BackgroundA dramatic decline in the incidence of malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum infection in coastal East Africa has recently been reported to be paralleled (or even preceded) by an equally dramatic decline in malaria vector density, despite absence of organized vector control. As part of investigations into possible causes for the change in vector population density, the present study analysed the Anopheles gambiae s.l. sibling species composition in north-eastern Tanzania.MethodsThe study was in two parts. The first compared current species complex composition in freshly caught An. gambiae s.l. complex from three villages to the composition reported from previous studies carried out 2–4 decades ago in the same villages. The second took advantage of a sample of archived dried An. gambiae s.l. complex specimens collected regularly from a fourth study village since 2005. Both fresh and archived dried specimens were identified to sibling species of the An. gambiae s.l. complex by PCR. The same specimens were moreover examined for Plasmodium falciparum and Wuchereria bancrofti infection by PCR.ResultsAs in earlier studies, An. gambiae s.s., Anopheles merus and Anopheles arabiensis were identified as sibling species found in the area. However, both study parts indicated a marked change in sibling species composition over time. From being by far the most abundant in the past An. gambiae s.s. was now the most rare, whereas An. arabiensis had changed from being the most rare to the most common. P. falciparum infection was rarely detected in the examined specimens (and only in An. arabiensis) whereas W. bancrofti infection was prevalent and detected in all three sibling species.ConclusionThe study indicates that a major shift in An. gambiae s.l. sibling species composition has taken place in the study area in recent years. Combined with the earlier reported decline in overall malaria vector density, the study suggests that this decline has been most marked for An. gambiae s.s., and least for An. arabiensis, leading to current predominance of the latter. Due to differences in biology and vectorial capacity of the An. gambiae s.l. complex the change in sibling species composition will have important implications for the epidemiology and control of malaria and lymphatic filariasis in the study area.

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Azabicycloheptenoylditerpene 1-((2E,6E,10E)-3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadeca-2,6,10,14-tetraenyl)-2-azabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-3-one (artamodamide, 1), diphenylpentanoid (E)-1,5-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-pent-1-en-3-one (artamenone, 2) and N-methoxy-5-oxoaporphinoid (artamonteirine, 3) were isolated as new metabolites from Artabotrys modestus Diels ssp macranthus Verdc. and Artabotrys monteiroae Oliv. (Annonaceae), together with several known compounds. Structures of the isolated compounds were established based on analysis of their spectroscopic data. Some of the compounds exhibited antimicrobial activity (minimum inhibitory concentration values between 2.5 and 20 µg mL⁻¹) and varying levels of mosquito larvicidal potency. These results further indicate the versatility of the family Annonaceae in accumulating bioactive natural products with diverse chemical structures and wide spectra of biological activities, and hence suggesting the need to conserve Annonaceae species that are potentially vulnerable to extinction.

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We report the development of a simplified procedure for restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of mushrooms. We have adapted standard molecular techniques to be amenable to an undergraduate laboratory setting in order to allow students to explore basic questions about fungal diversity and relatedness among mushroom species. The streamlined protocols allowed students to practice important molecular techniques within the context of self-designed investigative projects. This laboratory experience provided opportunities for students to practice strategies for examining molecular diversity among species.Keywords: RFLP analysis, biotechnology education, phylogenetic analysis, mushrooms.Hands-on, investigative laboratories have been widely incorporated as highly successful learning activities in undergraduate molecular biology curricula. In our biotechnology curriculum, we have designed project-based laboratories in which students work collaboratively in international research teams to develop multi-week research projects that provide the context for learning basic molecular technologies. This pedagogical strategy relies on self-motivation to drive student learning and allows students to apply their technical skills toward research questions developed from their own interests. To be successful, the project-based approach requires laboratory methodologies that are dependable, versatile, and easy for students to use. We have developed protocols for molecular phylogenetic analysis that are easily amenable to undergraduate courses in biotechnology or molecular biology. Students learn to apply a standard molecular method toward investigating phylogenetic relationships among fungi by conducting PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) 1 analysis with commercial mushrooms.