报告题目： On a neglected insect-borne disease, its vectors, and the study of behavior to promote a rational control of parasite transmission

报告人：Professor Marcelo G. Lorenzo （Oswaldo Cruz Foundation）

报告时间：2022年6月23日（周四16:00-17:30）

Zoom会议：878 4511 8230 密码：123456

摘要：Insect-borne pathogens cause a dramatic impact on public health worldwide. A subset of them is part of the list of neglected diseases that normally affect large contingents of people in remote rural areas of poorly developed regions. A characteristic example is Chagas disease, a human illness caused by a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi which fundamentally affects many rural populations in Latin America. When infecting humans, this parasite promotes a silent chronic infection which eventually develops into cardiac and digestive symptoms. Due to these reasons, Chagas disease kills thousands of people in an area that extends from Mexico to central Argentina. The pathogen is transmitted to people through the feces of blood-sucking insects called triatomines, or most commonly, kissing bugs. As no vaccine is available for preventing transmission, current control programs rely on the application of insecticides. Nevertheless, the two main species transmitting T. cruzi have already developed insecticide-resistant populations that jeopardize efficient control. Therefore, new methods for controlling Chagas disease vector insects are needed to cope with these downsides of current control programs.

Modern pest-control methods rely on specific tools such as the manipulation of insect behavior and physiology. These allow restricting the use of insecticides and thus permit more sustainable and environmentally friendly control procedures. Our focus is to uncover critical aspects of vector insect behavior in order to facilitate the development of specific pest control tools. Few cases will be covered here in order to exemplify the potential of behaviorally-based tools for the manipulation of pest-insect populations.

主讲人简介：Marcelo G. Lorenzo is the professor at Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazil and MAK’IT Fellow. The best of his research interests are ecology, gene, genetics. His primary areas of investigation include Triatominae, Ecology, Triatoma infestans, Heteroptera and Reduviidae. His Triatominae research is multidisciplinary, incorporating elements of Vector, Biological dispersal and Chagas disease. His studies deal with areas such as Genetics, Gene and Putative gene as well as Ecology. The study incorporates disciplines such as Common spatial pattern, Feces and Environmental factor in addition to Triatoma infestans. His Heteroptera research is multidisciplinary, incorporating perspectives in Pheromone, Microclimate and Habitat. In his research, Rhodnius prolixus and Rhodnius is intimately related to Sex pheromone, which falls under the overarching field of Pheromone. Now, he has published more than 100 academic papers in related regions.

PS: About Oswaldo Cruz Foundation
The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Portuguese Fundao Oswaldo Cruz, also known as FIOCRUZ) is a scientific institution for research and development in biomedical sciences located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it is considered one of the world's main public health research institution. It was founded by Dr. Oswaldo Cruz, a noted physician and epidemiologist. The Federal Serum Therapy Institute was established with the objective of developing serum and vaccines against the bubonic plague. The institute's activities, however, changed from simple production into research and experimental medicine, especially after Oswaldo Cruz assumed its leadership in 1902.