208,155 research outputs found
Comparative study of kala-azar vector control measures in eastern Nepal.
No full textThis study was conducted to explore the most effective vector control tool among indoor residual spraying (IRS), long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and ecological vector management (EVM) as a part of the regional visceral leishmaniasis elimination initiative. Alpha-cypermethrin as IRS, PermaNet as LLINs and plastering the inner walls of houses with lime as EVM were the interventions. One baseline and three follow-up entomological surveys were carried out in all arms using CDC miniature light traps (LT) and mouth aspirators. Comparisons were made between intervention arms and control arms with pre-intervention and post-intervention vector densities. Light traps were found more efficient in the collection of Phlebotomus argentipes in comparison with aspiration. Vector densities were significantly low in both IRS arm (p=0.009 in LT and p<0.001 in aspirator collections) and LLIN arm (p=0.019 in LT and p=0.023 in aspirator collections) in comparison with control arm. However, in EVM arm, there was no significant difference in P. argentipes sand fly density in comparison with control arm (p=0.785) in LT collections in follow-up surveys. Hence, IRS was found most effective control measure to decrease vector density. LLINs were also found effective and can be considered as a promising alternative vector control tool in VL elimination initiative
Of cattle, sand flies and men : a systematic review of risk factor analyses for South Asian visceral leishmaniasis and implications for elimination
No full textBackground: Studies performed over the past decade have identified fairly consistent epidemiological patterns of risk
factors for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent.
Methods and Principal Findings: To inform the current regional VL elimination effort and identify key gaps in knowledge,
we performed a systematic review of the literature, with a special emphasis on data regarding the role of cattle because
primary risk factor studies have yielded apparently contradictory results. Because humans form the sole infection reservoir,
clustering of kala-azar cases is a prominent epidemiological feature, both at the household level and on a larger scale.
Subclinical infection also tends to show clustering around kala-azar cases. Within villages, areas become saturated over a
period of several years; kala-azar incidence then decreases while neighboring areas see increases. More recently, post kalaazar
dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) cases have followed kala-azar peaks. Mud walls, palpable dampness in houses, and peridomestic
vegetation may increase infection risk through enhanced density and prolonged survival of the sand fly vector.
Bed net use, sleeping on a cot and indoor residual spraying are generally associated with decreased risk. Poor micronutrient
status increases the risk of progression to kala-azar. The presence of cattle is associated with increased risk in some studies
and decreased risk in others, reflecting the complexity of the effect of bovines on sand fly abundance, aggregation, feeding
behavior and leishmanial infection rates. Poverty is an overarching theme, interacting with individual risk factors on multiple
levels.
Conclusions: Carefully designed demonstration projects, taking into account the complex web of interconnected risk
factors, are needed to provide direct proof of principle for elimination and to identify the most effective maintenance
activities to prevent a rapid resurgence when interventions are scaled back. More effective, short-course treatment
regimens for PKDL are urgently needed to enable the elimination initiative to succeed
Spatial analysis of Leishmania donovani exposure in humans and domestic animals in a recent kala azar focus in Nepal.
No full textVisceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a major public health problem in the Indian subcontinent where the Leishmania donovani transmission cycle is described as anthroponotic. However, the role of animals (in particular domestic animals) in the persistence and expansion of VL is still a matter of debate. We combined Direct Agglutination Test (DAT) results in humans and domestic animals with Geographic Information System technology (i.e. extraction maps and scan statistic) to evaluate the exposure to L. donovani on these 2 populations in a recent VL focus in Nepal. A Poisson regression model was used to assess the risk of infection in humans associated with, among other factors, the proportion of DAT-positive animals in the proximities of the household. The serological results showed that both humans and domestic animals were exposed to L. donovani. DAT-positive animals and humans were spatially clustered. The presence of serologically positive goats (IRR=9.71), past VL cases (IRR=2.62) and the proximity to a forest island dividing the study area (IRR=3.67) increased the risk of being DAT-positive in humans. Even if they are not a reservoir, domestic animals, and specially goats, may play a role in the distribution of L. donovani, in particular in this new VL focus
Arcantipsocidae Azar & Nel & Néraudeau 2009, n. fam.
No full textFamily ARCANTIPSOCIDAE n. fam. TYPE GENUS. — Arcantipsocus n. gen. by present designation. DIAGNOSIS. — Antenna with 12 filiform flagellomeres.Lacinia present. Legs with tarsi 3-segmented, distal segment of tarsi bearing claws with one preapical tooth. Forewing membrane setose, veins basally evanescent; pterostigma thickened and setose; M 2-branched; areola postica free; nodulus present. Hind wing with M bifurcate, without basi-radial cell. Paraproct with lobed process.Published as part of Azar, Dany, Nel, André & Néraudeau, Didier, 2009, A new Cretaceous psocodean family from the Charente-Maritime amber (France) (Insecta, Psocodea, Psocomorpha), pp. 117-127 in Geodiversitas 31 (1) on page 119, DOI: 10.5252/g2009n1a10, http://zenodo.org/record/468811
Natural infection of Phlebotomus argentipes with Leishmania and other trypanosomatids in a visceral leishmaniasis endemic region of Nepal.
No full textMonitoring Leishmania infection in sand flies is important for understanding the eco-epidemiology of kala-azar and assessing the impact of the recently launched kala-azar control programme in the Indian subcontinent. We applied a PCR technique that targets rRNA genes to estimate the natural incidence of Leishmania infection in sand flies sampled in six villages of the Terai region of Nepal. Amplifications were made on 135 pools of sand flies and confirmed by sequencing. Seven pools were found to be PCR positive: in five of them we identified the rDNA signature found in Leishmania spp., whereas two other pools revealed a sequence compatible with other trypanosomatids. Different methodologies were applied to evaluate the infection rate from pools of unequal size and estimated the infection rate to range from 0.468% to 0.578% for the Leishmania group and from 0.185% to 0.279% for the non-Leishmania group. Our results highlight the diversity of flagellate infections likely to be encountered in Phlebotomus argentipes populations. Our methodology allows clear discrimination of Leishmania from other trypanosomatids and should be applied on larger insect samples or in longitudinal studies
Eocenotrichia Garrouste, Azar & Nel, 2016, gen. nov.
No full textGenus Eocenotrichia gen. nov. Type species. Eocenotrichia magnifica sp. nov. Etymology. Named after Eocene and ‘trichia’, frequent termination of the generic names in the Scenopinidae. Gender feminine. Generic diagnosis. Body length 7.6 mm [female]; head higher than long, flagellum relatively elongate with notched apex for stylus; frons not protruding anteriorly; mouthparts well developed and shorter than head length; R 4 emerging in distal third of cell [r 5]; M 1 joining with R 5, cell [r 5] petiolate to wing margin; costal margin ending at R 5 +M 1; female acanthophorite spines well developed in a marginal row; sternite 8 slightly shorter than tergite 8, posteriorly rounded.Published as part of Garrouste, Romain, Azar, Dany & Nel, Andre, 2016, The oldest accurate record of Scenopinidae in the Lowermost Eocene amber of France (Diptera: Brachycera), pp. 444-450 in Zootaxa 4093 (3) on page 445, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4093.3.10, http://zenodo.org/record/25532
Empherium HAKIM & HUANG & AZAR 2021, gen. nov.
No full textGenus Empherium gen. nov. Type species. Empherium rasnitsyni sp. nov. Etymology. Named after a derivative form of the type genus Empheria. Gender: masculine. Diagnosis. Macropterous. Head with dorsal suture; ocelli present; antennae 25-segmented (23 flagellomeres), last segment being diminutive; sensillum present on middle of second palpomere. Forewing densely setose, setae arranged on either sides of veins and dispersed in some areas of membrane (e. g., pterostigma cell and anal region); branching of M 1 and M 2 basal to branching of R 2+3 and R 4+5, branches of M long; areola postica relatively short; nodulus absent. Hind wing with Sc free; basi-radial cell present; stems of R and M fused in a short segment before vein R 1 emerging from common stem R+M; veins Rs and M bifurcated; CuA simple. Tarsi three-segmented, basal tarsomere with two rows of four spines, pretarsal claw with pulvillus and without preapical tooth. Female subgenital plate tapering apically.Published as part of HAKIM, MARINA, HUANG, DI-YING & AZAR, DANY, 2021, New fossil psocids from Cretaceous Siberian ambers (Psocodea: Trogiomorpha: Atropetae), pp. 186-198 in Palaeoentomology 4 (2) on page 189, DOI: 10.11646/palaeoentomology.4.2.8, http://zenodo.org/record/550779
Lebanosmylus leae Azar & Nel 2022, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Lebanosmylus leae</i> sp. nov. <p>(Figs 1, 2) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 2006186C-A70E-44CD-984A- 8D86E7EC7518</p> <p> <b>Material.</b> Holotype (part and counterpart of an incomplete wing), Hussein Ibrahim collection, will be deposited in the Natural History Museum of the Lebanese University, Faculty of Sciences II, Fanar, Lebanon.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> Named after Lea Ibrahim, daughter of Hussein Ibrahim, discoverer of the material.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> As for the genus.</p> <p> <b>Type locality and horizon.</b> Mid-Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous, in marine lithographic limestone of the famous Hjoula fossil fishes outcrop (Maksoud & Azar, 2021; Azar <i>et al</i>., 2019).</p> <p> <b>Description.</b> An incomplete wing, with base, fragments of mid-part, and apex missing, preserved part 40.2 mm long, wing very broad, 20.0 mm wide, with a broad cubital area (possibly a hind wing); wing dark brown, with three transverse hyaline zones (somewhat similar to those in the hind wing of <i>Bellinympha filicifolia</i>; see Wang <i>et al</i>., 2010), and no dark spots; costal area 1.7 mm wide, rather narrow (hind wing?), with numerous simple and short veinlets; ScP and R straight, ScP ending into RA at <i>ca</i>. 13.2 mm of wing apex; RA(+ScP) with numerous elongate anterior veinlets, some forked; no presectorial crossveins visible; area between RP and RA quite broad, broadest medially and distally narrowed near point of fusion of ScP with RA, with faint traces of at least two rows of irregular cells; base of RP virtually close to wing base; first posterior branch of RP (MA <i>sensu</i> Liu <i>et al</i>., 2013) with a long stem and numerous distal branches, covering a very broad area; base of second branch of RP close to that of first branch, second branch straight and simple; eight more distal posterior branches of RP covering a broad area; pattern of crossveins between them poorly visible but no anterior Banksian fold; anteriormost branch of M (MP1 <i>sensu</i> Liu <i>et al</i>., 2013) simple and curved; posterior-most branch of M (MP2 <i>sensu</i> Liu <i>et al</i>., 2013) separated from CuA (no oblique vein ‘O’), with three or four posterior branches; CuA covering a very broad area with numerous elongate posterior branches (at least six or seven preserved); CuP and anal veins not preserved; posterior margin of wing sigmoidally curved.</p>Published as part of <i>Azar, Dany & Nel, André, 2022, The youngest and first Lebanese representative of the family Saucrosmylidae (Insecta, Neuroptera) from the Cenomanian, pp. 155-160 in Palaeoentomology 5 (2)</i> on page 156, DOI: 10.11646/palaeoentomology.5.2.8, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/6530481">http://zenodo.org/record/6530481</a>
Leptotarsus reyi Azar & Nel 2023, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Leptotarsus reyi</i> sp. nov. <p>Fig. 1</p> <p> <b>Material.</b> Holotype F-INS-63124/5 (a complete forewing with pattern of coloration preserved), stored in the Natural History Museum of the Lebanese University, Faculty of Sciences II, Fanar, Lebanon.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> After Dr Kevin Rey, who found the specimen during the field work in Jdeidet Bkassine in October 2023.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> Wing characters only. A darkened zone around Sc and R/R1 up to pterostigma; area between C and Sc hyaline; a short-curved stem of Rs, as long as R2+3+4; discal cell as long as wide; R2 very short, R5 distinctly curved; M3+4 making an opened angle with part of M3 posteriorly closing the discal cell.</p> <p> <b>Locality and horizon.</b> Jdeidet Bkassine, Caza (District) Jezzine, Mouhafazet (Governorate) South Lebanon (for map and outcrop illustrations see Azar <i>et al</i>., 2019: 193, fig. 1; and Maksoud <i>et al</i>., 2022: 712, fig. 11A and 716, fig. 15B); Lower Barremian.</p> <p> <b>Description.</b> Wing 13.15 mm long, 3.1 mm wide, hyaline, except for a double dark line along radial and subcostal veins and an elliptic pterostigmal spot, 1 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, situated 9.7 mm from wing base; area between vein Sc and C hyaline; vein Sc appressed to R/R1, ending into R1 at base of pterostigma, almost at level of first bifurcation of Rs, and re-emerging as a very short crossvein between R1 and C; base of Rs at 8.2 mm from wing base; stem of Rs making a very open angle with R1 and a strong curve, short, as long as stem of R2+3+4; R2 very short, inclined upwards, shorter than R3, and ending into R1; R3 0.9 mm long, obliquely directed towards C; R4 longer than R3, 2.1 mm long; R5 making an opened angle at point of contact with crossvein r-m, then 4 mm long, curved and ending at wing apex; r-m 0.3 mm long; discal cell dm very short, pentagonal, longer than wide, 1 mm long, 0.5 mm wide; M1+2 0.45 mm long distal of cell dm, M1 2.1 mm long, M2 1.6 mm long, M3 1.9 mm long, M4 1.4 mm long; m-cu quite long, 1.3 mm long, not in contact with cell dm; cell bm 6.55 mm long, 1.15 mm wide; vein CuA not making a pronounced angle at base of m-cu; CuA and CuP parallel; anal lobe rather broad.</p> <p> <b>Remarks.</b> The other late Jurassic and early Cretaceous tipulid genus <i>Tipunia</i> Krzemiński & Ansorge, 1995 strongly differs from the new fossil in the elongate stem of Rs (Krzemiński &Ansorge, 1995; Ribeiro & Lukashevich, 2014).</p>Published as part of <i>Azar, Dany & Nel, André, 2023, The first Early Cretaceous representative of the fly family Tipulidae from the lower Barremian dysodiles of Lebanon (Diptera), pp. 58-63 in Zootaxa 5396 (1)</i> on pages 59-60, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5396.1.11, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10441173">http://zenodo.org/record/10441173</a>
Lebanosmylus Azar & Nel 2022, gen. nov.
No full text<i>Lebanosmylus</i> gen. nov. <p>urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DBD4C7A9-CF8B-4BB6- A1A1-4B750767BC1F</p> <p> <b>Type species.</b> <i>Lebanosmylus leae</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>; by present designation.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> Named after Lebanon and the genus name <i>Osmylus</i>, frequently employed for the saucrosmylid genera. Gender masculine.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> Wing venation characters only. Wing with three transverse hyaline zones, and no dark spots; main stem of RP conspicuously curved distally; area between RA and RP without zigzagged secondary longitudinal vein parallel to RP; first branch of RP covering a very broad area; anterior branch of M simple; plus the character ‘costal area with numerous simple and short crossveins, but possibly only a character of a hind wing.</p>Published as part of <i>Azar, Dany & Nel, André, 2022, The youngest and first Lebanese representative of the family Saucrosmylidae (Insecta, Neuroptera) from the Cenomanian, pp. 155-160 in Palaeoentomology 5 (2)</i> on page 156, DOI: 10.11646/palaeoentomology.5.2.8, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/6530481">http://zenodo.org/record/6530481</a>
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