Acta tropica最新文献

{"title":"Application of the Sm1-7-qPCR system for identifying S. mansoni DNA in experimentally infected mice.","authors":"Eduardo Henrique Matos Pires, Natália Adriely Ribeiro da Silva Costa, Walter Lins Barbosa Júnior, Elainne Christine de Souza Gomes","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107513","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107513","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Schistosomiasis presents a significant public health challenge, especially in regions with inadequate sanitation. Current diagnostic methods, including the Kato-Katz technique, often lack sensitivity in detecting low parasite loads, prompting the search for more precise alternatives. This study introduces the Sm1-7-qPCR system as a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for identifying S. mansoni infections. The 15 female Swiss Webster mice were infected with S. mansoni cercariae, and the data were compared with those of the nested PCR assay and Kato-Katz technique. The analytical sensitivity of the Sm1-7-qPCR system was tested using genomic DNA extracted from S. mansoni worms, which demonstrated excellent detection capability. For the analytical specificity, different parasites did not show amplification. The Sm1-7-qPCR system detected S. mansoni genomic DNA in 86.7 % of the stool samples from infected mice, surpassing the Kato-Katz method. The system showed high sensitivity and specificity, accurately quantifying parasite load in infected samples, showing promise in identifying patients with low parasite loads, and contributing to disease control efforts. In conclusion, the Sm1-7-qPCR system exhibited outstanding performance as a diagnostic tool for S. mansoni, surpassing traditional methods for detecting and quantifying parasite load. Further validation studies in low endemicity areas are recommended to enhance its integration into control and management strategies for S. mansoni infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":" ","pages":"107513"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142926295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A review of acaricides and their resistance mechanisms in hard ticks and control alternatives with synergistic agents.","authors":"Jose Felix Rojas-Cabeza, Elena N Moreno-Cordova, Jesus Fernando Ayala-Zavala, Adrian Ochoa-Teran, Daniel E Sonenshine, Jesus G Valenzuela, Rogerio R Sotelo-Mundo","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107519","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107519","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ticks are significant ectoparasites that transmit a variety of pathogens, leading to serious human and animal diseases, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, and many others. The emergence of acaricide resistance in hard ticks presents a formidable challenge for public health and livestock management, exacerbated by the increasing incidence of tick-borne diseases and associated economic losses, estimated at $20 billion annually in the livestock sector alone. This review examines the mechanisms underlying acaricide resistance, focusing on genetic mutations, metabolic detoxification processes, and behavioral adaptations in tick populations. We detail the role of commercial acaricides in tick control while emphasizing the adverse effects of their overuse, which contributes to the development of resistant strains. Innovative control strategies are explored, including using pesticide synergists that enhance the efficacy of existing acaricides by targeting the tick's phosphagen system. Additionally, this review highlights the importance of understanding the synergistic interactions between various control methods, including non-chemical approaches such as personal protection measures and landscape management. The review concludes by underscoring the urgent need for novel acaricides with new modes of action and implementing regular monitoring practices to combat acaricide resistance effectively. Addressing these challenges is vital for the sustainable management of tick populations and protecting public health and livestock productivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":" ","pages":"107519"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142919058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing radiation-induced enzyme activation in Aedes aegypti: Potential challenges for SIT-based vector management.","authors":"Edvane Borges da Silva, Sloana Giesta Lemos Florêncio, Ademir Amaral, Maria Alice Varjal de Melo-Santos","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107518","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107518","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study characterizes the Aedes aegypti population from Fernando de Noronha Island, Pernambuco, Brazil, prior to implementing the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). The main objective was to assess changes in glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzyme activity, previously linked to cypermethrin resistance in this population, in 2010. GST activity was measured in both male and female mosquitoes, masse produced in lab, after exposure to ionizing radiation. The populational evaluation after six years showed a complete susceptibility to cypermethrin, deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin, although GST activity remained altered, increasing furthermore following irradiation (50 % higher in irradiated males and 31 % higher in irradiated females compared to non-irradiated controls). This stress response to gamma radiation suggesting implications for the effectiveness and viability of sterile males, particularly when SIT is combined with chemical insecticides. These findings enhance our understanding of radiation's impact on metabolic responses of the sterile males and provide valuable insights for refining integrated control strategies in vector management programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":" ","pages":"107518"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142913487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Odor masking to decrease the attraction of Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae, Triatominae), a Chagas disease vector, towards a host.","authors":"Andrea Martínez Beningaza, I M Desiree Di Benedetto, Lucía Babino, Pablo G Guerenstein","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107520","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107520","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chagas disease, vectored by kissing bugs, poses a public health problem across the Americas. The best way for reducing disease transmission is through vector control, which is currently based on the use of insecticides. However, insecticide resistance, and environmental and health issues, stress the need for new, environmentally-friendly methods for reducing vector-host contacts. Kissing bugs use the odor blend emitted by hosts to locate them. The proportions of the constituents of that blend are important to determine the attraction evoked by it. We aimed at assessing whether artificial alterations of those proportions could render an attractive host, unattractive for the kissing bug Triatoma infestans. Thus, the behavior of the bugs after adding a source of nonanal, a component of vertebrate odor detected by the bugs, to an attractive mouse was studied. For this, nymphs were tested using a dual-choice trap-olfactometer and different doses of nonanal. Addition of nonanal resulted in a dose- dependent reduction in the attraction of the bugs towards the mouse although it did not prevent the bugs from leaving their release zone nor it affected their (reduced) host preference near the host. Nonanal per se did not evoke any behavior at the doses tested. We suggest that the increase in the proportion of nonanal resulted in masking of the mouse odor. This approach could help reach a \"push\" effect within an effective push- pull strategy for kissing bugs. That strategy would help diminish the vector-host contacts and, therefore, Chagas disease incidence, in an environmentally-friendly manner. It remains to be established whether this strategy proves effective in the field when adequate odor dispensers and socially acceptable odors are used.</p>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":" ","pages":"107520"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142913489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fauna of simuliids (Diptera: Simuliidae) of the Tormes River hydrographic basin in central-western Spain and their responses to abiotic factors in their habitats.","authors":"David López-Peña, Manuel Salvador Portillo-Rubio, Eduardo Moisés García-Roger, Álvaro Lis-Cantín, José Vicente Falcó-Garí","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107516","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107516","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Delving into knowing the blackfly (Diptera: Simuliidae) species composition of Spain and their ecological requirements is crucial, due to their instrumental role in natural food webs as intermediaries in the flow of energy in aquatic ecosystems, and because of the haematophagic behaviour displayed by females of several species. The present study has analysed the abundance and distribution of the larvae and pupae of blackfly species in 105 sampling stations located in lotic water bodies of the provinces of Ávila, Salamanca, and Zamora of the Tormes River basin. The study has allowed to identify 24 species: 17 from Ávila, 13 from Salamanca, and seven from Zamora, classified in three genera (Metacnephia, Prosimulium, and Simulium), and five subgenera (Boophthora, Eusimulium, Nevermannia, Simulium, Wilhelmia). The results include four first records for Ávila province: Simulium (Nevermannia) armoricanumDoby & David, 1961, Simulium (Nevermannia) cryophilum (Rubtsov, 1959), Simulium (Nevermannia) naturale Davies, 1966, and Simulium (Simulium) variegatumMeigen, 1818. Among them, S. armoricanum shows the widest elevational range (900-1650 m a.s.l.), S. naturale shows the widest water temperature range (6-15 °C), and S. cryophilum stands out for inhabiting very fast waters. Blackfly communities were best discriminated by elevation and temperature. Our analyses allowed us to estimate the optima and tolerance ranges of the described species, with S. argygreatum, S. reptans, P. latimucro and P. tomosvaryi standing out for their preference for altitudes above 1000 m a.s.l., although with wide tolerance ranges. In terms of temperature, these two Prosimulium species were best represented at the coldest waters.</p>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":" ","pages":"107516"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142906258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wolbachia-Based Mosquito Control: Environmental Perspectives on Population Suppression and Replacement Strategies.","authors":"Joydeb Bhattacharyya, Daniel L Roelke","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107517","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107517","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mosquito-borne diseases pose a significant threat to global health, and traditional mosquito control methods often fall short of effectiveness. A promising alternative is the biological control strategy of transinfecting mosquitoes with Wolbachia, a bacterium capable of outcompeting harmful pathogens and reducing the ability of mosquitoes to transmit diseases. However, Wolbachia infections are sensitive to abiotic environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, which can affect their densities in mosquitoes and, consequently, their ability to block pathogens. This review evaluates the effectiveness of different Wolbachia strains transinfected into mosquitoes in reducing mosquito-borne diseases. It explores how Wolbachia contributes to mosquito population control and pathogen interference, highlighting the importance of mathematical models in understanding Wolbachia transmission dynamics. Additionally, the review addresses the potential impact on arboviral transmission and the challenges posed by environmental fluctuations in mosquito control programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":" ","pages":"107517"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142908879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Epidemiological characteristics and genetic diversity of Bartonella species from rodents in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Southwestern China.","authors":"Xin-Yan Yao, Chao-Xiang Jia, An-Qi Li, Ting Qin, Dai Peng, Ying-Qian Han, Shuang Guo, Kai Zhong, Guo-Yu Yang, Yue-Ying Wang, He-Ping Li","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107515","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bartonella spp. are gram-negative bacteria recognized as zoonotic pathogens of wide spectrum mammals. Rodents are recognized as a natural reservoir of pathogens, and many Bartonella species transmitted by various blood-sucking arthropods have been detected in various rodents populations. In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, humans have a habit of preying on rodents, however, data on the genetic diversity of Bartonella are still absent. Investigating the epidemiological characteristics of Bartonella infection in rodents is of great significance for the prevention and control of human Bartonellosis. In this study, rodents were captured to monitor the prevalence of Bartonella in four cities in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Southwestern China. Six species of Bartonella, including three confirmed zoonotic species, were detected based on the rrs gene with an overall prevalence of 11.5 % (32/278) in rodents. Bartonella tribocorum (21/32, 65.6 %) was the predominant species among the three zoonotic Bartonella species. In addition, phylogenetic and genetic analyses of the rrs, gltA, and rpoB genes indicated that the strains were divided into distinct clade within the same rodent, suggesting the co-circulating of diverse genetic genotypes of Bartonella species. These results provide insights into the prevalence and genetic diversity of Bartonella species circulating in rodents in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and also urged the surveillance of rodent-associated Bartonella species in these areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":" ","pages":"107515"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142891339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Validation and evaluation of the performance of QIAstat-Dx gastrointestinal panel in pooled stool samples.","authors":"Xinbin Chen, Huina Huang, Ying Su, Xiaojian Zhou, Menghua Liao, Yanhua Li, Zidong Cheng, Muzi Jin, Jie Tian, Haibo Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107514","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107514","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the current study, the analytical sensitivity, analytical specificity, reproducibility, anti-interferences ability, and clinical performance of the QIAstat-Dx Gastrointestinal Panel (GIP) system were evaluated using pooled stool samples. Results showed that the pooled sample test detected the selected ten targets exclusively, with no cross reaction with any other targets of common enteropathogens. The analytical sensitivity of the pooled sample test on QIAstat-Dx GIP system was 10² CFU/ml for Shigella spp., 10³ CFU/ml for Salmonella spp., Y. enterocolitica, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Enteropathogenic E. coli, 10⁴ CFU/ml for V. cholerae, 10² copies/ml for Norovirus, 10³ copies/ml for Rotavirus, Astrovirus, Sapovirus, respectively. The Coefficients of variation (CV) during the detection of V. cholerae, Salmonella spp., Y. enterocolitica, Enterotoxigenic E. coli, Enteropathogenic E. coli, Shigella spp., Rotavirus, Norovirus, Astrovirus, and Sapovirus detection was 2.3 %, 2.7 %, 3.9 %, 4.2 %, 1.7 %, 2.6 %, 6.7 %, 1.4 %, 1.3 % and 2.7 %, respectively, indicating the high reproducibility of the pooled sample test, except for Rotavirus. When potentially interfering agents were added, the shifted Ct value was less than the cut off value, suggesting the good anti-interferences ability. During clinical evaluation, the pooled sample test was 97.8 % concordant with gold standard methods (bacterial culture for bacteria and qPCR for viruses). Our results suggest that QIAstat-Dx GIP system could be used for pooled sample test for enteropathogens screening, which would be more economical and could improve throughput while provide comparable test performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":" ","pages":"107514"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142891343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In search of pathogenic Leptospira species in Myotis and other vesper bats, Russia.","authors":"Alex Lintu Viskontene, Ekaterina V Radyuk, Oleg A Shapkin, Evgeniy A Khizhkin, Victoria P Bulanenko, Yana A Voytsekhovskaya, Sergey G Medvedev, Lyudmila S Karan","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107506","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107506","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Various bat species worldwide have been identified as Leptospira carriers, especially in tropical regions. In this study, we investigated the infection of Vespertilionidae bats by pathogenic Leptospira in north-west Russia. Out of 264 bats from 13 species, the urine of 24 specimens tested positive according to a polymerase chain reaction test. The infected species were exclusively Myotis bats: M. brandtii (1/56; 1.8%); M. dasycneme (9/40; 22.5%); and M. daubentonii (14/47; 29.8%). The detected Leptospira strains were similar to L. kirschneri and L. borgpetersenii.</p>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":" ","pages":"107506"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142891340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling the lagged and nonlinear effects of weather conditions on abundance of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes in Saskatchewan, Western Canada using a bi-dimensional distributed lag nonlinear model.","authors":"Zemichael Gizaw, Cuauhtémoc Tonatiuh Vidrio-Sahagún, Alain Pietroniro, Corinne J Schuster-Wallace","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107512","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107512","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The establishment of West Nile Virus (WNV) competent vectors continues to pose a major public health challenge in Canada, especially in the south. While studies have examined the association between weather conditions and the abundance of mosquitoes over trap weeks, there is limited research on the effects of weather conditions on the abundance of Culex tarsalis (Cx. tarsalis) mosquitoes for a lapse of time beyond the trap week in Saskatchewan, Western Canada. To address this gap, we analyzed provincially available weekly mosquito trap and co-incident meteorological station data in Saskatchewan from 2010 to 2021 using a bi-dimensional distributed lag and nonlinear model. Data indicate that 171,141 Cx. tarsalis mosquitoes were trapped across much of Saskatchewan, from 2010 to 2021. Cx. tarsalis were found to be most abundant between weeks 26 and 35 (July and August) and peaked in weeks 30 and 31. Based on the WNV-positive pools, mosquito infection rates increased from week 23 to 36. While weekly average maximum air temperatures between 20 °Cand 30 °C were associated with more Cx. tarsalis across all lags (0 - 8 weeks), higher weekly average minimum air temperatures had a strong and immediate effect that diminished over longer lags. Higher weekly average rainfall amounts (> 20 mm) were associated with fewer Cx. tarsalis mosquitoes across all lags, while average weekly rainfall between 8 and 20 mm was strongly associated with a high abundance of Cx. tarsalis mosquitoes over longer lags (5 -7 weeks). Additionally, increasing wind speed was associated with lower abundance of Cx. tarsalis across all lags. Findings identified nonlinear lag associations for weekly average maximum air temperature and rainfall, but linear associations for weekly average minimum air temperature and wind speed. Identified lags and thresholds for temperature, rainfall, and wind speed at which mosquito abundance peaked could help to inform public health authorities in timing of vector control measures to prevent WNV transmission.</p>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":" ","pages":"107512"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142891342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}