Dengue is the leading mosquito-borne virus causing morbidity and mortality in the tropics. North Queens land has a history of dengue outbreaks, with 5 outbreaks in the last 3 years. Queensland Health has developed a Dengue Fever Management Plan for north Queensland that has had considerable success in preventing small outbreaks of dengue from developing into large epidemics. The cornerstone of this plan is the application of residual insecticide inside premises near dengue cases to kill the mosq ....Dengue is the leading mosquito-borne virus causing morbidity and mortality in the tropics. North Queens land has a history of dengue outbreaks, with 5 outbreaks in the last 3 years. Queensland Health has developed a Dengue Fever Management Plan for north Queensland that has had considerable success in preventing small outbreaks of dengue from developing into large epidemics. The cornerstone of this plan is the application of residual insecticide inside premises near dengue cases to kill the mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, before it can spread the virus. While this method is effective, it is labor intensive, requires the cooperation of homeowners who may find it intrusive and exposes nontarget insects and animals to insecticide. We propose to develop a lure and kill strategy to improve the efficacy of vector control while minimising the exposure of nontarget animals. Several chemicals have been identified as highly attractive to dengue mosquitoes. Among these are extracts from water infusions of grass that are highly attractive to egg-laying mosquitoes and emanations from human skin that attract host-seeking mosquitoes. We will develop traps incorporating a. mosquito attractants and b. a killing agent to selectively control Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. These will be collectively called lethal traps. This project will employ the following approach towards the development of a lure and kill strtaegy for dengue control a. determine which compounds are most attractive to north Queensland Ae. aegypti in a laboratory wind tunnel; b. confirm the attraction of these compounds using sticky traps in the field; c. conduct field trials of candidate lethal traps to determine the spacing and density of traps needed to control mosquitoes d. conduct a large field trial to examine the efficacy of the optimised lure and kill strategy. We will also conduct ecological studies on aging and the flight range of Ae. aegypti to enhance the development of the strategy.Read moreRead less
Can Lure And Kill Strategies Prevent Dengue Transmission In North Queensland, Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,621.00
Summary
Dengue fever is a growing threat to human health in the tropics. In north Queensland, 11 dengue outbreaks have resulted in 985 confirmed cases since 2000. Furthermore, 2004 saw the emergence of severe disease, with 4 cases of dengue haemorrhagic fever resulting in at least one death in the Torres Strait. The current dengue managment plan employs methods to control larvae and adults of the mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti. Adult control consists of spraying dark, protected areas inside houses and b ....Dengue fever is a growing threat to human health in the tropics. In north Queensland, 11 dengue outbreaks have resulted in 985 confirmed cases since 2000. Furthermore, 2004 saw the emergence of severe disease, with 4 cases of dengue haemorrhagic fever resulting in at least one death in the Torres Strait. The current dengue managment plan employs methods to control larvae and adults of the mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti. Adult control consists of spraying dark, protected areas inside houses and buildings with a residual pyrethroid insectcide. However, this method is laborious and exposes residents and the environment to pesticide. Our research team, funded by NHMRC project grant no. 279401, has developed lure and kill methods to kill Ae. aegypti mosquitoes using traps. These traps are baited with chemicals that attract female dengue mosquitoes trying to bite (host-seeking traps; HSTs) or trying to lay eggs (lethal ovitraps; LOs). The use of traps to kill specific target insects is termed lure and kill strategy. This strategy reduces the amount of pesticide used by 1000X, and are twice as fast to employ than house spraying. We are seeking funding to conduct a series of field trials to provide proof of concept that the lure and kill strategy will rapidly reduce populations of Ae. aegypti and thus stop dengue transmission. These trials will be conducted in the Cairns area. We will also trial a biodegradable lethal ovitrap that could be put into yards without having to return to retrieve the trap. The trap would simply biodegrade after 4 weeks, and thus pose no threat to become a mosquito breeding site once the pesticide had become ineffective. A biodegradable trap would be especially useful in the Torres Strait where return visits are costly and time consuming. Finally, we propose to trial a new paper strip device that emits vapors of the pyrethriod insecticide metofluthrin, shown to repel mosquitoes for weeks, to set in dengue case houses.Read moreRead less
Spatial Analysis Of The An. Punctulatus Group Of Malaria Vectors In Australia And Papua New Guinea.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$66,430.00
Summary
Malaria has been eradicated from Australia but the country remains receptive to its reintroduction as the mosquitoes which transmit the disease are still present in the tropical north of the country. These are the Anopheles punctulatus group which are the major malaria vectors in the south west Pacific region. The Australian Army Malaria Institute conducted Operation Anopheles to collect these mosquitoes in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea by detailed surveys with the aid of helicopters a ....Malaria has been eradicated from Australia but the country remains receptive to its reintroduction as the mosquitoes which transmit the disease are still present in the tropical north of the country. These are the Anopheles punctulatus group which are the major malaria vectors in the south west Pacific region. The Australian Army Malaria Institute conducted Operation Anopheles to collect these mosquitoes in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea by detailed surveys with the aid of helicopters and 4-wheel-drive vehicles. These surveys, which were made for a month each year between 1984-1998, represent the most detailed dataset of mosquito locality records that have ever been produced. This project will utilise the computing power of modern Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software and computer induction techniques to spatially map the range of the different mosquitoes collected during Operation Anopheles to highlight environmental characteristics which limit their distribution and to permit control activities to accurately target the species which actually transmit malaria.Read moreRead less
In recent years it has become clear that certain white blood cells called CD8+ T lymphocytes or killer T cells are required to protect people against HIV. Unfortunately, current vaccines that produce or anti-HIV CD8 T cells only produce effective T cells for a short period. In this project we intend to test a novel vaccine vector called a Kunjin replicon, which promises to persistently produce or maintain effective T cells because the vaccine itself persists and continually immunises for extende ....In recent years it has become clear that certain white blood cells called CD8+ T lymphocytes or killer T cells are required to protect people against HIV. Unfortunately, current vaccines that produce or anti-HIV CD8 T cells only produce effective T cells for a short period. In this project we intend to test a novel vaccine vector called a Kunjin replicon, which promises to persistently produce or maintain effective T cells because the vaccine itself persists and continually immunises for extended periods. We intend to test the ability of this vaccine to persist and persistently produce effective CD8 T cells not only systemically in the blood system but also at mucosal surfaces, where HIV usually gains entry during sexual intercourse.Read moreRead less
Regulation Of Sympathetic Vasomotor Function By Brain Angiotensin: Cell-specific Modulation Of Function In Vivo.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$354,975.00
Summary
Adequate blood pressure is necessary for normal function. High blood pressure occurs in a proportion of the human population and causes many diseases such as stroke and heart failure. The factors producing high blood pressure are not known for most people who have this condition. We are investigating the role of the brain in the regulation of blood pressure and in this application we are testing whether increased activity in certain brain regions can cause high blood pressure.
Evaluation And Comparison Of Lentiviral And AAV Vector Mediated Gene Therapy For The Mucopolysaccharidoses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$521,320.00
Summary
The mucopolysaccharidoses are a group of inherited diseases that have profound consequences for affected individuals. They have pleiotropic effects and usually result in premature death. Although intravenous enzyme replacement therapy has been developed for a number of these disorders, this approach to therapy is invasive, very expensive, of limited efficacy, and is completely ineffective in treating brain pathology. The principal reason for this is the protected nature of the brain which preven ....The mucopolysaccharidoses are a group of inherited diseases that have profound consequences for affected individuals. They have pleiotropic effects and usually result in premature death. Although intravenous enzyme replacement therapy has been developed for a number of these disorders, this approach to therapy is invasive, very expensive, of limited efficacy, and is completely ineffective in treating brain pathology. The principal reason for this is the protected nature of the brain which prevents enzymes that are administered intravenously from entering. Therefore, alternative therapies must be considered in order to provide more effective therapy for the mucopolysaccharidoses, especially those that have significant brain pathology. Gene therapy is one such alternative therapy but this still faces the problem of introducing the therapeutic agent (in this case the gene encoding the requisite enzyme) into the brain. This project aims to provide a comparitive evaluation of two gene therapy vectors for their efficacy in treating all aspects of the pathology found in the mucopolysaccharidoses. Both vectors have the properties of being able to efficiently deliver genes to different cell types and result in the stable genetic modification of the target cell, making them ideal for long-term treatment. However, for effective gene therapy, significant and widely distributed gene delivery to the brain, as well as to other tissues, will be required. This project aims to compare the efficacy of these vectors in two different animal models of the mucopolysaccharidoses that exhibit a wide range of the clinical problems associated with these diseases, importantly including brain pathology.Read moreRead less