To determine the influence of meterological factors on the diurnal biting cycle of Simulium yahense Vajime & Dunbar (a member of the Simulium damnosum Theoblad complex), we captured host-seeking females as they landed on the exposed lower legs of humans in the Harbel area of Liberia. Biting activity was greatest during the morning hours and was characterized by a unimodal harmonic curve. Although meteorological conditions had no decisive influence on the unimodal pattern of diurnal biting activity, hourly variation in the number of S. yahense captured at human bait was affected by meterological factors (i.e., the diurnal pattern of S. yahense biting activity is regulated by an internal clock, but the number of bits during any given hour is in response to meterological conditions). The transmission of Onchocerca volvulus (Leuckart) was highest during the morning hours when high transmission potentials were in phase with peak human activity and served to maintain the hyperendemicity of onchocerciasis in the Harbel area.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jmedent/31.2.217 | DOI Listing |
Pest Manag Sci
January 2025
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Background: Bed bugs are blood-feeders that rapidly proliferate into large indoor infestations. Their bites can cause allergies, secondary infections and psychological stress, among other problems. Although several tactics for their management have been used, bed bugs continue to spread worldwide wherever humans reside.
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January 2025
Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address:
Metabolically active, genetically attenuated Plasmodium falciparum parasite lines are promising second-generation malaria vaccine candidates. Lamers et al. and Roozen et al.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxins (Basel)
January 2025
Graduate Program in Tropical Medicine, State University of Amazonas, Manaus 69040-000, Amazonas, Brazil.
Snakebites caused by snakes are the most prevalent in the Amazon region, causing local and systemic complications. Local complications are mostly represented by necrosis, secondary bacterial infection and compartment syndrome. There are reports of long-term disabilities, but their burden is poorly investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxins (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, 145 Xingda Rd., South Dist., Taichung 402202, Taiwan.
Snakebite envenomings continue to represent a major public health concern in Taiwan because of the presence of various venomous snakes whose habitats intersect with human activities. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the clinical characteristics, complications, and management strategies associated with snakebite envenomings in Taiwan. Taiwan is inhabited by six principal venomous snakes: , , , , , and , each presenting distinct clinical challenges.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhilos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci
January 2025
Chronobiology Section, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK.
The Asian malaria vector is invading Africa, requiring it to adapt to novel climates and ecosystems. In part, this may be facilitated by 's poorly understood seasonal behavioural plasticity in flight timing, leading to earlier biting activity in cold Asian winters and later biting times in the warm summer. Changes in behavioural timing could be directly imposed by seasonal variation in ambient light and temperature levels or result from altered entrainment of intrinsically expressed circadian rhythms by these factors.
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