Publications by authors named "Wen-Yu Song"

Article Synopsis
  • Chiggers are the only known carriers of the scrub typhus pathogen, and a study in southwest China (2001-2022) focused on their infestation in the large-eared field mouse for the first time, collecting 933 chiggers from 501 mice across various species.
  • Adult mice had significantly higher chigger infestation rates (38.28%) and abundance (5.11 mites/mouse) compared to juvenile mice (12.63%, 0.97), indicating age-related susceptibility, while nutritional status also influenced infestation levels.
  • Chigger diversity increased with altitude, and key environmental factors like temperature and humidity were found to positively affect chigger abundance, while altitude showed a negative correlation, suggesting that elevations impact ch
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  • * Collecting and preparing specimens of these ectoparasites is critical for studying their classification, ecology, and epidemiology, as well as for monitoring disease vectors.
  • * The protocol details methods for on-site collection, fixation, and identification of ectoparasites, along with indices for monitoring host density and infestation levels, providing a thorough framework for research and control efforts.
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  • A study from Southwest China (2001-2022) found that a species of chigger mite, known to transmit scrub typhus, infested a wide range of small mammals, particularly rodents.
  • A total of 2,161 mites were identified from 218 small mammal hosts, with the Asian house rat being the most common host, making up nearly 50% of the findings.
  • The study revealed that the susceptibility to mite infestation varied significantly among different small mammals and was influenced by environmental factors like altitude and latitude, suggesting that these mites could increase the risk of scrub typhus transmission.
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  • Scientists found a new way to build special chemical compounds called 3-alkylated quinoxalin-2(1)-ones using certain ingredients like alkyl carboxylic acids and alkyl iodides.
  • This method is practical, cost-effective, and works well with different types of these ingredients.
  • They discovered that a special catalyst called cobaloxime helps create tiny carbon fragments from the ingredients, making the process easier.
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Chiggers are common ectoparasites and the exclusive vector of scrub typhus. Based on previous investigations from a unique geographical area in Yunnan Province of southwest China, the Three Parallel Rivers Area, we retrospectively studied the species diversity and related ecology of chiggers on rodents and other small mammals. A very high species diversity of 120 chigger species was identified.

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As a group of ectoparasites, chiggers (larvae of chigger mites) are the exclusive vector of scrub typhus (tsutsugamushi disease). Rodents are the most important hosts of chiggers. The Anderson's niviventer rat, Niviventer andersoni, is an endemic species of rodent in China.

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  • * A total of 6,557 chiggers were collected, with Leptotrombidium cangjiangense, Neotrombicula japonica, and Ascoschoengastia sifanga being the most common species, and three species identified as primary scrub typhus vectors.
  • * The study found that the abundance of chiggers varied in different environments, showing a log-normal distribution pattern, and indicated that the presence of chiggers on these
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  • - Leptotrombidium scutellare is a significant mite vector for diseases like scrub typhus and hemorrhagic fever in China, but data on its impact on human health is limited.
  • - Researchers used 21 years of field data to create ecological models predicting the distribution of L. scutellare based on environmental factors such as climate and elevation, revealing a trend of habitat reduction due to human activity.
  • - Findings indicate that while L. scutellare is prevalent in high-elevation areas of Yunnan, its presence correlates strongly with the incidence of hemorrhagic fever, suggesting climate change may reduce disease risk by pushing this mite to higher elevations.
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  • Chigger mites are important ectoparasites that act as the exclusive vectors for scrub typhus and were studied in two sibling rodent species, the South China field mouse and the Lantsang field mouse.
  • Field research from 2001 to 2015 in southwest China found 42 chigger species, with 36 on the South China field mouse and 11 on the Lantsang field mouse, indicating a significant difference in species composition.
  • The overall chigger intensity was higher in the South China field mouse, and the study revealed a log-normal distribution pattern in species abundance, along with sex-based differences in chigger infestation between the two rodent species.
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Chigger mites are the exclusive vector of scrub typhus. Based on field investigations of 91 survey sites in 5 provincial regions of Southwest China, this paper reported variations of chigger infestation on the oriental house rat () along various environmental gradients. A total of 149 chigger species were identified from 2919 in the 5 provincial regions, and (a major vector of scrub typhus in China) was the first dominant chigger species, followed by and .

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(1) Background: Gamasid mites are a large group of arthropods, and some of them are of medical importance. Besides directly biting humans and causing dermatitis, some gamasid mites are the vector of rickettsialpox and potential vector of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). The Three Parallel Rivers Area of China is one of the hotspots of biodiversity research in the world, with complicated topographic landforms, different types of vegetation, special elevation gradients and high biodiversity.

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  • A long-term study in Southwest China (2001-2019) investigated chigger mite infestations in the large Chinese vole, collecting over 52,000 chiggers from 2,661 voles, revealing high species diversity with 185 identified species.
  • The study found a high overall infestation rate (53.96%) and mean intensity, with male voles hosting more chiggers than females.
  • Dominant chigger species exhibited aggregated distribution and strong associations with each other, and the research suggested that many chigger species might have been overlooked during the sampling process, estimating a total of 223 species in the region.
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The Chinese mole shrew, Anourosorex squamipes Milne-Edwards, 1872, is a common species of insectivorous mammal in Southwest China. Based on field investigations between 2001 and 2019, the present study reports the infestation of chiggers (larvae of chigger mites) on the shrew in Southwest China and certain ecology parameters for the first time. A total of 3169 chiggers were collected from 1694 A.

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A 12-month consecutive investigation was made at Jingha village in southern Yunnan of southwest China from April 2016 to March 2017. A total of 2053 Indochinese forest rats ( Blyth, 1860) were captured and examined, which account for 84.69% (2053/2424) of all the animal hosts (rodents and other small mammals) at the investigation site.

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The flying squirrels (Pteromyini, Rodentia) are the most diverse and widely distributed group of gliding mammals. Taxonomic boundaries and relationships within flying squirrels remain an area of active research in mammalogy. The discovery of new specimens of ( ) Thomas, 1921 previously considered a synonym of , in Yunnan Province, China allowed a morphological and genetic reassessment of the status of this taxon.

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  • The study investigates how geographical and environmental factors affect biodiversity in isolated alpine communities, particularly focusing on small mammals in the Three Parallel Rivers area.
  • Researchers found that although taxonomic diversity (variety of species) was higher than functional diversity (variety of traits), both were influenced by distinct factors: geographical barriers impacted taxonomic composition while climate affected functional diversity.
  • The results highlight the need to differentiate between taxonomic and functional diversity to better understand the ecological processes that shape community structures in alpine ecosystems.
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Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic met coincidentally with massive migration before Lunar New Year in China in early 2020. This study is to investigate the relationship between the massive migration and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in China.

Methods: The epidemic data between January 25th and February 15th and migration data between Jan 1st and Jan 24th were collected from the official websites.

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Background And Purpose: Intra-islet heparan sulfate (HS) plays an important role in the maintenance of pancreatic islet function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect mechanism of HS loss on the functioning of islets in diabetic mice.

Experimental Approach: The hypoglycaemic effect of a heparanase inhibitor, OGT2115, was tested in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic mouse model.

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The chigger mite Leptotrombidium sialkotense is one of the 6 main vectors of scrub typhus in China. Before present study, L. sialkotense was found in some parts of Hunan province, China with a narrow geographical distribution.

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Chigger mites are a large group of arthropods and the larvae of mites are ectoparasites. Some species of ectoparasitic mites (larvae) can be the transmitting vectors of tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus). Yunnan Province is located in the southwest of China with complicated topographic landform and high biodiversity, where there are five zoogeographical subregions.

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Trombiculid mites (or chigger mites) are a large group of arthropods, and some of these species are vectors of Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus). Yunnan Province is situated in the southwest of China, and its complicated topography, special altitude gradients, and high biodiversity have aroused the interest of many scientists to study the fauna and species diversity of plants and animals. To replenish our former faunal study, this paper listed all the scientific names of trombiculid mites in Yunnan Province, together with their hosts and collection sites (geographical distribution).

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An investigation of chigger mites on the large oriental vole, Eothenomys miletus (Rodentia: Cricetidae), was conducted between 2001 and 2013 at 39 localities across southwest China, and 2463 individuals of the vole hosts were captured and examined, which is a big host sample size. From the body surface of E. miletus, 49,850 individuals of chigger mites were collected, and they were identified as comprising 175 species, 13 genera, and 3 subfamilies in 2 families (Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae).

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This paper studied the species diversity and fauna distribution of chigger mites on small mammals in Yunnan province, southwest Yunnan. In total, 120,138 individuals of chigger mites were collected from 13,760 individual small mammals, and these mites were identified as comprising two families, 26 genera, and 274 species. Of the five zoogeographical subregions, the mite species diversity in subregions I and II was higher than that in subregions III, IV, and V.

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