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Open AccessMosquito odour-baited mass trap** reduced malaria transmission intensity: a result from a controlled before-and-after intervention study
Conventional vector control strategies have significantly reduced the malaria burden. The sustainability of these methods is currently challenged. Odour-based traps are emerging technologies that can complemen...
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Article
Open AccessAdenosine triphosphate overrides the aversive effect of antifeedants and toxicants: a model alternative phagostimulant for sugar-based vector control tools
Sugar, when used as the phagostimulant in attractive toxic bait control tools, limits the efficacy and selectivity of this technology. Thus, more potent and selective phagostimulants than sugar are required to...
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Article
Open AccessEffect of non-human hosts on the human biting rate of primary and secondary malaria vectors in Tanzania
Malaria vectors vary in feeding preference depending on their innate behaviour, host availability and abundance. Host preference and human biting rate in malaria vectors are key factors in establishing zooprop...
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Article
Open AccessOdour-mediated oviposition site selection in Aedes aegypti depends on aquatic stage and density
Olfaction plays an important role in the selection and assessment of oviposition sites by mosquitoes. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with potential breeding sites affect the behaviour of gravid m...
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Article
Open AccessDistance from human dwellings differentially affects the efficacy of a synthetic cattle urine odour lure to trap malaria vectors
Cost–effective outdoor–based devices for surveillance and control of outdoor mosquito vector populations can substantially improve their efficacy when baited with synthetic human and animal odours. This study ...
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Article
Open AccessSeasonal variation in abundance and blood meal sources of primary and secondary malaria vectors within Kilombero Valley, Southern Tanzania
Existing control tools have significantly reduced malaria over the past two decades. However, progress has been stalled due to increased resistance in primary vectors and the increasing role of secondary vecto...
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Article
Open AccessNatural plant diet impacts phenotypic expression of pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles mosquitoes
Success in reducing malaria transmission through vector control is threatened by insecticide resistance in mosquitoes. Although the proximal molecular mechanisms and genetic determinants involved are well docu...
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Article
Open AccessMosquito host-seeking diel rhythm and chemosensory gene expression is affected by age and Plasmodium stages
Malaria parasites can affect vector-related behaviours, increasing transmission success. Using Anopheles gambiae and Plasmodium falciparum, we consider the effect of interaction between infection stage and vector...
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Article
Open AccessMalaria mosquitoes acquire and allocate cattle urine to enhance life history traits
Nutrient acquisition and allocation integrate foraging and life-history traits in insects. To compensate for the lack of a particular nutrient at different life stages, insects may acquire these through supple...
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Article
Open AccessCattle-Derived Unsaturated Aldehydes Repel Biting Midges and Mosquitoes
Host-derived repellents offer a novel way to reduce disease vector–host interactions, particularly for vectors and nuisance pests where commercial repellents are not available, e.g., Culicoides biting midges. By ...
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Article
Open AccessContrasting effects of the alkaloid ricinine on the capacity of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii to transmit Plasmodium falciparum
Besides feeding on blood, females of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae sensu lato readily feed on natural sources of plant sugars. The impact of toxic secondary phytochemicals contained in plant-derived sugars...
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Article
Open AccessDevelopment of a chimeric odour blend for attracting gravid malaria vectors
Odour-based tools targeting gravid malaria vectors may complement existing intervention strategies. Anopheles arabiensis are attracted to, and stimulated to oviposit by, natural and synthetic odours of wild and d...
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Article
Open AccessRegulation of the antennal transcriptome of the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti, during the first gonotrophic cycle
In the light of dengue being the fastest growing transmissible disease, there is a dire need to identify the mechanisms regulating the behaviour of the main vector Aedes aegypti. Disease transmission requires the...
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Article
Open AccessModulation of odour-guided behaviour in mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are emerging as model systems with which to study innate behaviours through neuroethology and functional genomics. Decades of work on these disease vectors have provided a solid behavioural framewor...
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Article
Open AccessMalaria hotspots explained from the perspective of ecological theory underlying insect foraging
Hotspots constitute the major reservoir for residual malaria transmission, with higher malaria incidence than neighbouring areas, and therefore, have the potential to form the cornerstone for successful interv...
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Article
Open AccessComparative morphological and transcriptomic analyses reveal chemosensory genes in the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae
Detection of chemical cues via chemosensory receptor proteins are essential for most animals, and underlies critical behaviors, including location and discrimination of food resources, identification of sexual...
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Article
Open AccessPlasmodium falciparum gametocyte-induced volatiles enhance attraction of Anopheles mosquitoes in the field
Plasmodium parasites manipulate the interaction between their mosquito and human hosts. Patients infected with gametocytes attract anopheline mosquitoes differentially compared to healthy individuals, an effect a...
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Article
Open AccessSex and age modulate antennal chemosensory-related genes linked to the onset of host seeking in the yellow-fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector for the fastest growing infectious disease in the world, dengue fever. Disease transmission heavily relies on the ability of female mosquitoes to locate their huma...
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Article
Open AccessShady business: understanding the spatial ecology of exophilic Anopheles mosquitoes
Understanding the ecology of exophilic anophelines is a key step toward develo** outdoor control strategies to complement existing indoor control tools against malaria vectors. This study was conducted to as...
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Article
Open AccessSweet attraction: sugarcane pollen-associated volatiles attract gravid Anopheles arabiensis
Anopheles arabiensis is a key vector for the transmission of human malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past 10,000 years, humans have successfully cultivated grasses and altered the landscape, creating An. ar...
