title: The Invasive American Weed Parthenium hysterophorus Can Negatively Impact Malaria Control in Africa.
abstract: The direct negative effects of invasive plant species on agriculture and biodiversity are well known, but their indirect effects on human health, and particularly their interactions with disease-transmitting vectors, remains poorly explored. This study sought to investigate the impact of the invasive Neotropical weed Parthenium hysterophorus and its toxins on the survival and energy reserves of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. In this study, we compared the fitness of An. gambiae fed on three differentially attractive mosquito host plants and their major toxins; the highly aggressive invasive Neotropical weed Parthenium hysterophorus (Asteraceae) in East Africa and two other adapted weeds, Ricinus communis (Euphorbiaceae) and Bidens pilosa (Asteraceae). Our results showed that female An. gambiae fitness varied with host plants as females survived better and accumulated substantial energy reserves when fed on P. hysterophorus and R. communis compared to B. pilosa. Females tolerated parthenin and 1-phenylhepta-1, 3, 5-triyne, the toxins produced by P. hysterophorus and B. pilosa, respectively, but not ricinine produced by R. communis. Given that invasive plants like P. hysterophorus can suppress or even replace less competitive species that might be less suitable host-plants for arthropod disease vectors, the spread of invasive plants could lead to higher disease transmission. Parthenium hysterophorus represents a possible indirect effect of invasive plants on human health, which underpins the need to include an additional health dimension in risk-analysis modelling for invasive plants.
authors.affiliation: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Box 30772 Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Vincent O
authors.initials: VO
authors.lastname: Nyasembe
authors.affiliation: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Box 30772 Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cheseto
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, 1700 Southwest 23 Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608, United States of America; Kaplan Schiller Research LLC., PO Box 13853, Gainesville, FL, 32604, United States of America.
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology,The Ohio State University,318W 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, United States of America.
authors.forename: Woodbridge A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, 1700 Southwest 23 Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608, United States of America.
authors.forename: Peter E A
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Teal
authors.affiliation: Center for Chemical Ecology, Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, 14 University Park, PA 16802, United States of America.
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tumlinson
authors.affiliation: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Box 30772 Nairobi, Kenya; Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Str. 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Borgemeister
authors.affiliation: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Box 30772 Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Baldwyn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Torto
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D000480:Alkynes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology*; D019659:Asteraceae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000187:drug effects / Q000469:parasitology; D058865:Introduced Species; D007630:Kenya; D008288:Malaria / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053279:Polyynes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D011728:Pyridones / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D012278:Ricinus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D064210:Secondary Metabolism; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D000480:Alkynes; D011728:Pyridones; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C019550:ricinine; D053279:Polyynes; C019518:phenylheptatriyne; C022097:parthenin