Sand Fly Fever: What Have We Learned in One Hundred Years?

Sand fly fever has severely impacted military missions in southern Europe and the Middle East for hundreds of years. After a brief respite following the malaria eradication programs of World War II, it has returned as a significant disease among residents in and travelers to the Mediterranean rim. It is a more severe disease now, with potential vectors in the United States. Sand fly fever is discussed in terms of its viruses, vectors, disease, control, and potential domestic impact

A Rapid and Inexpensive Bioassay to Evaluate the Decontamination of Organophosphates

An inexpensive and rapid bioassay using adult red flour beetles was developed for use in assessing the decontamination of environments containing organophosphates and related chemicals. A decontamination protocol was developed which demonstrated that 2 to 3 applications of 5% bleach solution were required to obtain nearly complete decontamination of malathion. The bioassay was also used to screen common household cleaners as potential decontaminating agents, but only 5% bleach was effective at improving survival of insects on steel plates treated with 25% malathion. A toxic degradation product (malaoxon) was detected using gas chromatography/ mass spectrophotometry; this toxin affected the decontamination efficacy and resulted in continued toxicity to the beetles until subsequent decontaminations. The bioassay provides evidence to support the use of red flour beetles as a sensitive, less expensive method for determining safety levels of environments contaminated with malathion and other toxins, and may have application in the study of chemical warfare agents

Survey for a Vector of Zika Virus and Two Other Mosquito Species in Four Ecoregions of Missouri: An <em>A Posteriori</em> Analysis

In 2015, Zika emerged as a vector-borne disease in the Americas, causing a variety of health issues ranging from Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults to microcephaly in newborns. Following the documentation of mosquito-borne transmission of the disease in the southern United States, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services contracted with researchers at Missouri State University to complete a survey of possible mosquito vectors of the Zika in the state. The primary vector of the disease, Aedes aegypti, had been reported from Missouri in previous surveys from several decades ago, but a comprehensive survey of the state mosquitoes and never been completed. Researchers focused on mosquitoes that spend the immature stages in artificial containers because this is descriptive of the most important Zika vectors. The large survey over three years provided an opportunity for post hoc analysis of mosquito occurrence data across a variety of ecoregions inside the state, documenting changes in the vector populations as a result of invasive species. The survey also allowed an analysis of different trapping techniques for important species in the state. The results are reported in this chapter along with a discussion of the potential impact on human health of changes to the mosquito population

Leishmaniasis - Trends in Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Treatment

Of all the parasitic diseases, leishmaniasis is one of the most diverse, with a variety of manifestations, from relatively minor cutaneous lesions to deadly visceral infections. It is also widespread, causing human disease in the Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa. The environments in which this disease occurs range from desert to tropical jungle to urban habitats. Not surprisingly, the literature on this disease is written in a variety of languages including Portuguese, Arabic, English and French among others. This book provides a synopsis in English of much of the recent research on leishmaniasis, with a focus on the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of the disease as described by researchers around the world, but with a focus on the research from Brazil and the Middle East

A Narrative Review of the Role of Economic Crisis on Health and Healthcare Infrastructure in Three Disparate National Environments

The collapse of a country&rsquo;s economy can have significant impacts on the health and healthcare infrastructure of the country. This paper compares the collapse of three national economies from widely separated regions: Venezuela, Zimbabwe, and the countries of the former Soviet Union. Despite significant differences in the environments and cultures of these countries, there are some common variables and outcomes shared by most of the countries including effects on healthcare workforce, disproportionate effects on marginalized populations, and resurgence of certain infectious diseases

First report of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Kansas and Missouri, and a PCR method to distinguish Lutzomyia shannoni from Lutzomyia vexator

Citation: Weng, Ju-Lin, Samantha L. Young, David M. Gordon, David Claborn, Christine Petersen, and Marcelo Ramalho-Ortigao. 2012. “First Report of Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Kansas and Missouri, and a PCR Method to Distinguish Lutzomyia Shannoni From Lutzomyia Vexator.” Journal of Medical Entomology 49 (6): 1460–65. https://doi.org/10.1603/ME12105.Sand flies Lutzomyia (Psathyromyia) shannoni (Dyar) and Lu. (Helcocyrtomyia) vexator (Coquillet) were collected for the first time in southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas, expanding the known range of these species in North America. Altogether, 680 sand flies (356 males and 324 females) were collected during trapping from May through October 2011 and identified using morphological characters. Of the total sand flies collected, 315 were identified as Lu. shannoni, with 181 individuals (or 26.6% of all sand flies) trapped in Missouri and 134 individuals (or 19.7%) trapped in Kansas. Whereas 358 Lu. vexator were identified from southwest Missouri, only a single specimen was trapped in southeast Kansas. One male Lu. vexator with asymmetric gonostyli was trapped in Missouri. We also developed a polymerase chain reaction protocol to consistently and accurately distinguish Lu. shannoni from Lu. vexator based on presence or absence of a 416 bp fragment from the cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 gene