Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
6
Rhodnius prolixus
and Its
Symbiont,
Rhodococcus
rhodnii
A Model for
Paratransgenic Control
of Disease Transmission
:
Ravi V. Durvasula, Ranjini K. Sundaram,
Celia Cordon-Rosales, Pamela Pennington, and C. Ben Beard
CONTENTS
The Triatomine Bug
Rhodnius prolixus
: A Paradigm for Paratransgenesis ...................................85
Paratransgenic Manipulation of
Rhodnius prolixus
........................................................................85
Cecropin A Expression in Paratransgenic
.........................................................86
Rhodnius prolixus
INTRODUCTION
Despite many advances in vaccines and public-health measures, insect-borne diseases remain a
leading cause of human illness throughout the world. It is estimated that between 300 and 500
million cases of malaria alone occur annually, with 2.3 billion humans living in areas of malaria
risk (Gratz, 1999). Visceral leishmaniasis, transmitted by phlebotomine sandÞies, has undergone
resurgence in eastern regions of India, with spread into neighboring areas of Nepal. Epidemics of
dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever continue in Latin America and Southeast Asia, linked closely
to the introduction and spread of the mosquito vector,
. Whereas many of these
established diseases remain largely unchecked around the world, novel or emerging arthropod-
borne diseases have further complicated the situation. Tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease
and Ehrlichiosis and mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile disease have emerged in recent
years in the United States, illustrating the global impact of vector-borne diseases.
Aedes aegypti
