Abstract: Endophytic entomopathogenic species are known to systematically colonize host plants and form symbiotic associations that benefit the plants they live with. The actin-depolymerizing factors (ADFs) are a group of gene family that regulate growth, development, and defense-related functions in plants. Systematic studies of ADF family at the genome-wide level and their expression in response to endophytic colonization are essential to understand its functions but are currently lacking ...
Abstract: Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, has recently invaded Africa where it is seriously threatening food security. Current management methods rely heavily on synthetic insecticides which are harmful to humans, the environment, and non-target beneficial insects. Cotesia icipe was recently identified as a major FAW-associated indigenous parasitoid causing a high parasitism rate on the pest in Kenya. Previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae ICIPE...
Abstract: Phthorimaea absoluta (Meyrick) (=Tuta absoluta) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is the most damaging insect pest threatening the production of tomato and other solanaceous vegetables in many countries. In this study, we predicted the risk of establishment and number of generations for P. absoluta in the current and future climatic conditions under two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) of the years 2050 and 2070 using insect life cycle modelling (ILCYM) software. We ...
Abstract: Ruminant livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats, and camels, possess a distinctive digestive system with complex microbiota communities critical for feed conversion and secondary metabolite production, including greenhouse gases. Yet, there is limited knowledge regarding the diversity of rumen microbes and metabolites benefiting livestock physiology, productivity, climate impact, and defense mechanisms across ruminant species. In this study, we utilized metataxonomics and metabo...
Abstract: The coexistence and efficiency in pest control of introduced and native parasitoids can be challenging. Continuous observations of the cohabitation of parasitoid species could confirm the persistence of the introduced parasitoid in the ecosystem under co-existence scenarios. This study provides an example of such a co-existence for biocontrol of the invasive pest, Phthorimaea absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Two parasitoids, the introduced endoparasitoid Dolichogenide...
Abstract: Vector-borne diseases affecting livestock have serious impacts in Africa. Trypanosomosis is caused by parasites transmitted by tsetse flies and other blood-sucking Diptera. The animal form of the disease is a scourge for African livestock keepers, is already present in Latin America and Asia, and has the potential to spread further. A human form of the disease also exists, known as human African trypanosomosis or sleeping sickness. Controlling and progressively minimizing the burde...
Abstract: Female sand fleas (Tunga penetrans Linnaeus, 1758, Siphonaptera: Tungidae) cause a severe parasitic skin disease known as tungiasis. T. penetrans is a small flea, measuring less than 1 mm in length. The females of this species burrow into the skin of human and animal hosts and mostly affect the feet. This has led to the anecdotal assumption that T. penetrans, unlike its relatives in the Siphonaptera family, would have a limited jumping ability potentially not reaching higher body p...
Abstract: Background Animal African trypanosomiasis, or nagana, is a veterinary disease caused by African trypanosomes transmitted by tsetse flies. In Africa, Trypanosoma congolense is one of the most pathogenic and prevalent causes of nagana in livestock, resulting in high animal morbidity and mortality and extensive production losses. In the tsetse fly, parasites colonise the midgut and eventually reach the mouthparts, from where they can be transmitted as the fly feeds on vertebrate hosts...
Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single stranded gene regulators of 18–25 bp in length. They play a crucial role in regulating several biological processes in insects. However, the functions of miRNA in Glossina pallidipes, one of the biological vectors of African animal trypanosomosis in sub-Saharan Africa, remain poorly characterized. We used a combination of both molecular biology and bioinformatics techniques to identify miRNA genes at different developmental stages (larvae, pupae, ten...
Abstract: The prevalence rates of trypanosomes, including those that require cyclical transmission by tsetse flies, are widely distributed in Africa. Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma congolense are actively maintained in regions where there are no tsetse flies although at low frequencies.Whether this could be due to an independent evolutionary origin or multiple introduction of trypanosomes due to continuous movement of livestock between tsetse-free and -infested areas is not known. Thus, ...
Abstract: Mosquitoes are by far the most important vectors of human disease. There are hundreds of millions of cases of dengue annually, while Chikungunya and Zika have recently caused major outbreaks. Malaria remains a major driver of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa where it is responsible for about 400,000 deaths each year. In addition, about 50 million cases of lymphatic filariasis still occur annually. The microbial communities harbored by mosquitoes have been the focus of great scientific...
Abstract: African trypanosomiasis (AT) is a neglected disease of both humans and animals caused by Trypanosoma parasites, which are transmitted by obligate hematophagous tsetse flies (Glossina spp.). Knowledge on tsetse fly vertebrate hosts and the influence of tsetse endosymbionts on trypanosome presence, especially in wildlife-human-livestock interfaces, is limited. We identified tsetse species, their blood-meal sources, and correlations between endosymbionts and trypanosome presence in ts...
Abstract: The growing invasion of ecosystems by invasive alien plants (IAPs) has substantially affected biodiversity worldwide, compromising provision of ecosystem services. In this study, we present evidence of the impacts of an IAP, Robinia pseudoacacia L., on native plant diversity in montane rangelands of South Africa and its threats to grazing, an ecosystem service. We assessed stand characteristics, understory vegetation composition and rangeland condition similarities in invaded and u...
Abstract: Reliable molecular identification of vertebrate species from morphologically unidentifiable tissue is critical for the prosecution of illegally-traded wildlife products, conservation-based biodiversity research, and identification of blood-meal hosts of hematophagous invertebrates. However, forensic identification of vertebrate tissue relies on sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) ‘barcode’ gene, which remains costly for purposes of screening large numbers...
Abstract: The braconid wasp, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead), was introduced in Kenya from Hawaii for classical biological control of the invasive tephritid, Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel. Following reports that D. longicaudata had formed new associations with Ceratitis cosyra, laboratory experiments were conducted to assess the interaction between the introduced and the native parasitoid of C. cosyra; Psyttalia cosyrae (Wilkinson) under three scenarios: B. dorsalis only, C. cosyra only ...