Medical and Veterinary Entomology最新文献

{"title":"Aedes albopictus colonies from different geographic origins differ in their sleep and activity levels but not in the time of peak activity","authors":"Nicole E. Wynne,&nbsp;Emilie Applebach,&nbsp;Karthikeyan Chandrasegaran,&nbsp;Oluwaseun M. Ajayi,&nbsp;Souvik Chakraborty,&nbsp;Mariangela Bonizzoni,&nbsp;Chloé Lahondère,&nbsp;Joshua B. Benoit,&nbsp;Clément Vinauger","doi":"10.1111/mve.12765","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.12765","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Mosquitoes occupy a wide range of habitats where they experience various environmental conditions. The ability of some species, such as the tiger mosquito, <i>Aedes albopictus</i>, to adapt to local conditions certainly contributes to their invasive success. Among traits that remain to be examined, mosquitoes' ability to time their activity with that of the local host population has been suggested to be of significant epidemiological importance. However, whether different populations display heritable differences in their chronotype has not been examined. Here, we compared laboratory strains originating from eight populations from three continents, monitored their spontaneous locomotor activity patterns and analysed their sleep-like states. Overall, all strains showed conserved diurnal activity concentrated in the hours preceding the crepuscule. Similarly, they all showed increased sleep levels during the morning and night hours. However, we observed strain-specific differences in the activity levels at each phase of the day. We also observed differences in the fraction of time that each strain spends in a sleep-like state, explained by variations in the sleep architecture across strains. Human population density and the latitude of the site of the geographic origin of the tested strain showed significant effects on sleep and activity patterns. Altogether, these results suggest that <i>Ae. albopictus</i> mosquitoes adapt to local environmental conditions via heritable adaptations of their chronotype.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"38 4","pages":"495-507"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.12765","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142290771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intra-species quantification reveals differences in activity and sleep levels in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti","authors":"Oluwaseun M. Ajayi,&nbsp;Emily E. Susanto,&nbsp;Lyn Wang,&nbsp;Jasmine Kennedy,&nbsp;Arturo Ledezma,&nbsp;Angeli'c Harris,&nbsp;Evan S. Smith,&nbsp;Souvik Chakraborty,&nbsp;Nicole E. Wynne,&nbsp;Massamba Sylla,&nbsp;Jewelna Akorli,&nbsp;Sampson Otoo,&nbsp;Noah H. Rose,&nbsp;Clément Vinauger,&nbsp;Joshua B. Benoit","doi":"10.1111/mve.12747","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.12747","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Aedes aegypti</i> is an important mosquito vector of human disease with a wide distribution across the globe. Climatic conditions and ecological pressure drive differences in the biology of several populations of this mosquito species, including blood-feeding behaviour and vector competence. However, no study has compared activity and/or sleep among different populations/lineages of <i>Ae. aegypti</i>. Having recently established sleep-like states in three mosquito species with observable differences in timing and amount of sleep among species, we investigated differences in activity and sleep levels among 17 <i>Ae. aegypti</i> lines drawn from both its native range in Africa and its invasive range across the global tropics. Activity monitoring indicates that all the lines show consistent diurnal activity, but significant differences in activity level, sleep amount, number of sleep bouts and bout duration were observed among the lines. The variation in day activity was associated with differences in host preference and ancestry for the lineages collected in Africa. This study provides evidence that the diurnal sleep and activity profiles for <i>Ae. aegypti</i> are consistent, but there are significant population differences for <i>Ae. aegypti</i> sleep and activity levels and interactions with host species may significantly impact mosquito activity.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"38 4","pages":"482-494"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.12747","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142290781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Activity pattern of Tityus serrulatus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in an urban area in the state of São Paulo, Brazil","authors":"José Brites-Neto,&nbsp;Julian Nicholas Garcia Willmer,&nbsp;Ana Cláudia Delciellos","doi":"10.1111/mve.12762","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.12762","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Tityus serrulatus</i> Lutz &amp; Mello (Scorpiones: Buthidae) is a scorpion endemic to Brazil adapted to synanthropic life, colonising and proliferating in the most populous urban areas in the country. Here, we evaluated its activity pattern in an urban cemetery in the municipality of Americana, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Additionally, we tested the effects of species reproduction and climatic seasons on the activity pattern. The Saudade Municipal Cemetery was sampled between 17:00 and 22:00 h during 455 nights from April 2006 to December 2013. The circular mean and the peak of activity were quantified for the total number of specimens, and for specimens with and without broods. Activity patterns were inferred using a rosette diagram. Circular analysis of variance was used to investigate if activity patterns changed across climatic seasons (wet and dry seasons). A total of 25,969 records (467 specimens with broods) were obtained in the field. The circular mean varied between 19:44 and 19:48 h, and the peak of activity occurred between 18:00 and 20:00 h for all groups. Peaks of activity differed from that recorded under laboratory conditions (between 21:00 and 23:00 h). Activity patterns did not differ for specimens with broods, suggesting that the reproductive condition does not alter the species activity pattern. The activity pattern differed between wet and dry seasons for all specimens and specimens without broods, but differences were small and probably biologically irrelevant, probably because the species tolerates a wide variation in abiotic conditions. Deepening the knowledge of the behaviour activity of <i>T. serrulatus</i> can have practical applications for health surveillance agencies, aiming to increase the effectiveness of scorpion control in urban areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"39 1","pages":"115-121"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142260404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A severe head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) infestation: Timeline, pathogen detection, kdr-gene screening and morphological anomalies of lice\u0000 ТЯЖЕЛЫЙ СЛУЧАЙ ГОЛОВНОГО ПЕДИКУЛЕЗА (Pediculus humanus capitis): ИСТОРИЯ ЗАРАЖЕНИЯ, ДЕТЕКЦИЯ ПАТОГЕНОВ, СКРИННИГ KDR-ГЕНА, И МОРФОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ АНОМАЛИИ ВШЕЙ","authors":"Marina E. Eremeeva,&nbsp;Lance A. Durden,&nbsp;Jonathan Eisenstat,&nbsp;Brian C. Hargrove,&nbsp;Edward B. Mondor","doi":"10.1111/mve.12763","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.12763","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Lice are assuming an increasing importance in forensic investigations, given their capacity to provide information about an individual's care. Head louse pediculosis is a frequent condition in school-age children and can be properly controlled using topical treatments combined with good personal hygiene. Prolonged and chronic infestations may result in more serious outcomes including severe iron deficiency anaemia. We conducted entomological and laboratory investigations of a head louse infestation in a 12-year-old girl who experienced severe anaemia and subsequent death. Numerous lice were found postmortem on the head, face and neck of the patient, as well as on bedding and clothing. Analysis of nits on individual hairs determined that the louse infestation had been present for at least 166 days. The lice had some morphological traits characteristic of body lice: the third antennal segment in some specimens was distinctly longer than wide, and the apices of some paratergal plates did not extend into intersegmental membranes, while other morphological features were characteristic of head or body lice. All lice were heterozygous for the T917I <i>kdr</i> genotype, a marker of permethrin resistance. Nineteen (79.2%, 95%CI 59.5%–90.8%) louse DNA samples tested TaqMan positive for <i>Acinetobacter</i> (Moraxellales; Moraxellaceae) sp. Available information and laboratory findings are further discussed regarding their possible contribution to the negative outcome of this case. We stress the impact head louse pediculosis can have on children with limited parental attention, and how severe head louse infestation may serve as warning sign of neglect, and other high-risk situations.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"39 1","pages":"69-77"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142260403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the effects of three anthropogenic activities on the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae s.l. species composition and pyrethroid resistance mechanisms in Abidjan city, Côte d'Ivoire","authors":"Alain K. Y. Kacou,&nbsp;Constant Edi,&nbsp;Behi K. Fodjo,&nbsp;Firmain N. Yokoly,&nbsp;Julien B. Z. Zahouli,&nbsp;Ives J. K. Kouamé,&nbsp;David Malone,&nbsp;Benjamin G. Koudou","doi":"10.1111/mve.12759","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.12759","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Pyrethroid resistance and mechanisms for resistance for <i>Anopheles gambiae</i> sensus lato (s.l.) (Diptera: Culicidae) Giles, were assessed in three urban areas (vegetable farming, industrial and residential) of Abidjan. Susceptibility to pyrethroids (deltamethrin, permethrin and alphacypermethrin), with and without piperonyl butoxide (PBO) pre-exposure was evaluated. <i>Anopheles gambiae</i> complex members were identified using Short Interspersed Nuclear Elements PCR (SINE PCR), and resistance mechanisms (<i>kdr-west</i>, <i>kdr-east</i> and <i>ace-1</i>) and metabolic gene expression (<i>CYP6P5</i>, <i>CYP6M2</i>, <i>CYP6P3</i>, <i>CYP6P4</i>) were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). High resistance to deltamethrin, permethrin and alphacypermethrin was observed in Port-Bouet (vegetable farming) and Treichville (industrial site), whereas moderate resistance to deltamethrin and high resistance to alphacypermethrin and permethrin were found in Abobo (residential site). Pre-exposure to PBO with pyrethroid increased mortalities in all sites. In Treichville, pre-exposure to PBO restored susceptibility to deltamethrin, but not in Port-Bouet or Abobo. In Treichville, <i>An. gambiae</i> Giles sensu stricto (s.s.) was predominant (92.9%), whereas in Abobo and Port-Bouet, <i>An. coluzzii</i> Giles was predominant (73.6% and 66.4%, respectively). The highest <i>kdr-west</i> mutation frequency was in <i>An. gambiae</i> s.s. (42.8%) from Abobo, followed by <i>An. gambiae</i> s.s. (40%) from Port-Bouet and <i>An. gambiae</i> s.s. (35.6%) from Treichville. In <i>An. coluzzii</i>, the highest <i>kdr-west</i> mutation frequency was in Port-Bouet (48.2%), followed by Abobo (28.00%) and Treichville (21.4%). Mutation frequencies of <i>kdr-east</i> were lower in <i>An. gambiae</i> s.s. from Treichville (4.1%) and Port-Bouet (2.1%) and absent in <i>An. gambiae</i> from Abobo. In industrial and vegetable farming areas, <i>CYP6P3</i> and <i>CYP6M2</i> were overexpressed compared with Kisumu. The study suggests <i>An. gambiae</i> s.l. distribution and pyrethroid resistance are influenced by human activities. Treichville's industrial area favoured <i>An. gambiae</i> s.s., whereas Abobo's residential and Port-Bouet's vegetable farming areas were dominated by <i>An. coluzzii</i>. Resistance in Treichville and Port-Bouet was associated with <i>kdr</i> (<i>west</i> and <i>east</i>) genes and metabolic genes, whereas in residential areas, only <i>kdr-west</i> genes were observed. These data suggest that PBO + deltamethrin impregnated nets could aid malaria control, benefiting industrial areas of Côte d'Ivoire and other African cities.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"39 1","pages":"89-102"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142290780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A cross-sectional study on phlebotomine sand flies in relation to disease transmission in the Republic of Kosovo","authors":"Betim Xhekaj,&nbsp;Ina Hoxha,&nbsp;Katharina Platzgummer,&nbsp;Jovana Stefanovska,&nbsp;Vít Dvořák,&nbsp;Markus Milchram,&nbsp;Adelheid G. Obwaller,&nbsp;Wolfgang Poeppl,&nbsp;Nesade Muja-Bajraktari,&nbsp;Julia Walochnik,&nbsp;Attila J. Trájer,&nbsp;Kurtesh Sherifi,&nbsp;Aleksandar Cvetkovikj,&nbsp;Edwin Kniha","doi":"10.1111/mve.12758","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.12758","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) are blood-feeding insects that transmit the protozoan parasites <i>Leishmania</i> spp. and various arboviruses. The Balkan region, including the Republic of Kosovo, harbours a diverse sand fly fauna. Vector species of <i>Leishmania infantum</i> as well as phleboviruses are endemic; however, recent data are scarce. We performed a cross-sectional study to update the current sand fly distribution in Kosovo and assess biological as well as environmental factors associated with sand fly presence. CDC light trapping was conducted at 46 locations in 2022 and 2023, specifically targeting understudied regions in Kosovo. Individual morphological species identification was supported by molecular barcoding. The occurrence data of sand flies was used to create distribution maps and perform environmental analyses, taking elevation, wind speed and climate-related factors into account. In addition, PCR-based blood meal analysis and pathogen screening were conducted. Overall, 303 specimens of six sand fly species were trapped, predominated by <i>Phlebotomus neglectus</i> (97%). Barcodes from eight of nine known endemic sand fly species were obtained. Combining our data with previous surveys, we mapped the currently known sand fly distribution based on more than 4000 specimens at 177 data points, identifying <i>Ph. neglectus</i> and <i>Ph. perfiliewi</i> as the predominant species. Environmental analyses depicted two geographical groups of sand flies in Kosovo, with notable differences between the species. In total, 223 blood meals of five sand fly species were analysed. Of seven identified host species, the predominant blood meal source was observed to be cattle, but the DNA of dogs and humans, among others, was also detected. This study assessed biological as well as ecological factors of sand fly occurrence, which should help better understand and evaluate potential hot spots of disease transmission in Kosovo.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"38 4","pages":"573-585"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.12758","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142196090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of a rapid and reliable surveillance method for Ornithodoros turicata americanus in gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows in the southeastern United States","authors":"Nicholas Canino,&nbsp;Carson Torhorst,&nbsp;Sebastian Botero-Cañola,&nbsp;Lorenza Beati,&nbsp;Kathleen C. O'Hara,&nbsp;Angela James,&nbsp;Samantha M. Wisely","doi":"10.1111/mve.12764","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.12764","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The soft tick <i>Ornithodoros turicata</i> Duges (Acari: Argasidae) is a potential vector of African swine fever virus (ASFV). We evaluated the efficacy of two methods to collect soft ticks rapidly and efficiently from gopher tortoise (<i>Gopherus polyphemus</i>) burrows, which are ubiquitous throughout large regions of the southeastern United States and their burrows are a known microhabitat of <i>O. turicata</i>. Burrow vacuuming was an effective and efficient tick collection method; no tick was captured employing CO₂ trapping. Using an occupancy modelling framework, we estimated that the probability of detecting ticks from an infested burrow each time a sample was taken with this method was 58% and increased with the average relative humidity. With the occupancy model, we estimated that 70% of the burrows in the study area were infested with <i>O. turicata</i>. Manual sifting of the burrow material yielded more ticks (6.6 individuals/sample) than using a set of three sieves (2.9 individuals/sample), yet the probability of detecting the species was not different between the two methods (Pval = 0.7). These methods can inform the development of ASF vector surveillance and outbreak response plans in areas of high risk for ASFV introduction in the region.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"39 1","pages":"122-133"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.12764","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142196089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A review of historical trends in Anopheles gambiae Giles (Diptera: Culicidae) complex composition, collection trends and environmental effects from 2009 to 2021 in Mpumalanga province, South Africa","authors":"Kayla P. Noeth,&nbsp;Maria L. Kaiser,&nbsp;Thabo Mashatola,&nbsp;Yael L. Dahan-Moss,&nbsp;P. Avhatakali Matamba,&nbsp;Belinda Spillings,&nbsp;Riann Christian,&nbsp;Erika Erlank,&nbsp;B. Power Tshikae,&nbsp;Eunice Jamesboy,&nbsp;Silindile Sibambo,&nbsp;Busisiwe G. Nkosi,&nbsp;Brian T. Silawu,&nbsp;Lazarus J. Mkhabela,&nbsp;Fanuel S. Ndlovu,&nbsp;Thembekile P. Mgwenya,&nbsp;Maureen Coetzee,&nbsp;Basil D. Brooke,&nbsp;Lizette L. Koekemoer,&nbsp;Givemore Munhenga,&nbsp;Shüné V. Oliver","doi":"10.1111/mve.12761","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.12761","url":null,"abstract":"<p>South Africa is a frontline country for malaria elimination in the southern African region. It has three malaria-endemic provinces, each with its own transmission pattern. The elimination of malaria depends, in part, on controlling and/or eliminating vectors responsible for transmission. Sustained entomological surveillance is an important factor to consider when shifting from a control to elimination framework. The Ehlanzeni district in Mpumalanga province is a key entomological sentinel surveillance area. It is one of the malaria-endemic districts in South Africa with higher rates of malaria incidences. As such, entomological data about the <i>Anopheles gambiae</i> Giles (Diptera: Culicidae) complex have been collected in this province over a substantial period. These data are stored in a pre-existing institutional database. An analysis of the trends that can be observed from this database has not been performed before. This retrospective (longitudinal) analysis provides a summary of the <i>An. gambiae</i> complex vector composition in this region from 2009 to 2021. Routine surveillance data were correlated with climatic data (obtained from the NASA LaRC POWER project database) for the same period to assess the role of climatic factors in vector dynamics. This review also identifies a number of limitations in the data collection process across the sampling period and provides recommendations on how to strengthen the database going forward. The most abundant member of the <i>An. gambiae</i> complex since 2009 in the province was <i>An. merus</i> Dönitz followed by <i>An. arabiensis</i> Patton. Collection methods used showed that human landing catches were successful for collecting <i>An. arabiensis</i>, while pit traps were the most effective in collecting <i>An. merus</i> and <i>An. quadriannulatus</i> Theobald. The latter two species were mainly collected in spring, whereas <i>An. arabiensis</i> abundance was larger during autumn collections. Vector abundance was not significantly correlated with annual climatic data. The information gained from this database provides insights into the vector dynamics of the Ehlanzeni district of the Mpumalanga province.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"39 1","pages":"103-114"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.12761","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142140501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Winter activity of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) inside and outside stables in Germany","authors":"Sarah Groschupp,&nbsp;Helge Kampen,&nbsp;Doreen Werner","doi":"10.1111/mve.12756","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.12756","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Culicoides</i> biting midge species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) of the Obsoletus Group and the Pulicaris Complex are considered the major vectors of bluetongue and Schmallenberg viruses in Europe. Overwintering strategies of these arboviruses are controversially discussed, with the ongoing activity of vector species and a non-disrupted transmission cycle during winter being a plausible explanation. Although data on <i>Culicoides</i> winter activity are relatively scant, a seasonal vector-free period (SVFP), during which adult <i>Culicoides</i> are not or hardly active, is questionable. To determine winter activity and define SVFPs according to the EU Commission Regulation No 1266/2007, adult <i>Culicoides</i> were trapped weekly with UV-light traps from October to April 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 inside and outside stables on 16 farms throughout Germany. Temperature measurements were taken regularly at each trapping site since the temperature is a known driver of biting midge activity. In 960 indoor and outdoor catches, 32,377 <i>Culicoides</i> were trapped, with 90.9% of them belonging to the Obsoletus Group, 6.1% to the Pulicaris Complex and 3.0% to ‘other <i>Culicoides</i>’ according to morphological identification. The majority (61.3%) of <i>Culicoides</i> were trapped indoors, with substantial numbers of specimens collected from October to December, in March and in April, and only a few or no specimens in January and February. Obsoletus Group biting midges were active indoors for almost the entire winter. Outdoors, <i>Culicoides</i> numbers decreased from October to December, few or no specimens were caught from January to March, and high numbers were captured in April. Of the collected <i>Culicoides</i>, 2028 were blood-fed, of which 94.6% were trapped in the stables. The indoor SVFP, although calculated for blood-fed instead of parous females, lasted for almost 4 months (late November until mid-March) in winter 2019/2020 and 2 months (January and February) in winter 2020/2021. The outdoor SVFPs covered almost the entire study period in both winters, with slight differences between the onsets and the ends. The <i>Culicoides</i> activity significantly depended on temperature. Specimens of the Obsoletus Group were caught at an average temperature of 7.4°C (minimum 0.3°C) and of the Pulicaris Complex at an average temperature of 10.3°C (minimum 1.2°C). These temperatures were reached inside the stables over more extended periods than outside. The average indoor temperatures were 1.2 K higher than the average outdoor temperatures, although absolute temperature differences of up to 9.0 K were recorded. Based on <i>Culicoides</i> activity, the results of the present study indicate an almost continuous potential for virus transmission in winter within livestock houses.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"38 4","pages":"552-565"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.12756","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142073227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diversity of bartonellae in mites (Acari: Mesostigmata: Macronyssidae and Spinturnicidae) of boreal forest bats: Association of host specificity of mites and habitat selection of hosts with vector potential","authors":"Attila D. Sándor,&nbsp;Alexandra Corduneanu,&nbsp;Maria Orlova,&nbsp;Sándor Hornok,&nbsp;Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz,&nbsp;Angélique Foucault-Simonin,&nbsp;Joanna Kulisz,&nbsp;Zbigniew Zając,&nbsp;Mihai Borzan","doi":"10.1111/mve.12757","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mve.12757","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Research into various bacterial pathogens that can be transmitted between different animals and may have zoonotic potential has led to the discovery of different strains of <i>Bartonella</i> sp. in bats and their associated ectoparasites. Despite their enormous species diversity, only a few studies have focussed on the detection of bacterial pathogens in insectivorous bats of boreal forests and their associated Macronyssidae and Spinturnicidae mites. We collected and molecularly analysed mite samples from forest-dwelling bat species distributed all along the boreal belt of the Palearctic, from Central Europe to Far East. Ectoparasitic mites were pooled for DNA extraction and DNA amplification polymerase chain reaction (PCRs) were conducted to detect the presence of various bacterial (Anaplasmataceae, <i>Bartonella</i> sp., <i>Rickettsia</i> sp., <i>Mycoplasma</i> sp.) and protozoal (<i>Hepatozoon</i> sp.) pathogens. <i>Bartonella</i> sp. DNA was detected in four different mite species (Macronyssidae: <i>Steatonyssus periblepharus</i> and Spinturnicidae: <i>Spinturnix acuminata</i>, Sp. <i>myoti</i> and Sp. <i>mystacinus</i>), with different prevalences of the targeted gene (<i>glt</i>A, 16-23S ribosomal RNA intergenic spacer and <i>fts</i>Z). Larger pools (&gt;5 samples pooled) were more likely to harbour <i>Bartonella</i> sp. DNA, than smaller ones. In addition, cave-dwelling bat hosts and host generalist mite species are more associated with <i>Bartonella</i> spp. presence. Spinturnicidae mites may transmit several distinct <i>Bartonella</i> strains, which cluster phylogenetically close to <i>Bartonella</i> species known to cause diseases in humans and livestock. Mites with ubiquitous presence may facilitate the long-term maintenance (and even local recurrence) of <i>Bartonella</i>-infestations inside local bat populations, thus acting as continuous reservoirs for <i>Bartonella</i> spp in bats.</p>","PeriodicalId":18350,"journal":{"name":"Medical and Veterinary Entomology","volume":"38 4","pages":"518-529"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mve.12757","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142036289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}