Haemagogus
Encyclopedia
Haemagogus, is a genus of mosquito
es belonging to the family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America
and northern South America
(including Trinidad
), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil
, and range as far as northern Argentina
. In the Rio Grande Do Sul
area of Brazil, one species, H. leucocelaenus, has been found carrying Yellow fever
virus. Several species have a distinct metallic sheen.
Several species of this genus are vectors in the transmission of "sylvan" or "jungle yellow fever" which is often carried by monkey
s in the forest
canopies
. Haemagogus spp. have also been found to carry the Mayaro virus and Ilheus
virus. As these mosquitoes, in general, have relatively long lives, they can transmit viruses for long periods.
They tend to live in the canopy of forests where the female lays eggs in between layers of tree bark or in cut bamboo
s. The eggs adhere to the surface and when submerged by rain water quickly develop into larva
.
monkey by two scientists from the Trinidad Regional Virus Laboratory
, (who was found to be suffering from yellow fever
) in 1953 provided the first indication that yellow fever was still endemic
in Trinidad although there had not been a case reliably reported from Trinidad since an outbreak in 1914.
It was discovered that a form of the disease "jungle yellow fever" was carried by Red Howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus insulanus Elliot) who provided a continuous reservoir for the disease and spread by the Haemagogus s. spegazzini mosquito which normally inhabits rainforest regions, both at ground level and in the treetops.
After Government felling of large stands of native forest, yellow fever was isolated from a patient from Cumaca in the northern range in 1954. It soon began to spread to human
s and be transmitted by the common Aedes aegypti
mosquitoes.
Blood specimens were taken from over 4,500 humans in late 1953 and early 1954, and checked to detect the presence of a wide variety of known viruses. Over 15% showed antibodies to yellow fever and more human cases quickly followed.
Warnings were made that an epidemic was imminent and Wilbur Downs
and Dr. A. E. (Ted) Hill, a specialist in Tropical medicine
, began a program of inoculating health workers and stockpiling vaccine. Trinidad health authorities followed up with large-scale vaccination and intensive anti-aegypti measures including public education, regular inspection for breeding sites, and spraying of domestic residences with DDT
. In spite of these measures, and the fact that an estimated 80% of the population of Port of Spain
were immune to yellow fever and dengue, several more cases were soon reported. Most probably due to the health measures taken it did not develop into a widespread epidemic in Trinidad itself.
An attempt was made to totally quarantine the island just before Christmas, 1954, but the disease quickly spread to the nearby mainland of Venezuela
and, from there, all the way to southern Mexico, probably killing several thousand people in the process.
In 1998 an epidemic of Yellow Fever killed many Howler monkeys near the city of Altamira in eastern Amazonia, in Brazil. The virus was isolated in specimens of Haemagogus janthinomys.
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
es belonging to the family Culicidae. They mainly occur in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and northern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
(including Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
), although some species inhabit forested areas of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and range as far as northern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. In the Rio Grande Do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
area of Brazil, one species, H. leucocelaenus, has been found carrying Yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
virus. Several species have a distinct metallic sheen.
Several species of this genus are vectors in the transmission of "sylvan" or "jungle yellow fever" which is often carried by monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
s in the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
canopies
Canopy (forest)
In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by plant crowns.For forests, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms .Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent...
. Haemagogus spp. have also been found to carry the Mayaro virus and Ilheus
Ilhéus
Ilhéus is a major city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia, Brazil, 430 km south of Salvador, the state's capital. The city was originally founded in 1534 as Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus and is known as one of the most important tourism centers of the northeast of Brazil.The...
virus. As these mosquitoes, in general, have relatively long lives, they can transmit viruses for long periods.
They tend to live in the canopy of forests where the female lays eggs in between layers of tree bark or in cut bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
s. The eggs adhere to the surface and when submerged by rain water quickly develop into larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
.
Species
- Haemagogus acutisentis Arnell, 1973
- Haemagogus aeritinctus Galindo & Trapido, 1967
- Haemagogus albomaculatus Theobald, 1903
- Haemagogus anastasionis Dyar, 1921
- Haemagogus andinus Osorno-Mesa, 1944
- Haemagogus argyromeris Dyar & Ludlow, 1921
- Haemagogus baresi Cerqueira, 1960
- Haemagogus boshelli Osorno-Mesa, 1944
- Haemagogus capricornii Lutz, 1904
- Haemagogus celeste Dyar & Nunez Tovar, 1926
- Haemagogus chalcospilans Dyar, 1921
- Haemagogus chrysochlorus Arnell, 1973
- Haemagogus clarki Galindo & Carpenter, 1952
- Haemagogus iridicolor Dyar, 1921
- Haemagogus janthinomys Dyar, 1921
- Haemagogus leucocelaenus Dyar & Shannon, 1924
- Haemagogus leucophoebus Galindo & Carpenter, 1952
- Haemagogus leucotaeniatus Komp, 1938
- Haemagogus lucifer Howard, Dyar & Knab, 1912
- Haemagogus mesodentatus Komp & Kumm, 1938
- Haemagogus nebulosus Arnell, 1973
- Haemagogus panarchys Dyar, 1921
- Haemagogus regalis Dyar & Knab, 1906
- Haemagogus soperi Levi-Castillo, 1955
- Haemagogus spegazzinii Brethes, 1912
- Haemagogus splendens Williston, 1896
- Haemagogus tropicalis Cerqueira & Antunes, 1938
Yellow fever epidemics involving Haemagogus spp.
The discovery of a sick Red HowlerRed howler
The red howlers are three species of howler monkeys that formerly were considered conspecific:* Venezuelan Red Howler - western Amazon Basin.* Guyanan Red Howler - north-eastern South America....
monkey by two scientists from the Trinidad Regional Virus Laboratory
Trinidad Regional Virus Laboratory
The Trinidad Regional Virus Laboratory was established in Port of Spain, in 1953 by the Rockefeller Foundation in co-operation with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. It was originally housed in an old wooden army barracks near the docks in Port of Spain...
, (who was found to be suffering from yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
) in 1953 provided the first indication that yellow fever was still endemic
Endemic (epidemiology)
In epidemiology, an infection is said to be endemic in a population when that infection is maintained in the population without the need for external inputs. For example, chickenpox is endemic in the UK, but malaria is not...
in Trinidad although there had not been a case reliably reported from Trinidad since an outbreak in 1914.
It was discovered that a form of the disease "jungle yellow fever" was carried by Red Howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus insulanus Elliot) who provided a continuous reservoir for the disease and spread by the Haemagogus s. spegazzini mosquito which normally inhabits rainforest regions, both at ground level and in the treetops.
After Government felling of large stands of native forest, yellow fever was isolated from a patient from Cumaca in the northern range in 1954. It soon began to spread to human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s and be transmitted by the common Aedes aegypti
Aedes aegypti
The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti is a mosquito that can spread the dengue fever, Chikungunya and yellow fever viruses, and other diseases. The mosquito can be recognized by white markings on legs and a marking in the form of a lyre on the thorax...
mosquitoes.
Blood specimens were taken from over 4,500 humans in late 1953 and early 1954, and checked to detect the presence of a wide variety of known viruses. Over 15% showed antibodies to yellow fever and more human cases quickly followed.
Warnings were made that an epidemic was imminent and Wilbur Downs
Wilbur Downs
Wilbur George Downs was a naturalist and virologist. He was born 7 August 1913 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey and died in Branford, Connecticut, 17 February 1991.-Career:...
and Dr. A. E. (Ted) Hill, a specialist in Tropical medicine
Tropical medicine
Tropical medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with health problems that occur uniquely, are more widespread, or prove more difficult to control in tropical and subtropical regions....
, began a program of inoculating health workers and stockpiling vaccine. Trinidad health authorities followed up with large-scale vaccination and intensive anti-aegypti measures including public education, regular inspection for breeding sites, and spraying of domestic residences with DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
. In spite of these measures, and the fact that an estimated 80% of the population of Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
were immune to yellow fever and dengue, several more cases were soon reported. Most probably due to the health measures taken it did not develop into a widespread epidemic in Trinidad itself.
An attempt was made to totally quarantine the island just before Christmas, 1954, but the disease quickly spread to the nearby mainland of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and, from there, all the way to southern Mexico, probably killing several thousand people in the process.
In 1998 an epidemic of Yellow Fever killed many Howler monkeys near the city of Altamira in eastern Amazonia, in Brazil. The virus was isolated in specimens of Haemagogus janthinomys.
External links
- http://www.eol.org/pages/54794
- "Isolations of yellow fever virus from Haemagogus leucocelaenus in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil" by Pedro F.C. Vasconcelos, et al., in Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, Volume 97, Issue 1, Pages 60–62 (January 2003), abstract downloaded from: http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/trstmh/article/PIIS003592030390023X/abstract]
- World Health Report on Yellow Fever