INTRODUCTION In 2007, Zimbabwe government distributed rectangular insecticide treated nets in Chipinge District, covering 100% of population at risk. However, malaria morbidity continued increasing from 492/1000 (49.2%) in 2007 to 667/1000 (66.7%) in 2008. A study was conducted in Chipinge District in May 2009 to investigate the use of rectangular insecticide treated nets and factors affecting ...

The development of insecticide resistance in insect pests is a worldwide concern and elucidating the underlying mechanisms is critical for effective crop protection. Recent studies have indicated potential links between insect gut microbiota and insecticide resistance and these may apply to the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), a globally and economically important pest of cruciferous...

BACKGROUND Malaria is an important cause of illness and death in many parts of the world, especially in Africa. There has been a renewed emphasis on preventive measures, both at community and at individual level. Insecticide treated bednets and curtains are a promising preventive measure. OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to assess the effects of insecticide-treated bednets or curta...

Currently, there is a strong trend towards increasing insecticide-based vector control coverage in malaria endemic countries. The ecological consequence of insecticide applications has been mainly studied regarding the selection of resistance mechanisms; however, little is known about their impact on vector competence in mosquitoes responsible for malaria transmission. As they have limited toxi...

Agricultural landscape intensification has enabled food production to meet growing demand. However, there are concerns that more simplified cropland with lower crop diversity, less noncrop habitat, and larger fields results in increased use of pesticides due to a lack of natural pest control and more homogeneous crop resources. Here, we use data on crop production and insecticide use from over ...

Many of the most dangerous human diseases are transmitted by insect vectors. After decades of repeated insecticide use, all of these vector species have demonstrated the capacity to evolve resistance to insecticides. Insecticide resistance is generally considered to undermine control of vector-transmitted diseases because it increases the number of vectors that survive the insecticide treatment...

Insecticide resistance raises concerns for the control of vector-borne diseases. However, its impact on parasite transmission could be diverse when considering the ecological interactions between vector and parasite. Thus we investigated the fitness cost associated with insecticide resistance and Plasmodium falciparum infection as well as their interactive cost on Anopheles gambiae survival and...

Since our hunter–gatherer ancestors began to develop agriculture more than 10,000 years ago, farmers have been battling with Nature to protect their cultivated plants against pests and diseases. Organisms from all kingdoms of life—from mammals and insects to bacteria, fungi and viruses—are attracted by the easy pickings that large fields of plants represent, and farmers have sought to contain t...

pounds such as DDT, PCB etc., whose production and use were prohibited in Japan in more than 10 years ago. At first, 13 species of human autopsy tissues and blood of rural residents were investigated for residues of organochlorine insecticide (OCI) and indications of their transfer from maternal blood to umbilical cord blood at delivery. Some species of marine fishes, fatty foods, chickens and ...