The Mosquito
The Mosquito

Author: Timothy C. Winegard

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2019-08-06

Total Pages: 639

ISBN-13: 1524743437

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**The instant New York Times bestseller.** *An international bestseller.* Finalist for the Lane Anderson Award Finalist for the RBC Taylor Award “Hugely impressive, a major work.”—NPR A pioneering and groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that offers a dramatic new perspective on the history of humankind, showing how through millennia, the mosquito has been the single most powerful force in determining humanity’s fate Why was gin and tonic the cocktail of choice for British colonists in India and Africa? What does Starbucks have to thank for its global domination? What has protected the lives of popes for millennia? Why did Scotland surrender its sovereignty to England? What was George Washington's secret weapon during the American Revolution? The answer to all these questions, and many more, is the mosquito. Across our planet since the dawn of humankind, this nefarious pest, roughly the size and weight of a grape seed, has been at the frontlines of history as the grim reaper, the harvester of human populations, and the ultimate agent of historical change. As the mosquito transformed the landscapes of civilization, humans were unwittingly required to respond to its piercing impact and universal projection of power. The mosquito has determined the fates of empires and nations, razed and crippled economies, and decided the outcome of pivotal wars, killing nearly half of humanity along the way. She (only females bite) has dispatched an estimated 52 billion people from a total of 108 billion throughout our relatively brief existence. As the greatest purveyor of extermination we have ever known, she has played a greater role in shaping our human story than any other living thing with which we share our global village. Imagine for a moment a world without deadly mosquitoes, or any mosquitoes, for that matter? Our history and the world we know, or think we know, would be completely unrecognizable. Driven by surprising insights and fast-paced storytelling, The Mosquito is the extraordinary untold story of the mosquito’s reign through human history and her indelible impact on our modern world order.

Genetic Control of Malaria and Dengue
Genetic Control of Malaria and Dengue

Author: Zach N. Adelman

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2015-10-15

Total Pages: 487

ISBN-13: 0128004053

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Genetic Control of Malaria and Dengue focuses on the knowledge, technology, regulation and ethics of using genetically modified mosquitoes to interrupt the transmission of important vector-borne diseases including Malaria. It contains coverage of the current state of knowledge of vector-borne diseases and how they are currently controlled; vaccine, drug and insecticide development; various strategies for altering the genome of mosquitoes in beneficial ways; and the regulatory, ethical and social environment concerning these strategies. For more than five decades, the prospect of using genetically-modified mosquitoes to control vector-borne disease transmission has been a purely hypothetical scenario. We simply did not have the technology or basic knowledge to be able to do it. With the explosion of field trials and potential interventions in development, Genetic Control of Malaria and Dengue provides a comprehensive overview of research in genetics, microbiology, virology, and ecology involved in the development and implementation of genetic modification programs for virus and disease control. This book is meant to provide a practical guide to researchers, regulators and the general public about how this technology actually works, how it can be improved, and what is still unknown. - Includes coverage of vectorial capacity, critical to understanding vector-borne disease transmission - Provides a summary of the concepts of both population suppression and population replacement - Contains pivotal coverage of ethical and ecological ramifications of genetics-based control strategies

Mosquito
Mosquito

Author: Andrew Spielman

Publisher:

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 9780571209804

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'Consider the most common mosquito on Earth. This soft, little, dusty-brown insect is Culex Pipiens. You've seen her land on your arm. You have caught her just at the end of her feeding, her translucent belly swelling red with your very own blood. At such a moment, you can be forgiven for failing to notice what an elegant and hardy thing she is. But she is . . . ' No creature has touched directly the lives of more human beings than the mosquito. She has been a nuisance, a pollinator of plants and an angel of death all over the globe. And throughout history, much of our trouble with the mosquito has been caused by man himself. Professor Andrew Spielman has dedicated his life to understanding this insect. In Mosquito he tells the story of man's struggle to live with the mosquito, from the defeat of Sir Francis Drake's fleet, to the death of thousands of Frenchmen working on the Panama Canal and to the recent panic over the West Nile Virus in New York. And he shows us how we have accelerated the spread of disease, describing the catastrophic failures of mosquito control which have ensured that - even now - one person dies of malaria every twelve seconds.

Saving Lives, Buying Time
Saving Lives, Buying Time

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2004-09-09

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 0309165938

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For more than 50 years, low-cost antimalarial drugs silently saved millions of lives and cured billions of debilitating infections. Today, however, these drugs no longer work against the deadliest form of malaria that exists throughout the world. Malaria deaths in sub-Saharan Africaâ€"currently just over one million per yearâ€"are rising because of increased resistance to the old, inexpensive drugs. Although effective new drugs called "artemisinins" are available, they are unaffordable for the majority of the affected population, even at a cost of one dollar per course. Saving Lives, Buying Time: Economics of Malaria Drugs in an Age of Resistance examines the history of malaria treatments, provides an overview of the current drug crisis, and offers recommendations on maximizing access to and effectiveness of antimalarial drugs. The book finds that most people in endemic countries will not have access to currently effective combination treatments, which should include an artemisinin, without financing from the global community. Without funding for effective treatment, malaria mortality could double over the next 10 to 20 years and transmission will intensify.

Advances in Arthropod Repellents
Advances in Arthropod Repellents

Author: Joel Coats

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2021-10-15

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 9780323854115

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Advances in Mosquito Repellents offers the most current state of knowledge on insect repellents. This area of study is fast-moving, and the evolution of novel approaches has expanded rapidly as mosquito- and tick-borne diseases become more prevalent worldwide. This book covers the discovery of new repellents, including those from natural sources, the latest on mechanisms of repellant actions, research on optimizing their uses, testing methods, and highlights of possible directions for future developments. Written by global insect repellant experts, this book begins by delving into molecule discovery and assay development, followed by the latest research and investigations of repellent developments and effects. It then offers readers a look into global field and lab trials using various insect repellants, ranging from South America to the USDA and United States Navy Entomology Department. Lastly, Advances in Mosquito Repellents examines the future of spatial repellent molecules and expert insight for further development. Advances in Mosquito Repellents is a valuable resource for entomologists and vector control researchers and practitioners. Public health officials and developers in private pest control companies, as well as readers in academia, will also find this useful to learn the latest information available on controlling the spread of insect-borne diseases with repellents. Discusses recent progress on understanding how insect repellents work, as well as modern methods for finding new molecules and formulations Led by a team of editors whose expertise includes cutting edge insect repellent research and development Serves as a reference and resource that will be useful to a wide variety of professionals, particularly those in public health and vector control