disease vectors

As alternatives to insecticides, Omar Akbari uses sophisticated genetic engineering methods to solve the world’s mosquito problems.

The Georgetown University biologist studies how climate change contributes to the emergence of new zoonotic threats.

Pregnant mosquito females deploy the microbe Elizabethkingia to speed larval growth; the larvae, in turn, help the bacteria outcompete other strains.

Scientists linked hamsters in a Hong Kong pet shop to 50 cases of the Delta variant in what appears to be the second documented occurrence of animals infecting people with SARS-CoV-2.

Cases of dengue were greatly reduced in areas of a city where Wolbachia-infected mosquitos were released, according to preliminary data from a field study.

Understanding how domestic pigs can be infected with the deadly virus could be key to protecting them from it.

Carbon dioxide pumped into a bright chamber mimics a breathing host for the pest to target.

Warmer weather is thought to be behind the rise in vector-borne illnesses in recent years.

Lab experiments and metagenomic analyses of flies’ resident bacteria indicate that the insects carry microbes from place to place on their legs.

Infected with Wolbachia, the insects are expected to reduce the spread of dengue and Zika. But scientists say the approach may have limitations.

More locally acquired cases in Florida; fetal brain damage investigated

Researchers have identified the male-determining gene in the malaria mosquito, whose expression in females is lethal.

Officials’ increased emphasis on mosquito control could benefit public health efforts beyond the ongoing Zika outbreak. 

A marketing effort aims to trap Zika-transmitting mosquitoes by mimicking human scents.

Health officials expect the virus to spread to nearly all countries in the Americas and expand warnings for pregnant women.

In the absence of a blood meal, some malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in East Africa feed on an invasive weed, scientists find.

Release of a transgenic version of Aedes aegypti, a species that can carry dengue virus, decimated a local population of non-mutated mosquitoes, according to a study.

A study suggests that transmission of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus from camels to humans is poor.

The World Health Organization reports four locally acquired cases of the virus in the country.