Pests and Parasites News

August 18, 2016

Common Cold Viruses Originated in Camels

Special Power in Wheat Discovered

Virus Attracts Bees to Infected Plants With Scent

Stressed-Out Birds More Attractive to Mosquitoes

Latest Headlines

updated 8:20pm EDT

Insecticide Treatment of Cattle to Kill Sand Flies and Combat Leishmaniasis

Aug. 18, 2016 — With an estimated 500,000 human infections and 50,000 deaths annually, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the second most prevalent parasitic killer, behind malaria. Leishmania parasites are transmitted ... read more

Sulfoxaflor Found to Be Less Harmful to Insect Predators Than Broad-Spectrum Insecticides

Aug. 17, 2016 — The selective insecticide sulfoxaflor is just as effective at controlling soybean aphids (Aphis glycines) as broad-spectrum insecticides, without ... read more

Flowering Meadows Benefit Humankind

Aug. 17, 2016 — The more it swarms, crawls, flies the better it is, say scientists. A diverse ecosystem populated by many species from all levels provides higher ecosystem services. Even ... read more

Cultivating Soybeans to Combat the Kudzu Bug

Aug. 17, 2016 — A few strains of wild soy are able to fight the kudzu bug by limiting the ability of its nymphs, or young, to survive. The next step is to identify which gene gives the ... read more

Connection Between Ebola Survival and Co-Infection With Malaria Parasites Explored in New Study

Aug. 16, 2016 — People infected with Ebola virus were 20 percent more likely to survive if they were co-infected with malaria-causing ... read more

Sequencing of Fungal Disease Genomes May Help Prevent Banana Armageddon

Aug. 11, 2016 — Researchers have discovered how a group of three closely related fungal pathogens have evolved into a lethal threat to the world's bananas, whilst scientists have unraveled the DNA of the fungus that ... read more

Historically Robust Natural Ecosystems Could Collapse Due to Climate Change, Human Activity

Aug. 11, 2016 — Global change will strike the oldest and most complex ecosystems of the world hardest, regardless of their past stability, warn experts in a new ... read more

Breakthrough in Combating Malaria With Odor-Baited Trap for Mosquitoes

Aug. 10, 2016 — The use of a newly-developed mosquito trap incorporating human odor has resulted in a 70 percent decline in the population of the most significant malaria mosquito on the ... read more

The Six Steps to Extinction

Aug. 9, 2016 — Invasive plants are a problem around the world, but are they just a nuisance or are they killers? So far there are no documented cases of native plants becoming extinct ... read more

Cardinals May Be Shielding Atlanta Residents from West Nile Virus, Study Finds

Aug. 9, 2016 — A bird species that does a poor job spreading West Nile virus but is particularly likely to get mosquito bites may explain why human infections with ... read more

Ducks on Pest Patrol at South African Vineyards

One New Discovery Could Treat 3 Neglected Diseases

World's Largest 'mosquito Factory' Battles Diseases

A Reindeer Might Have Caused Siberia's Sudden Anthrax Outbreak

The Battle Against Aedes Aegypti, the Mosquito That Spreads Zika

Aug. 17, 2016 — The UC Mosquito Research Laboratory in Parlier is the epicenter of California research on the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a tiny, black and white mosquito that can spread the Zika ... read more

A Very Hungry Caterpillar: Researchers Sequence Genome of 'Gluttonous' Tobacco Hornworm

Aug. 15, 2016 — The genome of the tobacco hornworm -- an important model of insect biology -- has now been sequenced by a team of researchers. The sequenced genome can lead to improved molecular biology, physiology ... read more

Bug Collecting: Mapping North American Groups of Plant-Feeding Insects

Aug. 12, 2016 — Amateur and professional entomologists are experts at their own version of Pokémon Go. After all, part of their job is to search for and collect rare insect species that are stored in the archives ... read more

A Single Compound Could Treat Chagas Disease, Leishmaniasis and Sleeping Sickness

Aug. 8, 2016 — Scientists have identified a compound that can kill the parasites responsible for three neglected diseases: Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and sleeping ... read more

Green and Sweet: How Plant Sugars Influence Malaria Transmission

Aug. 5, 2016 — Female mosquitoes are well known blood-feeders, but they also consume sugar sources such as nectar, fruits and tree sap. A study suggests that the plant-based part of their diet affects malaria ... read more

Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Have an Achilles Heel from Plants

Aug. 4, 2016 — To survive, the parasites responsible for malaria and toxoplasmosis depend on mechanisms inherited from the plant world, a new study has found. The discovery is a major advance for the development of ... read more

New Research Points to Novel Approach to Tackling Ascaris Roundworm

Aug. 4, 2016 — Scientists have shed new light on Ascaris infection, which affects 1 billion people worldwide. Targeting specific liver proteins may offer new preventative options against an infection that kills ... read more

Sunflowers Move by the Clock

Aug. 4, 2016 — Plant biologists have discovered how sunflowers use their internal circadian clock, acting on growth hormones, to follow the sun during the day as they grow. Following the sun allows the plants to ... read more

Genomics Study Points to Origins of Pollen Allergens

Aug. 4, 2016 — A new study has provided the first broad picture of the evolution and possible functions in the plant of pollen ... read more

Lab-Reared Maggots May Save Darwin's Famous Finches

Aug. 4, 2016 — Researchers reveal how they used chicken blood to rear larvae of the fly Philornis downsi, an invasive species that parasitizes birds in the Galapagos Islands. The new method may be the first to ... read more

Insect Tibias Are Best Suited for Jumping and Other Emergency Behaviors

Aug. 3, 2016 — Insect tibias are best suited to withstand the high stress of emergency behaviors rather than the fatigue stress of normal behaviors, according a new ... read more

Protein Critical to Toxoplasmosis Regulation: CD4 T-Cell and Blimp-1

Aug. 1, 2016 — Researchers are finding a way to regulate chronic toxoplasmosis, one of the most common parasitic diseases worldwide. This research also has important implications for ... read more

New Strategies Against Mosquitoes and Other Pests

Aug. 1, 2016 — South America is fighting a battle against tiger mosquitoes that transmit yellow fever, dengue fever and the Zika virus. In Central Europe, wine and fruit growers fear another year of massive crop ... read more

Vaccination: Zika Infection Is Caused by One Virus Serotype

July 29, 2016 — Vaccination against a single strain of Zika virus should be sufficient to protect against genetically diverse strains of the virus, according to a new ... read more

Florida Investigation Links Four Recent Zika Cases to Local Mosquito-Borne Virus Transmission

July 29, 2016 — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been informed by the State of Florida that Zika virus infections in four people were likely caused by bites of local Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. ... read more

Maize Pests Impacted by the Climate

July 28, 2016 — In East Africa, the caterpillars of two butterflies, Busseola fusca and Chilo partellus , represent a major threat for maize, the main food crop in the region. As recently borne out by the work of a ... read more

Tomatoes Resist a Parasitic Vine by Detecting Its Peptide

July 28, 2016 — Tomato plants deter attacks from a parasitic plant that's known to ravage crops by detecting one of its peptides, a new study ... read more

New Leishmania Virulence Strategies

July 28, 2016 — Medical researchers have discovered novel virulence strategies employed by the Leishmania parasite. These scientific breakthroughs represent two important clues to understanding the cellular and ... read more

Zika, Other Mosquito-Borne Illnesses Pose Threat to Travelers

July 28, 2016 — Mosquitoes in the Aedes family can transmit not only the Zika virus, but also dengue and chikungunya. Travelers visiting regions affected by these diseases should take steps to protect themselves, ... read more

How Do Pesticides Protect Crops?

July 27, 2016 — New research could lead to the fine-tuning of pesticide formulations to further increase crop yield. The findings also show a way to develop advanced performance formulations which will interact ... read more

Wednesday, August 17, 2016