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Fairbanks EL, Tambwe MM, Moore J, Mpelepele A, Lobo NF, Mashauri R, Chitnis N, Moore SJ. Evaluating human landing catches as a measure of mosquito biting and the importance of considering additional modes of action. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11476. [PMID: 38769342 PMCID: PMC11106315 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61116-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Entomological evaluations of vector control tools often use human landing catches (HLCs) as a standard measure of a direct human-vector contact. However, some tools have additional characteristics, such as mortality, and HLCS are not sensitive for measuring other effects beyond landing inhibition. Therefore, additional measures may need to be considered when evaluating these tools for public health use. This study has two main aims (1) the evaluate the accuracy of HLCs as a proxy for feeding and (2) to compare the predicted reduction in vectorial capacity when we do and do not consider these additional characteristics. To achieve this, we analyse previously published semi-field data from an experiment which used HLCs and another where mosquitoes were allowed to feed in the presence of different dosages of the volatile pyrethroid spatial repellent, transfluthrin. We compare results for two mathematical models: one which only considers the reduction in feeding effect and one which also considers mortality before and after feeding (using data gathered by the aspiration of mosquitoes after the semi-field feeding/landing period and 24 h survival monitoring). These Bayesian hierarchical models are parameterised using Bayesian inference. We observe that, for susceptible mosquitoes, reduction in landing is underestimated by HLCs. For knockdown resistant mosquitoes the relationship is less clear; with HLCs sometimes appearing to overestimate this characteristic. We find HLCs tend to under-predict the relative reduction in vectorial capacity in susceptible mosquitoes while over-predicting this impact in knockdown-resistant mosquitoes. Models without secondary effects have lower predicted relative reductions in vectorial capacities. Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering additional characteristics to reduction in biting of volatile pyrethroid spatial repellents. We recommend that these are considered when evaluating novel vector control tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Fairbanks
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwill, Basel, 4123, Switzerland.
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4001, Basel, Switzerland.
- The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.
| | - Mgeni M Tambwe
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwill, Basel, 4123, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4001, Basel, Switzerland
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
| | - Jason Moore
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwill, Basel, 4123, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4001, Basel, Switzerland
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
| | - Ahmed Mpelepele
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
| | - Neil F Lobo
- Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Rajabu Mashauri
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
| | - Nakul Chitnis
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwill, Basel, 4123, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4001, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sarah J Moore
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwill, Basel, 4123, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4001, Basel, Switzerland
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
- The Nelson Mandela, African Institution of Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences and Bio Engineering, Tengeru, Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania
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Ouattara SB, Hien DFDS, Nao ET, Paré PSL, Guissou E, Cohuet A, Morlais I, Yerbanga RS, Dabiré KR, Ouédraogo JB, Mouline K, Lefèvre T. A simple, field-applicable method to increase the infectivity of wild isolates of Plasmodium falciparum to mosquito vectors. Malar J 2024; 23:135. [PMID: 38711028 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-04969-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The direct membrane feeding assay (DMFA), whereby gametocyte-infected blood is collected from human donors and from which mosquitoes feed through a membrane, is proving essential for assessing parameters influencing Plasmodium transmission potential in endemic countries. The success of DMFAs is closely tied to gametocyte density in the blood, with relatively high gametocytaemia ensuring optimal infection levels in mosquitoes. As transmission intensity declines with control efforts, the occurrence of asymptomatic individuals with low gametocyte densities, who can significantly contribute to the infectious reservoir, is increasing. This poses a limitation to studies relying on the experimental infection of large numbers of mosquitoes with natural isolates of Plasmodium. A simple, field-applicable method is presented for improving parasite infectivity by concentrating Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes. METHODS Anopheles gambiae received one of the following 5 blood treatments through DMFA: (i) whole blood (WB) samples from naturally-infected donors; (ii) donor blood whose plasma was replaced with the same volume of Plasmodium-naive AB + serum (1:1 control); (iii) plasma replaced with a volume of malaria-naïve AB + serum equivalent to half (1:1/2), or to a quarter (1:1/4), of the initial plasma volume; and (v) donor blood whose plasma was fully removed (RBC). The experiment was repeated 4 times using 4 distinct wild parasite isolates. Seven days post-infection, a total of 1,095 midguts were examined for oocyst presence. RESULTS Substituting plasma with reduced amounts (1:1/2 and 1:1/4) of Plasmodium-naive AB + serum led to a 31% and 17% increase of the mosquito infection rate and to a 85% and 308% increase in infection intensity compared to the 1:1 control, respectively. The full removal of plasma (RBC) reduced the infection rate by 58% and the intensity by 64% compared to the 1:1 control. Reducing serum volumes (1:1/2; 1:1/4 and RBC) had no impact on mosquito feeding rate and survival when compared to the 1:1 control. CONCLUSIONS Concentrating gametocytic blood by replacing natural plasma by lower amount of naive serum can enhance the success of mosquito infection. In an area with low gametocyte density, this simple and practical method of parasite concentration can facilitate studies on human-to-mosquito transmission such as the evaluation of transmission-blocking interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seydou Bienvenu Ouattara
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de La Santé, Direction Régionale de L'Ouest (IRSS-DRO), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
- Institut Des Sciences Et Techniques (INSTech Bobo), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
- Centre Hospitalier Régional de Gaoua (CHRG), Gaoua, Burkina Faso.
| | - Domonbabele F D S Hien
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de La Santé, Direction Régionale de L'Ouest (IRSS-DRO), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Ekôbié T Nao
- Université Nazi Boni (UNB), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Prisca S L Paré
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de La Santé, Direction Régionale de L'Ouest (IRSS-DRO), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Edwige Guissou
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de La Santé, Direction Régionale de L'Ouest (IRSS-DRO), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, BP 376, Koudougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Anna Cohuet
- MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Isabelle Morlais
- MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Rakiswendé S Yerbanga
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de La Santé, Direction Régionale de L'Ouest (IRSS-DRO), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Institut Des Sciences Et Techniques (INSTech Bobo), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Kounbobr R Dabiré
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de La Santé, Direction Régionale de L'Ouest (IRSS-DRO), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Jean Bosco Ouédraogo
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de La Santé, Direction Régionale de L'Ouest (IRSS-DRO), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Institut Des Sciences Et Techniques (INSTech Bobo), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Karine Mouline
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de La Santé, Direction Régionale de L'Ouest (IRSS-DRO), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Thierry Lefèvre
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de La Santé, Direction Régionale de L'Ouest (IRSS-DRO), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
- MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
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Olajiga OM, Jameson SB, Carter BH, Wesson DM, Mitzel D, Londono-Renteria B. Artificial Feeding Systems for Vector-Borne Disease Studies. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:188. [PMID: 38534457 DOI: 10.3390/biology13030188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
This review examines the advancements and methodologies of artificial feeding systems for the study of vector-borne diseases, offering a critical assessment of their development, advantages, and limitations relative to traditional live host models. It underscores the ethical considerations and practical benefits of such systems, including minimizing the use of live animals and enhancing experimental consistency. Various artificial feeding techniques are detailed, including membrane feeding, capillary feeding, and the utilization of engineered biocompatible materials, with their respective applications, efficacy, and the challenges encountered with their use also being outlined. This review also forecasts the integration of cutting-edge technologies like biomimicry, microfluidics, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence to refine and expand the capabilities of artificial feeding systems. These innovations aim to more accurately simulate natural feeding conditions, thereby improving the reliability of studies on the transmission dynamics of vector-borne diseases. This comprehensive review serves as a foundational reference for researchers in the field, proposing a forward-looking perspective on the potential of artificial feeding systems to revolutionize vector-borne disease research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olayinka M Olajiga
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Samuel B Jameson
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Brendan H Carter
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Dawn M Wesson
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Dana Mitzel
- Animal Diseases Research Unit, National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - Berlin Londono-Renteria
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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Tambwe MM, Kibondo UA, Odufuwa OG, Moore J, Mpelepele A, Mashauri R, Saddler A, Moore SJ. Human landing catches provide a useful measure of protective efficacy for the evaluation of volatile pyrethroid spatial repellents. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:90. [PMID: 36882842 PMCID: PMC9993701 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05685-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human landing catch (HLC) method, in which human volunteers collect mosquitoes that land on them before they can bite, is used to quantify human exposure to mosquito vectors of disease. Comparing HLCs in the presence and absence of interventions such as repellents is often used to measure protective efficacy (PE). Some repellents have multiple actions, including feeding inhibition, whereby mosquitoes may be unable to bite even if they land on a host. A comparison was made between the PE of the volatile pyrethroid spatial repellent (VPSR) transfluthrin determined using a landing method (HLC) and a biting method (allowing the mosquitoes that landed to blood-feed) to evaluate whether HLC is a suitable method for the estimation of the personal PE of a VPSR. METHODS A fully balanced, two-arm crossover design study was conducted using a 6 × 6 × 2-m netted cage within a semi-field system. Hessian strips (4 m × 0.1 m) treated with a 5-, 10-, 15-, or 20-g dose of transfluthrin were evaluated against a paired negative control for three strains of laboratory-reared Anopheles and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Six replicates were performed per dose using either the landing or the biting method. The number of recaptured mosquitoes was analysed by negative binomial regression, and the PEs calculated using the two methods were compared by Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS For Anopheles, fewer mosquitoes blood-fed in the biting arm than landed in the landing arm (incidence rate ratio = 0.87, 95% confidence interval 0.81-0.93, P < 0.001). For Ae. aegypti, biting was overestimated by around 37% with the landing method (incidence rate ratio = 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.57-0.70, P = 0.001). However, the PEs calculated for each method were in close agreement when tested by the Bland Altman plot. CONCLUSIONS The HLC method led to underestimation of mosquito feeding inhibition as a mode of action of transfluthrin, and there were species- and dose-dependent differences in the relationship between landing and biting. However, the estimated PEs were similar between the two methods. The results of this study indicate that HLC can be used as a proxy for personal PE for the evaluation of a VPSR, especially when the difficulties associated with enumerating blood-fed mosquitoes in a field setting are taken into consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mgeni Mohamed Tambwe
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania. .,Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123, Allschwill, Basel, Switzerland. .,University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4001, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Ummi Abdul Kibondo
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
| | - Olukayode Ganiu Odufuwa
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania.,Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123, Allschwill, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4001, Basel, Switzerland.,London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Jason Moore
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania.,Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123, Allschwill, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4001, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ahmed Mpelepele
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
| | - Rajabu Mashauri
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
| | | | - Sarah Jane Moore
- Vector Control Product Testing Unit, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania.,Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123, Allschwill, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4001, Basel, Switzerland.,Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), P.O. Box 447, Tengeru, Tanzania
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Wohl MP, McMeniman CJ. Batch Rearing Aedes aegypti. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2023; 2023:108017-pdb.prot. [PMID: 36223988 PMCID: PMC10097437 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.prot108017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Standardized rearing methods for the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti are critical to facilitate controlled laboratory studies. This protocol describes a batch rearing protocol for Aedes aegypti stocks that yields healthy eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults in the laboratory for long-term colony maintenance and experimental manipulation. Foundational principles for the rearing and containment of these life cycle stages, as well as steps for mating and blood feeding Aedes aegypti to yield viable eggs for continuous culture or storage, are detailed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margot P Wohl
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
| | - Conor J McMeniman
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA .,The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
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Faber PA, Dorai AJ, Chown SL. A standardised low-cost membrane blood-feeder for Aedes aegypti made using common laboratory materials. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14247. [PMID: 36325181 PMCID: PMC9620972 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Blood feeding is a necessary part of laboratory studies involving mosquitoes and other hematophagous arthropods of interest in medical and ecological research. However, methods involving hosts may present serious risks, require ethics approvals and can be expensive. Here we describe an insect blood feeder made using common laboratory materials, which is low cost (<US$100) and can be constructed and operated with little technical expertise. We compared the blood feeder containing an artificial blood diet, Skitosnack, to direct human arm feeding for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae), in terms of engorgement rate, fecundity and hatch rate. No significant difference in fecundity between the two approaches was found, (mean ± SD); direct human arm: 56 ± 26 eggs/female, artificial method: 47 ± 25 eggs/female, P = 0.569. Engorgement rates (direct human arm: 97.8 ± 4%, artificial: 64.1 ± 23%, P < 0.05) and hatch rates (direct human arm: 75 ± 12%, artificial: 59 ± 14%, P < 0.05) were lower in the artificially fed mosquitoes. Despite these differences, we maintained a healthy mosquito colony for 10 generations using the artificial feeding approach. Results from this comparison are within the range of other studies which compared direct host feeding with an artificial feeding method. We anticipate that the blood feeder presented here could substantially reduce costs usually required to establish a standardised and effective blood feeding method for maintaining mosquito colonies or conducting experiments, extending the capability of laboratories especially where research resources are limited, but vector-borne diseases common.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A. Faber
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Steven L. Chown
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Higgs S, Vanlandingham DL, Huang YJS, Thangamani S. The Use of Arthropod-Borne Challenge Models in BSL-3Ag and BSL-4 Biocontainment. ILAR J 2021; 61:18-31. [PMID: 33951733 DOI: 10.1093/ilar/ilab013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of many arthropod-borne pathogens requires high biosafety considerations, including the use of specialized facilities and equipment for arthropod containment. Mosquito- and tick-borne viruses such as yellow fever, West Nile, and Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever viruses require facilities that are suitable for housing vertebrates. Multidisciplinary studies that incorporate the vector, vertebrate, and pathogens are essential for a complete understanding of the interactions between these transmission cycle components, especially if they aim to evaluate and model relative susceptibilities of different arthropods and vertebrates to infection and transmission between these. Under laboratory conditions, these studies can be relatively simple, for example, involving colonized arthropods, small animals, and attenuated viruses. Other studies are complex with large animals, high-biocontainment pathogens, and field-collected arthropods. These require a higher level of containment and special design considerations. Both of these types of experiments have their relative merits. A thorough understanding of the issues related to these types of studies and the benefits and drawbacks to using various challenge models will enable the researcher to develop realistic goals for various experiments. This review examines the varied issues that should be considered prior to starting these experiments and covers the basics from the procurement of various arthropods, rearing, high-containment facilities and operational issues specific to work with arthropods, types of infection experiments, and specific issues with arthropod and animal experiments in biosafety levels 3 and 4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Higgs
- Director of the Biosecurity Research Institute and Associate Vice President for Research at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
| | - Dana L Vanlandingham
- Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
| | - Yan-Jang S Huang
- Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
| | - Saravanan Thangamani
- Director of the SUNY Center for Environmental Health and Medicine, and Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
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