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Content with tag insect vectors .

Fountains and sewers affect the presence of mosquitoes in urban areas

A study from CSIC links water accumulation in the urban sewage system and ornamental fountains to a higher number of mosquitoes in cities.
Results allow understand how these infrastructures affect the population of these insects, which are key to the transmission of several diseases.

Molecular xenomonitoring and host identification of Leishmania sand fly vectors in a Mediterranean periurban wildlife park

The epidemiological cycle of zoonotic phlebotomine?borne Leishmania infantum is a complex system in which domestic animals and wildlife interact and participate in its maintenance and transmission. In this study, entomological surveillance, xenomonitoring of L. infantum and identification of host feeding sources of engorged females were combined to investigate the potential contribution of a periurban wildlife park to leishmaniosis in neighbouring residential areas.

Parasite’s cost on insect vectors

Avian Plasmodium and malaria-like parasites of the genus Haemoproteus are widespread vector-borne parasites commonly found infecting birds. These parasites impose deleterious effects on their vertebrate hosts compromising their survival. While the interaction between these parasites and their vertebrate hosts has received much attention, the study of those factors determining the consequences of parasite infections in the insect vectors has been traditionally neglected.

Geographic isolation, key to the absence of parasites of avian malaria in Cory’s shearwater

The apparent scarcity or absence of blood parasites in some avian groups, such as seabirds, has been related to intrinsic and extrinsic factors including host immunological capacity, host-parasite assemblage, and ecological parameters, but also to reduced sensitivity of some methods to detect low parasite prevalence/intensities of infection. Here, the haemosporidian parasite prevalence was examined in a breeding population of a long-distance migrant seabird, nesting in the Macaronesian...