Anopheles: From 3 Different Sources
A mosquito genus in the subfamily Anophelinae. Only certain species transmit human malaria and filariasis.
The generic name of a widely distributed group of mosquitoes, certain species of which transmit to humans the parasitic protozoa Plasmodium, the agent that causes MALARIA. Anopheles maculipennis and A. bifurcatus are both found in England and can both transmit the malaria parasite.
n. a genus of widely distributed mosquitoes, occurring in tropical and temperate regions, with some 350 species. The malarial parasite (see Plasmodium) is transmitted to humans solely through the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. Some species of Anopheles may transmit the parasites of bancroftian *filariasis.
Notifiable disease. The world’s No 1 public health enemy. Affects 108 nations. Still kills millions of people each year. Probably has claimed more lives than all the wars of history. In the 1960s was believed to have been eradicated but has made a dramatic reappearance due to the malaria-carrying mosquito’s resistance to insecticides. Few modern drugs have proved a match for malaria; quinine drugs of proven reliability still used. Quinine (Peruvian bark) has a history of safety and efficacy.
The disease is transmitted by the anopheles protozoa. Old cases present with fever, jaundice, diarrhoea and confusion.
Symptoms: incubation 2-5 weeks. Onset sudden, with shivering and high fever (104°F), headache, vomiting. Symptoms recur every 2-3 days. Blood sample examination confirms.
Treatment. Drugs once useful in the fight against malaria are losing their effectiveness. Drug resistance becomes a major problem; in which case the remedies of antiquity have something to offer.
Alternatives. Yarrow was once regarded as the Englishman’s Quinine. Nettle tea (Dr Compton Burnett). Prickly Ash (Ellingwood). Barberry, Chiretta, Peruvian bark BHP (1983). Mountain Grape (Berberis aquifolium) (Ellingwood). Wild Indigo, cases of extreme prostration (Dr Wm Boericke).
Sweet Wormwood. The Chinese Qing Hao (Artemisia annua) proved beneficial for millennia before Quinine arrived on the scene. Its re-discovery by Professor Nelson is declared ‘very effective’.
Formula. Liquid Extracts: Boneset 1; Yarrow 1; Barberry half; Valerian half. Few drops Tincture Capsicum. Dose: 1-2 teaspoons every 2 hours.
Malaria was rife in parts of America, especially Arkansus. During the Civil War it was difficult to obtain Quinine and various alternatives were tried. Where symptoms of chills and intermittent fever presented, Gelsemium gained considerable reputation as a substitute, also as a preventative. A favourite prescription was three drops tincture in a little brandy every 2-3 hours before the chill, and repeated every hour.
Dr M.H. Grannell, Sinaloa, Mexico. “I do not doubt that I treat more malaria than any other five physicians in the United States. My sole remedy, unless other indications present themselves, is Gelsemium. I give the following with never-failing results: 30 drops Tincture Gelsemium in 4oz water. Dose: 1 teaspoon hourly.” (Ellingwood, June 1920)
Thomas Nuttall, botanist. In 1819, when on tour in Arkansus, relieved a malarial attack with decoction of Boneset.
David Hoffman, MNIMH. 1 teaspoon Peruvian bark in each cup boiling water; infuse 30 minutes. Thrice daily.
Diet. 3-day fast.
Treatment by or in liaison with a general medical practitioner. ... malaria
See ANOPHELES; BITES AND STINGS; MALARIA.... mosquitoes
n. a genus of threadlike parasitic worms (see filaria). B. malayi infects humans throughout southeast Asia, causing *filariasis and *elephantiasis (especially of the feet and legs). B. pahangi, a parasite of wild cats and domestic animals, produces an allergic condition in humans, with coughing, breathing difficulty, and an increase in the number of *eosinophils in the blood. Brugia undergoes part of its development in mosquitoes of the genera Anopheles and Mansonia, which transmit the parasite from host to host.... brugia
n. a disease, common in the tropics and subtropics, caused by the presence in the lymph vessels of the parasitic nematode worms Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi (see filaria). The worms, which are transmitted to humans by various mosquitoes (including Aëdes, Culex, Anopheles, and Mansonia), bring about inflammation and eventual blocking of lymph vessels, which causes the surrounding tissues to swell (see elephantiasis). The rupture of urinary lymphatics may lead to the presence of *chyle in the urine. Filariasis is treated with the drug *diethylcarbamazine.... filariasis
n. a small winged bloodsucking insect belonging to a large group – the *Diptera (two-winged flies). Its mouthparts are formed into a long proboscis for piercing the skin and sucking blood. Female mosquitoes transmit the parasites responsible for several major infectious diseases, such as *malaria. The mosquito-borne zika virus has recently been shown to cause *microcephaly. See Anopheles; Aëdes; Culex.... mosquito
(joint-breaker fever) a disease of Africa and Malaysia, caused by an *arbovirus and transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus *Anopheles. It is similar to *dengue and symptoms include rigor, severe headache, an irritating rash, fever, and pains in the joints. The patient is given drugs to relieve the pain and fever.... o’nyong nyong fever
n. a member of a large group of mainly land-dwelling *arthropods. The body of the adult is divided into a head, thorax, and abdomen. The head bears a single pair of sensory antennae; the thorax bears three pairs of legs and, in most insects, wings (these are absent in some parasitic groups, such as lice and fleas). Some insects are of medical importance. Various bloodsucking insects transmit tropical diseases, for example the female Anopheles mosquito transmits malaria and the tsetse fly transmits sleeping sickness. The bites of lice can cause intense irritation and, secondarily, bacterial infection. The organisms causing diarrhoea and dysentery can be conveyed to food on the bodies of flies. See also myiasis.... insect
n. a genus of protozoans (see Sporozoa) that live as parasites within human red blood cells and liver cells. The parasite undergoes its asexual development (see schizogony) in humans and completes the sexual phase of its development (see sporogony) in the stomach and digestive glands of a bloodsucking *Anopheles mosquito. Four species cause *malaria: P. vivax, P. ovale, P. falciparum, and P. malariae.... plasmodium
n. a group of parasitic protozoans that includes *Plasmodium, the malaria parasite. Most sporozoans do not have cilia or flagella. Sporozoan life cycles are complex and usually involve both sexual and asexual stages. Some sporozoans are parasites of invertebrates, and the parasites are passed to new hosts by means of spores. Sporozoans that parasitize vertebrates are transmitted from host to host by invertebrates, which act as intermediate hosts. For example, the mosquito Anopheles is the intermediate host of Plasmodium.... sporozoa
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