Publications by authors named "Tristan P W Dennis"

A major insecticide resistance mechanism in insect pests is knock-down resistance (kdr) caused by mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (Vgsc) gene. Despite being common in most malaria Anopheles vector species, kdr mutations have never been observed in Anopheles funestus, the principal malaria vector in Eastern and Southern Africa, with resistance mainly being conferred by detoxification enzymes. In a parallel study, we monitored 10 populations of An.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo has a big problem with malaria, and it's important to know how mosquitoes that spread it are affected by insecticides, especially since they mainly use treated nets to fight the disease.
  • Scientists studied mosquitoes from three different areas in southern Congo and found that many of these mosquitoes are becoming resistant to the insecticides used on the nets, especially in the Kimpese area.
  • By looking at the genetic makeup of these mosquitoes, they discovered differences between some populations, suggesting that resistance is connected to certain genes, and a specific gene in Kimpese might be a key factor for understanding this resistance better.
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A major mechanism of insecticide resistance in insect pests is knock-down resistance () caused by mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel () gene. Despite being common in most malaria vector species, mutations have never been observed in , the principal malaria vector in Eastern and Southern Africa. While monitoring 10 populations of in Tanzania, we unexpectedly found resistance to DDT, a banned insecticide, in one location.

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Background: Genomic regions that remain poorly understood, often referred to as the dark genome, contain a variety of functionally relevant and biologically informative features. These include endogenous viral elements (EVEs)-virus-derived sequences that can dramatically impact host biology and serve as a virus fossil record. In this study, we introduce a database-integrated genome screening (DIGS) approach to investigate the dark genome in silico, focusing on EVEs found within vertebrate genomes.

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Resistance to insecticides and adaptation to a diverse range of environments present challenges to Anopheles gambiae s.l. mosquito control efforts in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Human activities are accelerating rates of biological invasions and climate-driven range expansions globally, yet we understand little of how genomic processes facilitate the invasion process. Although most of the literature has focused on underlying phenotypic correlates of invasiveness, advances in genomic technologies are showing a strong link between genomic variation and invasion success. Here, we consider the ability of genomic tools and technologies to (i) inform mechanistic understanding of biological invasions and (ii) solve real-world issues in predicting and managing biological invasions.

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Genomic data contribute invaluable information to the epidemiological investigation of pathogens of public health importance. However, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of bacteria typically relies on culture, which represents a major hurdle for generating such data for a wide range of species for which culture is challenging. In this study, we assessed the use of culture-free target-enrichment sequencing as a method for generating genomic data for two bacterial species: (1) which causes anthrax in both people and animals and whose culture requires high-level containment facilities; and (2) , a fastidious emerging human respiratory pathogen.

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Genomic sequencing has revolutionized our understanding of bacterial disease epidemiology, but remains underutilized for zoonotic pathogens in remote endemic settings. Anthrax, caused by the spore-forming bacterium , remains a threat to human and animal health and rural livelihoods in low- and middle-income countries. While the global genomic diversity of has been well-characterized, there is limited information on how its populations are genetically structured at the scale at which transmission occurs, critical for understanding the pathogen's evolution and transmission dynamics.

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A diverse range of DNA sequences derived from circoviruses (family ) has been identified in samples obtained from humans and domestic animals, often in association with pathological conditions. In the majority of cases, however, little is known about the natural biology of the viruses from which these sequences are derived. Endogenous circoviral elements (CVe) are DNA sequences derived from circoviruses that occur in animal genomes and provide a useful source of information about circovirus-host relationships.

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Circoviruses (family Circoviridae) are small, non-enveloped viruses that have short, single-stranded DNA genomes. Circovirus sequences are frequently recovered in metagenomic investigations, indicating that these viruses are widespread, yet they remain relatively poorly understood. Endogenous circoviral elements (CVe) are DNA sequences derived from circoviruses that occur in vertebrate genomes.

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