skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Search for: All records

Creators/Authors contains: "Zohdy, Sarah"

Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.

  1. Christofferson, Rebecca C (Ed.)
    BackgroundAnopheles stephensiis an invasive malaria vector in Africa that threatens to put an additional 126 million people at risk of malaria if it continues to spread. The island nation of Mauritius is highly connected to Asia and Africa and is at risk of introduction due to this connectivity. For early detection ofAn.stephensi, the Vector Biology and Control Division under the Ministry of Health in Mauritius, leveraged a well-establishedAedesprogram, asAn.stephensiis known to shareAedeshabitats. These efforts triggered multisectoral coordination and cascading benefits of integrated vector and One Health approaches. MethodsBeginning June 2021, entomological surveys were conducted at points of entry (seaport, airport) and on ships transporting livestock in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Department, the Mauritian Port Authority and National Veterinary Services.A total of 18, 39, 723 mosquito larval surveys were respectively conducted in the airport, seaport, and other localities in Mauritius while two, 20, and 26 adult mosquito surveys were respectively conducted in the airport, seaport, and twenty-six animal assembly points. Alongside adult mosquito surveys, surveillance of vectors of veterinary importance (e.g.-Culicoidesspp.) was also carried out in collaboration with National Parks and Conservation Service and land owners. ResultsA total of 8,428 adult mosquitoes were collected and 1,844 larval habitats were positive for mosquitoes. All collected mosquitoes were morphologically identified and 151Anophelesand 339Aedesmosquitoes were also molecularly characterized. Mosquito species detected wereAedes albopictus,Anopheles arabiensis,An.coustani,An.merus,Culex quinquefasciatus,Cx.thalassiusandLutzia tigripes.Anopheles stephensiwas not detected. The One Health approach was shared with the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), strengthening collaboration between Mauritius and Réunion Island on vector surveillance at entry points and insecticide resistance monitoring. The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) was also alerted to the risk ofAn.stephensi, leading to regional efforts supporting trainings and development of a response strategy toAn.stephensibringing together stakeholders from Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion Island and Seychelles. ConclusionsMauritius is a model system showing how existing public health entomology capabilities can be used to enhance vector surveillance and control and create multisectoral networks to respond to any emerging public and veterinary health vector-borne disease threat. 
    more » « less
  2. Enhanced and rapid surveillance for diseases is critical to public health and meeting United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal for Good Health and Well‐being by allowing for targeted and accelerated prevention and control response strategies. Human malaria, caused byPlasmodiumspp. and transmitted by mosquitoes is no exception. Advances in sustainable materials provide an opportunity to improve fast, sustainable, and equitable testing assays. Here, naturally abundant polymers and biomaterials, such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and chitosan, were used to increase antibody density deposition on the assay detection line when compared to traditional free antibody deposition, and thus the sensitivity, of easily assembled rapid tests designed to detectPlasmodium vivaxinfective (sporozoite) parasites in mosquitoes, a critical indicator of malaria transmission. The immobilization of antibodies onto chitosan‐coated CNCs allowed for antigen detection with a lower number of antibodies used in each test; likewise, the immobilization allowed to directly place the CNC‐Ab without the traditionally needed blockers layer on the paper like bovine serum albumin (BSA). This bio‐based prototype of a paper‐based dipstick assay shows a promising pathway for the development of rapid disease surveillance tools using sustainable and globally available materials. 
    more » « less
  3. Even as novel technologies emerge and medicines advance, pathogen-transmitting mosquitoes pose a deadly and accelerating public health threat. Detecting and mitigating the spread of Anopheles stephensi in Africa is now critical to the fight against malaria, as this invasive mosquito poses urgent and unprecedented risks to the continent. Unlike typical African vectors of malaria, An. stephensi breeds in both natural and artificial water reservoirs, and flourishes in urban environments. With An. stephensi beginning to take hold in heavily populated settings, citizen science surveillance supported by novel artificial intelligence (AI) technologies may offer impactful opportunities to guide public health decisions and community-based interventions. Coalitions like the Global Mosquito Alert Consortium (GMAC) and our freely available digital products can be incorporated into enhanced surveillance of An. stephensi and other vector-borne public health threats. By connecting local citizen science networks with global databases that are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR), we are leveraging a powerful suite of tools and infrastructure for the early detection of, and rapid response to, (re)emerging vectors and diseases. 
    more » « less
  4. null (Ed.)
    Synopsis One of the key foci of ecoimmunology is understanding the physiological interactions between reproduction and immune defense. To assess an immune challenge, investigators typically measure an immune response at a predetermined time point that was selected to represent a peak response. These time points often are based on the immunological responses of nonreproductive males. Problematically, these peaks have been applied to studies quantifying immune responses of females during reproduction, despite the fact that nonreproductive males and reproductive females display fundamentally different patterns of energy expenditure. Previous work within pharmacological research has reported that the response to the commonly-used antigen keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) varies among individuals and between females and males. In this heuristic analysis, we characterize antibody responses to KLH in females with varying reproductive demands (nonreproductive, lactating, concurrently lactating, and pregnant). Serum was taken from one animal per day per group and assessed for general and specific Immunoglobulins (Igs) G and M. We then used regression analysis to characterize the antibody response curves across groups. Our results demonstrate that the antibody response curve is asynchronous among females with varying maternal demands and temporally differs from the anticipated peak responses reflected in standardized protocols. These findings highlight the importance of multiple sampling points across treatment groups for a more integrative assessment of how reproductive demand alters antibody responses in females beyond a single measurement. 
    more » « less