H. M. Al-Amin

• M. Sc
• PhD Student at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Malaria is a major health burden in the border-belt areas of Bangladesh. There are recent data from adult mosquito collections that a number of vectors are involved in the transmission cycle. However, little information regarding the larval habitats of Anopheles mosquitoes are available in Bangladesh. To start filling this gap, a cross-sectional la...

Background Diseases caused by mosquito-borne pathogens remain an important source of morbidity and mortality in Bangladesh. To better control the vectors that transmit the agents of disease, and hence the diseases they cause, and to appreciate the diversity of the family Culicidae, it is important to have an up-to-date list of the species present i...

Despite the recommendation for the use of merozoite surface protein 1 (msp1), merozoite surface protein 2 (msp2), and glutamate-rich protein (glurp) genes as markers in drug efficacy studies by World Health Organization and their limited use in Bangladesh, the circulating Plasmodium falciparum population genetic structure has not yet been assessed...

Mosquito sampling during Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV)-associated studies, particularly in India, has usually been conducted via aspirators or light traps to catch mosquitoes around cattle, which are dead-end hosts for JEV. High numbers of Culex tritaeniorhynchus, relative to other species, have often been caught during these studies. Less freq...

Background Despite the efforts of the National Malaria Control Programme, malaria remains as an important public health problem in Bangladesh, particularly in the south-eastern region bordering India. Successful malaria control strategies rely on a detailed understanding of the underlying causes of malaria transmission. Here, an entomological surv...

Dengue cases in Bangladesh have surged in recent years. The existing insecticide-based control program, implemented in parts of the country, is challenged by issues of insufficient household coverage and high levels of insecticide resistance in the primary dengue virus (DENV) vector, Aedes aegypti. A more sustainable, effective alternative could be...

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a major threat to human health. Bangladesh is considering introducing a JEV vaccine; however, the investment case is hampered by a limited understanding of key aspects of JEV ecology. We conducted a seroprevalence study in a high-incidence region using an assay that limits cross-reactivity with dengue virus. We...

There is an increasing global burden from chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Bangladesh reported a major epidemic in 2017, but it was unclear whether there had been prior widespread transmission. We conducted a nationally representative seroprevalence survey in 70 randomly selected communities immediately before the epidemic. We found that 69 of 2938 sampl...

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is responsible for a rapidly increasing but poorly understood infection burden globally. Bangladesh experienced its first reported outbreak in 2008. Despite a number of subsequent isolated outbreaks, culminating in an enormous nationwide epidemic in 2017, very little is known about the burden or dynamics of chikungunya wit...

Background Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a major threat to human health. Bangladesh is considering introducing a JEV vaccine, however, the investment case is hampered by a poor understanding of key aspects of JEV ecology, including underlying patterns of infection, the infection fatality ratio, and which host and vectors maintain transmissio...

Great advances in automated identification systems, or ‘smart traps’, that differentiate insect species have been made in recent years, yet demonstrations of field-ready devices under free-flight conditions remain rare. Here, we describe the results of mixed-species identification of female mosquitoes using an advanced optoacoustic smart trap desig...

Background Culex (Cx.) tritaeniorhynchus is an invasive mosquito species with an extensive and expanding inter-continental distribution, currently reported across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and now Australia. It is an important vector of medical and veterinary pathogens which cause significant morbidity and mortality in human and animal...

Great advances in automated identification systems, or ‘smart traps’, that differentiate insect species have been made in recent years, yet demonstrations of field-ready devices under free-flight conditions remain rare. Here, we describe the results of mixed-species identification using an advanced optoacoustic smart trap design under free-flying c...

Abstract Background Joint efforts by government and non-government organizations have helped to reduce malaria in Bangladesh and set the country on a clear path to eventual malaria elimination. However, achieving that goal would be challenging without a comprehensive understanding of vector bionomics. Methods Targeted capturing of Anopheles mosquit...

BACKGROUND With no effective drugs or widely available vaccines, dengue control in Bangladesh is dependent on targeting the primary vector Aedes aegypti with insecticides and larval source management. Despite these interventions, the dengue burden is increasing in Bangladesh, and the country experienced its worst outbreak in 2019 with 101 354 hospi...

Background Bangladesh has reduced malaria incidence and mortality by over 75% between 2010 and 2020. Widespread long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) distribution and use is one of the measures responsible for this success. Recalcitrant malaria hotspots within the Chittagong Hill Tracts districts suggest important drivers of malaria risk may remain...

Tick and tick-borne diseases cause significant impediments to livestock health and production; however, information on the tick fauna is significantly limited in Bangladesh. This study was aimed to investigate tick fauna in Sylhet sub-district of Bangladesh targeting animal hosts and environment. A total 1427 ticks were collected by using blunt for...

Culex (Cx.) tritaeniorhynchus is a mosquito species with an extensive and expanding inter-continental geographic distribution, currently reported in over 50 countries, across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and now Australia. It is an important vector of medical and veterinary concern, capable of transmitting multiple arboviruses which cause...

Aedes albopictus is a highly invasive mosquito species and a vector of human arboviral diseases including dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. There are no effective drugs or vaccines for the treatment or prevention of most of these diseases, so the primary option for disease prevention and control is to target mosquitoes, often using insecticides. Despi...

Background Arboviral diseases, including dengue and chikungunya, are major public health concerns in Bangladesh where there have been unprecedented levels of transmission reported in recent years. The primary approach to control these diseases is to control the vector Aedes aegypti using pyrethroid insecticides. Although chemical control has long b...

Arboviral diseases including dengue and chikungunya are a major public health concern in Bangladesh, with unprecedented levels of transmission reported in recent years. The primary approach to control these diseases is control of Aedes aegypti using pyrethroid insecticides. Although chemical control is long-practiced, no comprehensive analysis of A...

According to the WHO, unmanaged insecticide resistance may lead to increases in malaria-related mortality and morbidity. Bangladesh, having made significant progress in malaria control efforts, has recently seen an upswing in malaria cases-58% of which occurred in Bandarban district. Toward identifying entomological drivers of increased malaria, an...

Anopheles jeyporiensis and Anopheles nivipes appear to play an important role in contemporary malaria transmission in Bangladesh. However, very little is known about the natural host selection of these vectors. Therefore, host selection of these two species was investigated in Bandarban, the most malarious region of Bangladesh. A total of 480 engor...

Serostudies are needed to answer generalizable questions on disease risk. However, recruitment is usually biased by age or location. We present a nationally-representative study for dengue from 70 communities in Bangladesh. We collected data on risk factors, trapped mosquitoes and tested serum for IgG. Out of 5,866 individuals, 24% had evidence of...

Background Careful monitoring for recrudescence of Wuchereria bancrofti infection is necessary in communities where mass drug administration (MDA) for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) as a public health problem has been stopped. During the post-MDA period, transmission assessment surveys (TAS) are recommended by the World Health Organiz...

Mosquito collection, pooling, and village data. (XLSX)

Dengue viruses are responsible for over 100 million infections a year worldwide and are a public health concern in Bangladesh. Although risk of transmission is high, data on vector population characteristics are scanty in Bangladesh; therefore, a comprehensive prediction of the patterns of local virus transmission is not possible. Recognizing these...

Contribution of positive and key premises in the production of Aedes positive containers and immature mosquito populations in Dhaka, Bangladesh (2011–2013). (DOCX)

Background Malaria, being a mosquito-borne infectious disease, is still one of the most devastating global health issues. The malaria vector Anopheles vagus is widely distributed in Asia and a dominant vector in Bandarban, Bangladesh. However, despite its wide distribution, no agent based model (ABM) of An. vagus has yet been developed. Additionall...

Details of mosquito collections by village. (DOCX)

Multiple linear regression analyzing the number of hosts in a household (n = 123) as explanatory variables for the log (x + 1) number of mosquitoes caught in light traps, for the four most common species by light trap. (DOCX)

Locations of villages in Bangladesh subject to entomological survey. (TIFF)

Mosquito species comprising less than 5% of resting collection near oviposition sites (method 1) or light trap near hosts (method 2). (DOCX)

Despite relentless efforts, malaria remains a cause of death in Bangladesh, particularly in the south-eastern region bordering India. Successful malaria control strategies rely greatly on the detailed understanding of the underlying causes of malaria transmission. Therefore, entomological collections were undertaken during October 2010 to September...

More than 90% malaria cases of Bangladesh are caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Despite the recommendation for the use of msp1, msp2, and glurp as markers in drug efficacy studies by WHO and their limited use in Bangladesh, still the circulating P. falciparum population genetic structure has not been assessed systematically in the country. The prese...

Mosquito borne diseases such as Malaria, Dengue Fever (DF), Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) are still responsible for mortality and morbidity in Bangladesh. To reveal the species diversity of medically important mosquito fauna an entomological survey was undertaken in Matiranga sub-district, Khagrachari bordering Indian state...

Understanding pathogen transmission dynamics is imperative for identifying and implementing cost effective interventions for optimal impact. One of the first steps toward understanding transmission dynamics of mosquito-borne zoonoses is to identify the host and vector species necessary for maintaining, amplifying and bridging transmission to humans...

Background: A clear understanding of the social and behavioral risk factors, and knowledge gaps, related to exposure to malaria are essential when developing guidelines and recommendations for more effective disease prevention in many malaria endemic areas of the world including Bangladesh and elsewhere in the South East Asia. To-date, the level o...

Within the framework of our Mapping Malaria Epidemiology of Bandarban project, a survey was conducted for breeding habitats of vector mosquitoes during September-October 2011. The survey was carried out in seven of the 24 study clusters in two unions (Kuhalong and Rajbila), based on malaria incidence. The survey team screened mosquito larvae from n...

The mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus Say, is a vector of Wuchereria bancrofti Cobbold, an etiological agent of Human Lymphatic Filariasis (HLF), which, in its more extreme manifestations is known as elephantia-sis. Th is debilitating disease is still prevalent in many tropics and subtropics, particularly in the Old World tropics. Th e effi cacy of...

In Bangladesh, information associated to malaria vectors is inadequate. Various Anopheles species may be incriminated and play role in the transmission cycle. This study was designed with as intention to identify anopheline mosquitoes and possible malaria vectors in a hilly and border belt area, where malaria is endemic. Anopheles mosquitoes were c...