The mystery of a well-traveled kissing bug
On an August morning last year, an American couple soon to embark on a European river cruise awoke in a luxury hotel in Lisbon.
Plants & Animals
Aug 31, 2026
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17
Research news on disease vectors
Disease vectors are living organisms, typically arthropods such as mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, sandflies, and triatomine bugs, that biologically or mechanically transmit pathogenic agents between hosts, thereby enabling the spread of infectious diseases within populations and ecosystems. In vector-borne disease systems, pathogens often undergo essential developmental or replication stages within the vector (biological transmission), or are passively carried on contaminated body parts (mechanical transmission). Research on disease vectors encompasses their ecology, population dynamics, host-feeding behavior, vector competence, insecticide resistance, and interactions with environmental and climatic factors, informing surveillance, risk modeling, and integrated vector management strategies for disease control.
Researchers map tick habitat to strengthen African swine fever preparedness
A small, nest-dwelling tick found across large parts of Texas could play an outsized role in how the United States responds to African swine fever (ASF) should the virus reach domestic or wild pigs.
Ecology
Aug 26, 2026
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9
Long-term study reveals hidden threat of schistosomiasis in endangered chimpanzees
A 12-year study of rescued chimpanzees at the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary (NICS) in Uganda has revealed persistent intestinal schistosomiasis infections, highlighting the need for long-term disease surveillance to ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 24, 2026
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9
The bloodsucking insect with a saw for a mouth: How the tsetse fly bites through almost anything
Tsetse flies transmit some of Africa's most persistent parasitic diseases. They have affected human health, livestock production and rural development for generations, across a region spanning millions of square kilometers ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 19, 2026
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19
35-year monitoring study clarifies ecological forces behind Lyme disease risk
Tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the United States. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported, with nearly half a million people diagnosed each year. Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, it is most often spread ...
Ecology
Aug 17, 2026
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283
Scholar's work in South America helps fight Chagas disease in the U.S.
A three-month Fulbright U.S. Scholar trip to Argentina wasn't just about bringing Texas know-how to South America for Gabriel Hamer, Ph.D., a Texas A&M AgriLife Research entomologist and professor in the Department of Entomology ...
Ecology
Aug 14, 2026
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16
How drought is reshaping the spread of infectious diseases
From the American West to Europe, droughts are drying up rivers, fueling destructive fires and reshaping ecosystems. They are also changing the spread of infectious diseases, leading to surges in illnesses like cholera and ...
Ecology
Aug 12, 2026
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38
The lasting impacts of West Nile virus on Pennsylvania bird populations
A new study out of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine suggests that West Nile virus (WNV) has had impacts on one in five Pennsylvania bird species, demonstrating how decades of community science ...
Ecology
Aug 10, 2026
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8
US firm takes on backyard mosquitoes—with 600,000 mosquitoes
Todd Montgomery pops the lid off a small tube and taps out hundreds of mosquitoes into the backyard of a suburban home outside Washington.
Ecology
Aug 7, 2026
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187
Globally spreading ticks evolved asexual reproduction multiple times
The Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, spreads serious pathogens, including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus, Rickettsia and Theileria, and its bite can cause a meat allergy in humans. ...
Ecology
Aug 4, 2026
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