Mosquitos

Mosquitos: Species, Distribution and Disease opens with a discussion on the potential use of plant-derived saponins as a natural larvicide to help prevent and control disease outbreaks in mosquito-infested areas. The general background of saponins, examples of saponin-containing plants and the uses of crude saponins are furthermore discussed. The authors develop practical perspectives on controlling tropical disease vectors in an eco-friendly manner. The authors also provide updated lists of the mosquito species present in the eastern states of the Arabian Peninsula, with information on their collection sites and distribution. New records of some adults are published for the first time from Qatar. An investigation of the morbidity of epidemic vector-borne diseases is also considered. Intracellular population dynamics of viruses under a set of biologically sound parameter values are studied, and statistical tools are used to quantify the estimability of model parameters under distinct scenarios. The resulting mathematical model can also be applied in clinical settings where there is a growing body of work on the within-host dissemination of flaviviruses.