Abstract: Background: Major constraints to camel production include pests and diseases. In northern Kenya, little information is available about blood-borne pathogens circulating in one-humped camels ( Camelus dromedarius) or their possible transmission by the camel haematophagous ectoparasite, Hippobosca camelina, commonly known as camel ked or camel fly. This study aimed to: (i) identify the presence of potentially insect-vectored pathogens in camels and camel keds, and (ii) assess the pot...
Abstract: It is well established that genetic exchange occurs between Trypanosoma brucei parasites when two stocks are used to infect tsetse flies under laboratory conditions and a number of such crosses have been undertaken [1,2]. Both cross and self-fertilisation can take place [3,4], with the products of mating being the equivalent of F1 progeny in a Mendelian system [2,3]. Recently, analysis of a large collection of independent progeny using a series of polymorphic micro and minisatellit...
Abstract: Background: Pyronaridine–artesunate is a novel artemisinin-based combination therapy. The efficacy and safety of pyronaridine–artesunate were compared with artemether–lumefantrine for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in children.Methods: This phase III open-label randomized controlled non-inferiority trial was conducted in Western Kenya.Children aged 6 months to ≤ 12 years with a bodyweight > 5 kg and microscopically confirmed P. falciparum malar...
Abstract: Susceptibility of tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) to trypanosomes of both humans and animals has been associated with the presence of the endosymbiont Sodalis glossinidius. However, intrinsic biological characteristics of the flies and environmental factors can influence the presence of both S. glossinidius and the parasites. It thus remains unclear whether it is the S. glossinidius or other attributes of the flies that explains the apparent association. The objective of this study wa...
Abstract: Background: Animal trypanosomosis is a major cause of economic loss in livestock production in Africa. A suggested control measure is to use breeds with traits of trypanotolerance. The study examines the effect of natural Trypanosoma vivax challenge on haematological parameters in two trypanotolerant cattle [N’Dama and West African Shorthorn (WASH)] herds. Methods: Trypanosoma vivax-specific primers were used to diagnose T. vivax infection in an N’Dama herd at Cape Coast in sou...
Abstract: Associations between the South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), and its native parasitoids need to be updated to increase the implementation of pest control strategies. In this study, T. absoluta-infested tomato plants were collected from three regions in Kenya. The emerged parasitoids were identified, and their abundance was correlated with agroecological parameters, viz. cropping systems, and the abundance of the predator Nesidiocoris t...
Abstract: Increased demand for animal protein has motivated the search for more efficient livestock production systems. In recent years, there has been growing interest to incorporate insect meal as an alternative source of protein to fish/soybean meal in chicken feed for improved nutrition, sustainability, and animal welfare benefits. Black soldier fly larval (BSFL)-based feeds has been shown to increase egg production in a cost-effective manner. However, poultry consumers perception toward...
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP)Diaphorina citriKuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) is a destructive, invasive speciesthat poses a serious threat to the citrus industry wherever it occurs. The psyllid vectors the phloem-limited bacteria‘CandidatusLiberibacter americanus’and‘Ca. L. asiaticus’, causal agents of the incurable citrus greening disease or huanglongbing (HLB). Itis essential to understand which regions and areas are suitable for colonization by ACP to formula...
Abstract: Background: The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)) is a highly polyphagous agricultural pest with long-distance migratory behavior threatening food security worldwide. This pest has a host range of > 80 plant species, but two host strains are recognized based on their association with corn (C-strain) or rice and smaller grasses (R-strain). The population genomics of the United States (USA) fall armyworm remains poorly characterized to date despite its agricultural t...
Abstract: Insect seminal fluid, the non-sperm component of the ejaculate, comprises a variegated set of molecules, including, but not limited to, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, salts,hormones, nucleic acids, and vitamins. The identity and functional role of seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) have been widely investigated, in multiple species. However, most of the other small molecules in insect ejaculates remain uncharacterized. Metabolomics is currently adopted to deepen our understanding of c...
Abstract: The effect of salt treatment on Brassica carinata (BC) microgreens grown under different light wavelengths on glucosinolates (GLs) and phenolic compounds were evaluated. Quantifiable GLs were identified using ultra-high performance-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry. Extracts’ ability to activate antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)) was evaluated on human colorectal carcinoma cells (HCT116). Furthermore, BC compounds’ ability to activate ...
Abstract: Cytogenotoxic effects of a commercial formulation of ethephon (ETF) and a commercially formulated mixture of ethephon+cyclanilide (ETF+CYC), which are used as plant growth regulators (PGRs) in modern agriculture, were investigated by using the anaphase-telophase chromosome aberration (CA) assay in root meristem cells of Allium cepa L. A. cepa roots were treated with 25 (EC50/2), 50 (EC50), and 100 ppm (EC50×2) of ETF, and with the same concentrations of ETF+CYC, for 24, 48, and 72...
Abstract: Kairomones are semiochemicals that are emitted by an organism and which mediate interspecific interaction that is of benefit to an organism of another species that receives these chemical substances. Parasitoids find and recognize their hosts through eavesdropping on the kairomones emitted from the by-products or the body of the host. Hemipteran insect pests feed on plant sap and excrete the digested plant materials as honeydew. Honeydew serves as a nutritional food source for para...
Abstract: Microbiome analysis in a host–parasitoid interaction network was conducted to compare the taxonomic composition of bacterial communities of Diaphornia citri, Tamarixia radiata, and Diaphorencyrtus aligarhensis. The comparative analysis revealed differences in the composition and diversity of the symbiont populations across the host and its associated parasitoids. Proteobacteria was the most dominant phylum, representing 67.80% of the total bacterial community, while Candidatus Pr...
Abstract: Dolichogenidea gelechiidivoris (Marsh) (Syn. Apanteles gelechiidivoris) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a konoibiont larval endoparasitoid of the South American tomato pinworm Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), was imported into Kenya in 2017 for the first classical biological control of T. absoluta in Africa. We determined the thermal thresholds of D. gelechiidivoris, with T. absoluta as host, using life cycle simulation modelling. Life-table data of D. gelechiidivoris were generated at six cons...