Study finds ethical justification to eradicate certain harmful species

Using screwworms, mosquitoes and invasive rodents as case studies, a team of researchers, including a Texas A&M professor, argues that deliberate full extinction is acceptable, but only rarely.

GitHub - Nmoiroux/ExpBites: ExpBites is an R package to compute mosquito biting exposure according to human and mosquito behaviour

ExpBites is an R package to compute mosquito biting exposure according to human and mosquito behaviour - Nmoiroux/ExpBites

Clé d'identification des Anopheles femelles (Diptera : Culicidae) d'Afrique sub-saharienne

Il s'agit d'une traduction en français de la clé d'identification publiée dans l'article 'Key to the Females of Afrotropical Anopheles Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)' par Maureen Coetzee, en anglais, dans Malaria Journal 19, no. 1 (2020). La clé originale en anglais est une mise à jour de la clé présentée dans Gillies et Coetzee (1987), elle inclut des espèces nouvellement décrites ou observées (notamment Anopheles stephensi) et exclut les sous-espèces. Cette traduction corrige une erreur (figure du couplet 5, section X) présente dans les versions précédentes en anglais. This is a translation from English to French of the identification key published in the article ‘Key to the Females of Afrotropical Anopheles Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)' by Maureen Coetzee in Malaria Journal 19, no. 1 (13 February 2020): 70.

The Anopheles coluzzii range extends into Kenya: detection, insecticide resistance profiles and population genetic structure in relation to conspecific populations in West and Central Africa - Malaria Journal

Background Anopheles coluzzii is a primary vector of malaria found in West and Central Africa, but its presence has hitherto never been documented in Kenya. A thorough understanding of vector bionomics is important as it enables the implementation of targeted and effective vector control interventions. Malaria vector surveillance efforts in the country have tended to focus on historically known primary vectors. The current study sought to determine the taxonomic status of samples collected from five different malaria epidemiological zones in Kenya as well as describe the population genetic structure and insecticide resistance profiles in relation to other An. coluzzii populations. Methods Mosquitoes were sampled as larvae from Busia, Kwale, Turkana, Kirinyaga and Kiambu counties, representing the range of malaria endemicities in Kenya, in 2019 and 2021 and emergent adults analysed using Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) data processed in accordance with the Anopheles gambiae 1000 Genomes Project phase 3. Where available, historical samples from the same sites were included for WGS. Comparisons were made with An. coluzzii cohorts from West and Central Africa. Results This study reports the detection of An. coluzzii for the first time in Kenya. The species was detected in Turkana County across all three time points from which samples were analyzed and its presence confirmed through taxonomic analysis. Additionally, there was a lack of strong population genetic differentiation between An. coluzzii from Kenya and those from the more northerly regions of West and Central Africa, suggesting they represent a connected extension to the known species range. Mutations associated with target-site resistance to DDT and pyrethroids and metabolic resistance to DDT were found at high frequencies up to 64%. The profile and frequencies of the variants observed were similar to An. coluzzii from West and Central Africa but the ace-1 mutation linked to organophosphate and carbamate resistance present in An. coluzzii from coastal West Africa was absent in Kenya. Conclusions These findings emphasize the need for the incorporation of genomics in comprehensive and routine vector surveillance to inform on the range of malaria vector species, and their insecticide resistance status to inform the choice of effective vector control approaches.

BioMalPar XX: biology and pathology of the malaria parasite

BioMalPar XX: biology and pathology of the malaria parasite

An. coluzzii // Male mosquito swarm / essaim de moustiques mâles (terrain / field)