Filariasis, is a filarial infection caused by parasitic nematodes (roundworms) spread by different vectors. They are included in the list of neglected tropical diseases.
Wuchereria bancrofti is a filarial (arthropod-borne) nematode (roundworm) that is the major cause of lymphatic filariasis. It is one of the three parasitic worms, together with Brugia malayi and B. timori, that infect the lymphatic system to cause lymphatic filariasis. These filarial worms are spread by a variety of mosquito vector species. W. bancrofti is the most prevalent of the three and affects over 120 million people, primarily in Central Africa and the Nile delta, South and Central America, the tropical regions of Asia including southern China, and the Pacific islands. If left untreated, the infection can develop into lymphatic filariasis. In rare conditions, it also causes tropical pulmonary eosinophilia. No vaccine is commercially available, but high rates of cure have been achieved with various antifilarial regimens, and lymphatic filariasis is the target of the World Health Organization Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis with the aim to eradicate the disease as a public-health problem by 2020. However, this goal was not met by 2020.
Brugia malayi is a filarial (arthropod-borne) nematode (roundworm), one of the three causative agents of lymphatic filariasis in humans. Lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis, is a condition characterized by swelling of the lower limbs. The two other filarial causes of lymphatic filariasis are Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia timori, which both differ from B. malayi morphologically, symptomatically, and in geographical extent.
Anopheles (Cellia) subpictus is a species complex of four species of mosquito belonging to the genus Anopheles.
Pylore Krishnaier Rajagopalan was an Indian vector control scientist, biologist and acarologist, known for his pioneering contributions to the control programmes against vector-borne diseases in India. He was a former director of the Indian Council of Medical Research managed Vector Control Research Centre, Pondicherry. He graduated in 1949 from the Banaras Hindu University and obtained a Masters in Zoology with University First Rank there itself in 1951. In 1952 he joined the fledgling Virus Research Centre in Pune, and worked under the supervision of some of the finest vector control specialists such as Dr T Ramachandra Rao. In recognition of his outstanding work as a young research scientist, in 1957 he was awarded a Fellowship by the Rockefeller Foundation to pursue a Master's program in Public Health from the University of California. He went on to secure a Diploma in Acarology from the University of Maryland at College Park.
Anopheles annularis is a species of mosquito belonging to the genus Anopheles. Larvae found in clean, lotic bodies of water with abundant vegetation. Females are zoophilic, mainly feed blood on cattle and humans. The species is a major malaria vector in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It is also an important vector for Plasmodium vivax in Afghanistan.
Anopheles elegans is a species complex of mosquito belonging to the genus Anopheles. It is found in India and Sri Lanka. In India, it is known to breed in shaded stagnant waters and tree holes. It is a natural vector of simian malaria in both countries.
Anopheles (Cellia) karwari is a species complex of zoophilic mosquito belonging to the genus Anopheles. It is found in India, and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Sumatra, and Java. A. karwari is a member of the Maculatus Group and the second scarcest species reported from Indonesia. Female is blood sucking and involved in transmitting Plasmodium falciparum, thus an important malarial vector. It is considered a secondary vector in the Australian region, but its vectorial status in South-East Asia was unknown.
Anopheles (Anopheles) nigerrimus is a species complex of zoophilic mosquito belonging to the genus Anopheles. It belongs to the Nigerrimus Subgroup and Hyrcanus Group of the Myzorhynchus Series. It is found in India, and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is a Possible malaria and filariasis vector. It is found from ecosystems nearby water courses such as rice fields, canals, large open marshes, and also in partially sunny, shady deep pools with floating vegetation. In Sri Lanka, the adult and larval stages are known to show resistant to a range of organophosphate and carbamate insecticides. Cytologically, two karyotypic forms of A. nigerrimus are identified, as Form A and B.
Anopheles pallidus is a species complex of mosquito belonging to the genus Anopheles. It is found in India, and Sri Lanka and Myanmar. It is a potential natural vector of bancroftian filariasis in Sri Lanka as well as Malaria and Babesiosis in other countries.
Anopheles (Anopheles) peditaeniatus is a species complex of mosquito belonging to the genus Anopheles, of the Hyrcanus Group. It is found in India, and Sri Lanka, Iran, and Bangladesh. It is a potential natural vector of bancroftian filariasis in Sri Lanka.
Anopheles (Cellia) tessellatus is a species complex of zoophilic mosquito belonging to the genus Anopheles. It is found in India, and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. It is first described from Sri Lanka. Larvae are known to found from dirty stagnant water in sun or shady habitats. Adults are zoophilic. It is not regarded as a malaria vector, but is a secondary vector of Wuchereria bancrofti in Maldives.
Anopheles (Cellia) vagus is a species complex of zoophilic mosquito belonging to the genus Anopheles. It is found in India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. It is a potential natural vector of malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum, and Japanese encephalitis virus. It is highly susceptible to insecticide deltamethrin and resistant to DDT.
Anopheles (Cellia) varuna is a species complex of zoophilic mosquito belonging to the genus Anopheles. It is found in India, Sri Lanka Thailand and Vietnam. It is a secondary malaria vector in Sri Lanka. Larvae are known to feed on detritus, rod and cocci bacteria, diatom, filamentous algae and desmids. A microsporidium Thelohania obscura was discovered from the larvae in India in 1966.
Aedes (Downsiomyia) niveus is a species complex of zoophilic mosquito belonging to the genus Aedes. It is found in Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam and other South East Asian countries. It is a vector of filariasis.
Armigeres (Armigeres) subalbatus is a species complex of zoophilic mosquito belonging to the genus Armigeres. It is found in Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nepal, Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Ryukyu-Retto, Indochina, Thailand, and Guam.
Mansonia (Mansonioides) annulifera is a species of zoophilic mosquito belonging to the genus Mansonia.
Toxorhynchites (Toxorhynchites) splendens is a species of non-hematophagous mosquito belonging to the genus Toxorhynchites. It is widely used as a predator to control dengue mosquitoes.
Culex (Lutzia) fuscanus is a species of mosquito belonging to the genus Culex. It is found in China, India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka They are natural predators of disease causing mosquito larva such as Aedes aegypti, Anopheles subpictus, and Culex tritaeniorhynchus.
