Vector abundance and species composition of Anopheles mosquitoin Central Region and Central West Highlands, Viet Nam

Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Viet Nam. In 2008, World Health Organization reported an estimated value of 243 million cases with a mortality of about 863 thousand in the world. Malaria transmission in the Central Region and Central West Highlands of Viet Nam is known to be holoendemic and perennial. High humidity (80%) and a high mean temperature of 25°C in this area favour the bionomics of the principal malaria vectors. Vector control is a major component of the Global Malaria Control Strategy and still remains the most generally effective measure to prevent malaria transmission. Successful application of vector control measures requires the understanding of the bionomics of Anopheles species responsible for malaria transmission, including correct and precise identification of the target species and its distribution.This study was conducted to provide information on the vector abundance and species composition of Anopheles mosquito at Quang Binh, Binh Đinh, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Gia Lai, Dak Lak ofCentral Region and Central West Highlands of Viet Nam. A total of 18 Anopheles species were collected in these provinces, therein, the 2main vectors are An. minimus and An. dirus, and the 3 secondary vectors are An. aconitus, An. jeyporiensis, An. maculatus. An. dirus and An. minimus species are present in most of the studied communes in 6 provinces, An. aconitus, An. jeyporiensis and An. maculatusare present in Binh Dinh, Ninh Thuan and Gia Lai provinces, whileAn. jeyporiensisdoes not seem to be found in the other provinces

Natural and recombinant equine chorionic gonadotropins past and future in animal reproductive technology

Equine Chorionic Gonadotropin (eCG) previously named Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG) has been widely used since the 40s in animal reproduction control. It is extracted from the blood of pregnant mares between days 40 and 120 of gestation. Animal welfare organizations have voiced concerns against mares bleeding conditions. There is currently no effective substitute for the natural PMSG. In this review, we summarize the basic knowledge of the structure and biology of eCG, and the research on recombinant eCG production in the past five years