Comparative efficacy of natural aquatic predators for biological control of mosquito larvae: A neglected tool for vector control.

Mosquitoes are a dominant fraction of dipteran fauna, occupying a variety of niches. The most common method deployed for their control is the use of insecticides. Throughout their life cycle they are exposed to a wide range of predators in different habitats, thus biological control of mosquitoes by using aquatic predators has been suggested.

Molecular detection of dengue and chikungunya viruses in surveillance of wild-caught Aedes mosquitoes in Punjab, North India.

Background: Dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) viruses are transmitted mainly by Aedes mosquitoes and are responsible for a significant global healthcare burden. The current study aimed to detect arboviruses in the Aedes mosquitoes in close proximity of patients during the transmission season.

Methods: Both immature and adult mosquitoes were collected from in and around the patients' houses.

Malaria vector sibling species distribution in different endemic districts of Punjab, India.

Background & Objectives: Malaria transmission in Punjab, India is mainly seasonal with variation in its endemicity that may be due to varying vector behaviour in different areas of the state, primarily attributed to the existence of sibling species complexes among the vector species. So far there is no report regarding the existence of malaria vectors sibling species in the state of Punjab, therefore, the present study was planned to investigate the status of sibling species of two main vectors of malaria viz. Anopheles culcifacies and Anopheles fluviatilis in different districts of Punjab.

Vector and rodent surveillance for in north India.

Background & Objectives: Scrub typhus or chigger borne typhus, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi is an emerging vector-borne disease as large numbers of cases have been reported in various tropical countries. It is transmitted to humans through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites). The knowledge about the vector, its distribution, density and habitat are important so as to understand the epidemiology of scrub typhus in a given area.

Surveillance-based estimation of the malaria disease burden in a low endemic state of Punjab, India, targeted for malaria elimination.

Background: The state of Punjab in India qualifies for malaria elimination because the number of cases reported through routine surveillance is in decline. However, surveillance system prevalence mainly provides malaria trends. Therefore, a prospective epidemiological study was designed to estimate the malaria burden in the state.

Prevalence of dengue vectors, larval breeding habitats, Stegomyia indices and their correlation with dengue cases in urban and rural areas of Punjab, India.

Background & Objectives: The state of Punjab, India is highly endemic for dengue fever as high number of confirmed dengue cases have been reported since 2013. A better understanding of vectors distribution and their seasonal variation is necessary to control the disease. Therefore, the present study was conducted in both rural and urban areas of 11 out of 22 districts of Punjab to highlight seasonal prevalence of Aedes vector mosquitoes.

Utilizing larvicidal and pupicidal efficacy of and neem oil against mosquito: An approach for mosquito control.

Background And Objectives: Plant-based products can provide safe and biodegradable mosquito control agents. The essential oils have a strong odor due to complex secondary metabolites and exhibit lower density than that of water, which renders them suitable to form a thin layer above the water surface. The present study was designed to evaluate the larvicidal, pupicidal activity of and neem oils against and .

Prevalence of submicroscopic malaria in low transmission state of Punjab: A potential threat to malaria elimination.

Background & Objectives: Submicroscopic malaria infections with low parasite density serve as a silent reservoir for maintaining residual transmission in the population. These infections should be identified and targeted to be eliminated for sustained malaria control. The conventional methods of diagnosis such as light microscopy and rapid diagnostic kits often fail to detect low density infections.

Rapid identification of medically important mosquitoes by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Background: Accurate and rapid identification of dipteran vectors is integral for entomological surveys and is a vital component of control programs for mosquito-borne diseases. Conventionally, morphological features are used for mosquito identification, which suffer from biological and geographical variations and lack of standardization. We used matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for protein profiling of mosquito species from North India with the aim of creating a MALDI-TOF MS database and evaluating it.