Journal of medical entomology最新文献

{"title":"The open-ended genus Dexosarcophaga (Diptera: Sarcophagidae): six new species from the Brazilian Amazon and new distributional records.","authors":"Fernando da Silva Carvalho-Filho, Matheus Tavares de Souza, Maria Cristina Esposito, Caroline Costa de-Souza","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjag093","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjag093","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Six new species of Dexosarcophaga Townsend, 1917 are described based on specimens from the Brazilian Amazon: Dexosarcophaga akamai sp. nov., Dexosarcophaga ducke sp. nov., Dexosarcophaga ribeirinha sp. nov., Dexosarcophaga harin sp. nov., Dexosarcophaga mamiraua sp. nov., and Dexosarcophaga gorayebi sp. nov. Male morphology is presented by detailed illustrations of the male terminalia and photographs. Dexosarcophaga pallida Santos, Pape, & Mello-Patiu, 2022 and Dexosarcophaga wyatti Mello-Patiu & Pape, 2000 are newly recorded from Brazil; Dexosarcophaga angrensis Lopes, 1975, Dexosarcophaga petra Santos, Pape, & Mello-Patiu, 2022, and Dexosarcophaga rudicompages (Hall, 1933) are newly recorded from the Brazilian Amazon; and Dexosarcophaga globulosa Lopes, 1946 is newly recorded from the state of Acre.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":"63 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148521764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The influence of larval temperature and nutrients on dog heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis (Spirurida: Onchocercidae)) transmission in Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) and Aedes triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae).","authors":"Kaylin Lewandowski, Skylar R Hopkins, Michael Reiskind","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjag129","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjag129","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The filarial nematode, Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy) (Spirurida: Onchocercidae), is an obligate mosquito-borne pathogen transmitted by at least 26 species of mosquitoes in the United States. Due to its size and migration through mosquito tissues during its first 3 larval stages (L1-L3), it can damage the mosquito to the point of death, thereby hindering transmission to its vertebrate host (eg canids and other carnivores). Mosquito species vary in competency for D. immitis, where some species facilitate the development of more viable, infectious L3 worms (host tolerance), while others produce few to no worms (host resistance). Here, we investigated how resistance and tolerance may be impacted by larval rearing conditions (ie temperature and nutrition), specifically quantifying D. immitis burden and development in 2 mosquito species (Aedes triseriatus (Say) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse)). Post-emergence, we offered either a D. immitis positive or negative blood meal to adult female mosquitoes and tracked their development for 15 days before quantifying worm burdens. For both mosquito species, growth rates increased and adult size decreased under conditions with warmer temperatures and lower nutrition. Larval conditions did not have consistent effects on the burden or development of D. immitis, but a higher proportion of Ae. triseriatus developed L3 worms than Ae. albopictus. Poor survival to the end of the incubation period and low numbers of blood-fed mosquitoes for each treatment combination may have hindered our ability to detect significant effects of larval environment on worm transmission, highlighting important considerations for future studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":"63 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13433370/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148671632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An unusual case: repeated nocturnal biting of a bedridden human by a nymph of Tettigonia viridissima (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae).","authors":"Patrick Klüber, Niklas Hetz","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjag124","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjag124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cases of adventitious biting on humans by non-hematophagous insects are rarely reported but hold significant medical relevance. This case report documents the first instance of repeated nocturnal biting in a bedridden, tetraparetic 59-year-old patient by a fifth-instar nymph of the great green bush-cricket, Tettigonia viridissima L. (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae). The patient sustained four superficial skin lesions on the left ear and forehead, accompanied by distinct blood smears. A live T. viridissima nymph was captured at the end of a dark red blood streak nearby. Biting activity was likely an opportunistic response to insect dehydration and resource scarcity, further facilitated by the patient's profuse sweating and inability to repel the insect. Additionally, a concise literature review is provided to systematically classify such unusual opportunistic feeding behaviors in non-hematophagous taxa.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":"63 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148551748","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental forensic entomology: using carrion arthropods as information sentinels in ecological and forensic contexts.","authors":"Charity G Owings, Chong Chin Heo, Christine J Picard, Samantha J Sawyer, Michael A Monzón, Krystal R Hans","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjag111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjag111","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The use of arthropods in a medicolegal framework is well-known and widely adopted in forensic death investigations. Typically, the life cycle and community composition of carrion arthropods can be used to establish a timeframe of events occurring after the death of an individual. However, because of their unique life strategies (eg the precise detection, location, and exploitation of ephemeral resources) and high dispersal abilities as adults, carrion arthropods can reveal much more information than meets the eye. In recent years, carrion arthropods have revealed important biological and chemical information regarding the substrates that they routinely visit in a natural environment: animal carcasses, feces, microbes, parasites, and even hazardous chemicals. These insects can act as environmental drones, passively acquiring vast amounts of biological and chemical information that can easily be extracted by investigators, given they know what to look for and what methodologies are available for such analyses. This forum piece presents the different ways that carrion arthropods, particularly blow flies, have been used as proxies to assess the health of the local environment and how these methodologies can be leveraged in a forensic context. Further, we propose environmental forensic entomology as an emerging framework and extension of forensic entomology, which currently includes stored products entomology, urban entomology, and medicolegal entomology. Finally, we outline recommendations for future research in this area and propose guidelines for the use of such data in a legal setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":"63 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148427783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative assessment of different traps performance for capturing the New World screwworm fly.","authors":"Pablo Parodi, Anderson Saravia, Larissa Thans Carneiro, Soledad Nuñez-de-Moraes, Pablo Fresia, Rodrigo Krüger, Alejo Menchaca","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjag120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjag120","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The New World screwworm fly, Cochliomyia hominivorax, represents a major threat to livestock production in several regions of the Americas. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three trap types for C. hominivorax surveillance. The study was conducted in Uruguay (32° S), in area with a known natural presence of C. hominivorax. NZI, NZI-M (a modified version designed to optimize capture efficiency), and vertical sticky traps (VST) were used, all baited with baited with Swormlure-4 (SL-4). A Latin square design was applied, testing each trap at four sampling sites (forest edge, near watercourses, pastureland, and near livestock corrals), rotating twice through each site over three consecutive days. This design was repeated across the four seasons of the year. Sampling points were separated by more than 1,200 m to ensure independence of captures. A total of 96 blowflies (Calliphoridae) were collected, of which 15 were identified as C. hominivorax (15.6%). Seven, five, and three screwworm flies were captured using NZI, NZI-M, and VST traps, respectively. C. hominivorax was captured during autumn (11/15) and summer (4/15), with no differences among sampling sites. The NZI and NZI-M traps baited with SL-4 showed potential as effective tools for C. hominivorax surveillance in comparison of VST trap, allowing the recovery of well-preserved specimens suitable for taxonomic and molecular identification.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":"63 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148450957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environment-based strategy for monitoring early colonization of Lutzomyia longipalpis at the city scale.","authors":"María Gabriela Quintana, Verónica Andreo, Regino Cavia, María Soledad Santini, Sofia Lorián Moya, Luis Gregorio Estrada Méndez, Oscar Daniel Salomón","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjag112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjag112","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The urban expansion of Lutzomyia longipalpis, the principal vector of Leishmania infantum in the Americas, has created new epidemiological scenarios for visceral leishmaniasis, thereby increasing the need for early detection of vector colonization in cities. Most predictive approaches have focused on temporal dynamics driven by climate, whereas tools to prioritize surveillance sites within urban areas are still limited. Here, we developed and evaluated an environment-based strategy to identify critical intra-urban areas for early detection of Lu. longipalpis. We conducted a scoping review to identify environmental, social, and biotic variables most frequently associated with vector occurrence or abundance, prioritizing those suitable for operational use. Based on these findings, we constructed a consensus model using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as a proxy for environmental suitability. The model was parameterized with Lu. longipalpis abundance data from ten cities in northern Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, using spatio-temporal NDVI averages within 100-m buffers to classify urban areas into low-, intermediate-, and high-suitability categories. Model performance was evaluated using historical and independent field datasets. The model consistently identified urban areas associated with intermediate and high trap success, yielding high positive predictive values for these abundance classes, although performance was limited for predicting low abundance or absence. Our results indicate that NDVI-based suitability maps provide a simple, transferable framework to guide targeted Lu. longipalpis surveillance at the city scale. This approach supports cost-effective monitoring strategies and can contribute to earlier implementation of prevention and control actions for visceral leishmaniasis.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":"63 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148451016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Host contributions to Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) infection prevalence in Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) nymphs.","authors":"Carli Peterson, Erika Gallo, Michael S Allen, Christopher M Kribs","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjag125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjag125","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) and transmitted by the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidae), in the eastern United States, is the most common vector-borne disease in North America. Human disease risk depends on interactions among ticks and sylvatic hosts, and greater host biodiversity has been hypothesized to reduce risk through the dilution effect. However, the influence of biodiversity varies with community composition, species abundance, and habitat change. We conducted a literature review to compile biological parameter estimates for 15 common host species. These parameters were used in a mathematical model incorporating tick-to-host ratio-dependent host-finding success, allowing for incomplete redistribution of ticks, to assess transmission dynamics in the northeastern United States, where human Lyme disease incidence is high. We evaluated how species richness, evenness, and habitat changes affect nymphal infection prevalence (NIP) and density of infected nymphs (DIN). Our results indicate that many small mammal species play context-dependent roles, acting as dilution hosts in communities of highly competent hosts and as amplification hosts in lower-competence communities. Varying host density revealed \"tipping points,\" where small abundance changes led to communities producing more infected than uninfected ticks. Habitat fragmentation simulations showed that biodiversity can decrease NIP but often increases DIN. Together, these findings provide insight into B. burgdorferi transmission cycles and emphasize the need to consider NIP and DIN jointly when assessing how biodiversity alters transmission dynamics.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":"63 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148687430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mitogenomic diversity and phylogenetic characterization of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) populations from the Black Sea region of Türkiye.","authors":"Samba Deguene Diop, Alparslan Yildirim, Batuhan Askim Arslanhan, Ahsen Meliha Toroslu, Gokmen Zafer Pekmezci, Simge Sahin, Denis Alina Kizgin, Saffet Teber, Osman Ibis, Filiz Gunay, Nathan Burkett-Cadena, Lindsay P Campbell, Abdullah Inci, Barry Alto","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjag109","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjag109","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894), the Asian tiger mosquito, is one of the most invasive mosquito species worldwide and an important vector of several arboviruses of public health concern. Although its distribution in Türkiye has expanded rapidly since its first detection, the mitogenomic diversity and phylogeographic relationships of Turkish populations remain poorly understood. Here, we provide the first mitogenome-based characterization of Ae. albopictus populations from the Black Sea region of Türkiye within a global comparative framework. Complete mitochondrial genomes were generated from 20 specimens collected along the Turkish Black Sea coast and analyzed together with 75 reference mitogenomes retrieved from GenBank. The Turkish mitogenomes ranged from 15.8 to 17.1 kb and exhibited the typical Ae. albopictus mitochondrial organization, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs, and a control region. Gene order and orientation were conserved across all Turkish samples, and most size variation was confined to the control region. The mitogenomes were strongly AT-rich, and codon usage showed a marked bias toward A/U-ending codons. Phylogenetic analyses using concatenated sequences of all 13 protein-coding genes and both ribosomal RNA genes showed that Turkish samples were not monophyletic; rather, they were distributed among multiple subclades within the broad A1a complex. The results indicate high mitogenomic diversity and a mosaic phylogeographic structure, consistent with multiple maternal lineages contributing to Ae. albopictus populations in Türkiye's Black Sea region. The phylogenetic signature supports a scenario of multiple introductions of Ae. albopictus rather than spread from a single founding population.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":"63 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13332435/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148388477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Canadian Arctic mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) through time: a review of historical records and challenges.","authors":"Carol-Anne Villeneuve, Daniel Peach, Laura Ferguson, Louwtjie Pieter Snyman","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjag106","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjag106","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding the occurrence of arthropods in the Arctic relies heavily on distributional and taxonomic evidence, yet substantial gaps and inconsistencies in available data complicate interpretation. These limitations impact our understanding of ecologically-and medically-important groups such as the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), whose Arctic diversity and biogeography remain poorly resolved. Many species were originally described from limited material, often using morphological traits that differ from those observed in more thoroughly studied southern populations. Sparse and uneven sampling across the Arctic limits our ability to accurately assess species distributions, and missing or incomplete metadata further diminishes the scientific value of existing specimens. Collectively, these issues obscure patterns of biodiversity, hinder detection of climate‑driven range shifts, and constrain efforts to evaluate the vector potential of species capable of transmitting arboviruses. As concerns grow regarding the northward expansion of mosquito‑borne pathogens, the absence of reliable baseline data poses a major challenge for assessing current and future risks to human and animal health in Arctic ecosystems. This review synthesizes historical records of Canadian Arctic mosquitoes from early natural history expeditions beginning around 1820 to the present. We evaluate the taxonomic reliability, geographic accuracy, and research relevance of these records to determine which can serve as credible baselines for contemporary biodiversity assessments. By clarifying the strengths and limitations of the historical dataset, this review aims to support improved species distribution modeling, inform future surveillance efforts, and guide research priorities in a rapidly changing Arctic.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":"63 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13378449/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Visual cues attract adult Tunga penetrans (Siphonaptera: Tungidae).","authors":"Ayako Hyuga, Paul Ouma, Lynne Elson, Kazuchiyo Miyamichi, Satoshi Kaneko, Kensuke Goto, Tullu Bukhari, Jürgen Krücken, Ulrike Fillinger","doi":"10.1093/jme/tjag127","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jme/tjag127","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tunga penetrans (Linnaeus, 1758) (Siphonaptera: Tungidae) is an ectoparasitic flea whose adult females cause tungiasis by embedding into the host's skin. Environmental, social and financial challenges in tungiasis endemic areas have left this disease neglected and lacking locally available control measures. One possible approach for controlling T. penetrans targets its off-host stages; however, surveillance tools for adult fleas are still lacking. Moreover, host-seeking cues and behaviour of adult T. penetrans remain largely unknown. In this study, we show that visual cues are attractive to adult T. penetrans. Newly emerged T. penetrans responded to light stimuli across a broad spectrum, ranging from 375 nm to 690 nm. Within this range, significantly stronger attraction was observed at 430 nm over 375 nm, at 490 nm over 610 nm, and at 610 nm over 690 nm. Attraction did not differ significantly between 430 nm and 490 nm or between 535 nm and 490 nm. Overall, wavelengths between 430-535 nm induced stronger attraction in both sexes under constant electrical current conditions. In contrast, although host odor and body temperature attracted more than half of the tested adult fleas on average, the observed responses were not statistically significant. These findings suggest that visual cues in this spectral range could serve as promising attractants for capturing adult fleas. Incorporating these insights into trap strategies could support improved monitoring, surveillance, and potentially contribute to control efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":94091,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical entomology","volume":"63 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13425998/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148650146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}