillance in Khammuane Province.

A list of mosquitoes from the Nakai Nam Theun National Protected Area along the Nam Theun, Nam Mon, Nam Noy, and Nam On rivers, Nakai District, Khammuane Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) is presented. Fifty-four mosquito taxa were identified, including 15 new records in the Lao PDR. A fragment of the mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, barcode region, was generated for 34 specimens, and together with four specimens already published, it represented 23 species in eight genera.

Description of a new species of Dermacentor Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) from Laos and Thailand.

Dermacentor laothaiensis n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae) is described based on adults ex wild boar and vegetation from Laos and Thailand.

First Record of Aedes (Stegomyia) malayensis Colless (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Based on Morphological Diagnosis and Molecular Analysis.

This is the first confirmed record of Aedes (Stegomyia) malayensis Colless from the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Its larvae were collected from rock pools and rock holes along the Nam Noy River in the Nakai Nam Theun National Protected Area, Khammuane Province. Larvae were reared in the laboratory and emerged adults were identified based on morphological characters and mitochondrial DNA analysis, using data from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I.

New Locality Records of Ixodes granulatus and Ixodes vespertilionis (Acari: Ixodidae) From Tree-Shrews (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) and Bats (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) in Laos.

Between May and June 2015, 512 bats, six rodents, and six tree-shrews were examined for ectoparasites in Vientiane and Khammouane Provinces, Laos. Thirty-seven ticks (33 females and four males) identified as Ixodes granulatus Supino were collected from four individuals of the Northern tree-shrew, Tupaia belangeri (Wagner) (Scandentia:Tupaiidae), and one female of Ixodes vespertilionis Koch was collected from one individual of the Intermediate Leaf-nosed Bat, Hipposideros larvatus (Horsfield) (Chiroptera:Hipposideridae). This appears to be the first record of I.

The Genus Dermacentor (Acari: Ixodidae) in Laos: A Review and Update of Species Records.

Two species of the ixodid tick genus Dermacentor Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) have previously been documented from Laos: D. auratus Supino, 1897 and D. steini (Schulze, 1933).

Large-Scale Survey for Tickborne Bacteria, Khammouan Province, Laos.

We screened 768 tick pools containing 6,962 ticks from Khammouan Province, Laos, by using quantitative real-time PCR and identified Rickettsia spp., Ehrlichia spp., and Borrelia spp.

MALACOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE FULLY OPERATIONAL NAM THEUN 2 HYDROELECTRIC DAM PROJECT IN KHAMMOUANE PROVINCE, CENTRAL LAO PDR.

We conducted a malacological investigation in four districts of the Nam Theun 2 (NT2) hydroelectric dam project area, Khammouane Province, central Lao PDR (Nakai, Gnommalath, Mahaxai and Xe Bang Fai), after the first and second years of full operation in March 2010 and November 2011 to determine health risks for humans. A total 10,863 snail specimens (10 families/23 species) from 57 sampling stations and 12,902 snail specimens (eight families/21 species) from 66 sampling stations were collected in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Neotricula aperta (gamma race), the intermediate host for Schistosoma mekongi, was found in large numbers (5,853 specimens) in 2010 in Nam Gnom (downstream) at Station 25 (Mueang Gnommalath: Gnommalath District) and in fewer numbers (170 specimens) at Station 26 (Ban Thathod: Gnommalath District).

Mosquito Fauna of Lao People's Democratic Republic, with Special Emphasis on the Adult and Larval Surveillance at Nakai District, Khammuane Province.

This article includes the distribution records and updated checklist of mosquitoes (Culicidae, Diptera) from the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR), based on the literature, specimens deposited at the US National Museum of Natural History mosquito collections, and our recent field collections from the Nakai District, Khammuane Province. Ten of 101 species in the updated checklist of mosquitoes are new records for the Lao PDR.

Risk factors for the presence of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in domestic water-holding containers in areas impacted by the Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric project, Laos.

We assessed risk factors for vectors of dengue and chikungunya viruses near a new hydroelectric project, Nam Theun 2, in Laos. Immature stages of Aedes aegypti were found only in sites within 40 km of the urban provincial capital, but Aedes albopictus was found throughout. Aedes aegypti pupae were most common in water storage jars (odds ratio [OR] = 4.

Burkholderia pseudomallei detection in surface water in southern Laos using Moore's swabs.

The causal agent of melioidosis, Burkholderia pseudomallei, has been cultured from paddy fields in the Lao PDR. We carried out a pilot study to examine the relationship between bacterial soil contamination and that of nearby surface waters in Saravane Province. Soil sampling was conducted at a depth of 30 cm (100 holes in a 45 × 45 m grid) at two sites, East and West Saravane.