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At least 1,117 records · Page 62Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Mathematical model to assess the control of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes by the sterile insect technique.

We propose a mathematical model to assess the effects of irradiated (or transgenic) male insects introduction in a previously infested region. The release of sterile male insects aims to displace gradually the natural (wild) insect from the habitat. We discuss the suitability of this release technique when applied to peri-domestically adapted Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which are transmissors of Yellow Fever and Dengue disease.

Aedes↗
PubMed1998

Synthesis, biological activity, and conformational studies of insect allatostatin neuropeptide analogues incorporating turn-promoting moieties.

Allatostatins are 6-18 amino acid peptides synthezed by insects to control production of juvenile hormones, which in turn regulate functions including metamorphosis and egg production. Four insect allatostatin neuropeptide analogues incorporating turn-promoting pseudopeptide moieties in the region responsible for biological activity were prepared by solid phase peptide synthetic methods. Bioassay indicated that activities approached those of the natural neuropeptides, and molecular models based on NMR data showed similar conformations and the presence of a beta-turn in the active core region for the four analogues. Differences in activity are believed to be due to differences in bulk and relative position of atoms in the unnatural portion of the analogues, and their differing degrees of conformational freedom. The studies support the feasibility of development of neuropeptide-based insect control agents resistant to peptidase deactivation.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Approaches to vector control: new and trusted. 5. The epidemiological context of vector control.

This paper discusses 2 prominent, contemporary issues in the epidemiological context of insect vector control: (i) the magnitude of the control problem, and (ii) non-linear processes influencing vector control. It concludes that we still cannot reliably measure the scale of some important control problems; e.g., there is considerable uncertainty about the basic reproduction number of malaria. The emergence of new concepts such as strain-specific immunity, and a growing emphasis on disease control as distinct from infection control, mean that some quantitative problems are being redefined more quickly than they are being solved. Population biologists have urged exploration of density-dependent processes which may help or hinder new methods of vector control. This brief review of non-linear phenomena such as facilitation and limitation finds little evidence that they will significantly influence, e.g., the introduction of some novel refractory mechanism into a vector population.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

The future of microbial insecticides as vector control agents.

Insect vectors of human diseases are subject to diseases of their own caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoans, and nematodes. Over the past 30 years, many members of these groups have been evaluated as vector control agents, particularly for mosquito control. Most pathogens and nematodes occur primarily in larvae, and are only effective against this stage. The principal candidate control agents studied include iridescent and nuclear polyhedrosis viruses, the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus sphaericus, the fungi Lagenidium giganteum, Culicinomyces clavosporus, and species of the genus Coelomomyces, the protozoan Nosema algerae, and the mermithid nematode Romanomermis culicivorax. Of these, the only one considered an operational success is the bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (B.t.i.), which has proven useful for control of both mosquito and blackfly larvae in programs where larviciding has been traditionally employed as a vector control tactic. The reasons for the success of B.t.i. are its cost-effectiveness and relative ease of use, which are due, respectively, to the ability of B.t.i. to be grown on artificial media and the development of formulations that can be applied using conventional insecticide application technology. Because few microbial insecticides are cost-effective, and those that are are only effective against larvae, these agents will likely play only a minor, but in some cases important, role in most future vector control programs.

Animals↗
PubMed1963

Diseases of insects of medical importance in Europe.

The biological control of insects carrying human diseases was first attempted many years ago, but the results were disappointing owing to the insufficiency of information on the ecology and pathology of such insects at the time. In recent years, however, increased knowledge of insect pathology and ecology and the development of insecticide-resistance have led to a revival of interest in this method of vector control. Most of the recent published work on this subject relates to findings in North America; comparatively little information has hitherto been available in respect of Europe. This paper, which is based on a survey of the literature and on the author's own experience, presents the results of research on diseases of insects of medical importance in Europe. Infection with viruses, rickettsiae, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes are discussed and suggested lines for future European research on biological control are put forward.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

A mathematical model for assessing control strategies against West Nile virus.

Since its incursion into North America in 1999, West Nile virus (WNV) has spread rapidly across the continent resulting in numerous human infections and deaths. Owing to the absence of an effective diagnostic test and therapeutic treatment against WNV, public health officials have focussed on the use of preventive measures in an attempt to halt the spread of WNV in humans. The aim of this paper is to use mathematical modelling and analysis to assess two main anti-WNV preventive strategies, namely: mosquito reduction strategies and personal protection. We propose a single-season ordinary differential equation model for the transmission dynamics of WNV in a mosquito-bird-human community, with birds as reservoir hosts and culicine mosquitoes as vectors. The model exhibits two equilibria; namely the disease-free equilibrium and a unique endemic equilibrium. Stability analysis of the model shows that the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable if a certain threshold quantity (R0), which depends solely on parameters associated with the mosquito-bird cycle, is less than unity. The public health implication of this is that WNV can be eradicated from the mosquito-bird cycle (and, consequently, from the human population) if the adopted mosquito reduction strategy (or strategies) can make R0<1. On the other hand, it is shown, using a novel and robust technique that is based on the theory of monotone dynamical systems coupled with a regular perturbation argument and a Liapunov function, that if R0>1, then the unique endemic equilibrium is globally stable for small WNV-induced avian mortality. Thus, in this case, WNV persists in the mosquito-bird population.

Algorithms↗