MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors conducted a literature search in four databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, and IEEE Xplore) and completed it in December 2022. Articles that do not directly address the application of drones for surveillance and control of mosquito breeding sites were excluded.

RESULTS: The initial search using the keywords yielded 623 documents. After screening abstracts and reviewing the full text, only 17 articles met the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies were in the proof-of-concept stage. Many studies have also incorporated drone technologies and machine learning techniques into surveillance efforts. The authors have highlighted seven key issues related to the operational aspects of using drones. Those are hardware, software, law and regulation, operating time, expertise, geography, and community involvement.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was performed to analyze studies that focused on plant-based extracts used for larvicidal purposes using databases such as Science Direct. Springer, PubMed, and Scopus. The inclusion criteria for publications were larvicidal effects, published in English from the year 2017 and availability of full-text articles. The available literature was further characterized by the value of larvicidal activities of LC50 and LC90 (< 50 ppm), of 22 different parts of plant species from 7 plant families namely Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Lauraceae, Magnoliaceae, Myrtaceae, Piperaceae and Rubiaceae.

RESULTS: When comparing the values of LC50, 12 plants species (Artemisia vulgaris, Crassocephalum crepidioides, Echinops grijsii, Melaleuca leucadendra, Neolitsea ellipsoidea, Pavetta tomentosa, Piper betle, Piper caninum, Piper Montium, Piper muntabile, Piper ovatum, Tarenna asiatica) showed promising larvicidal efficacies with LC50 < 10 ppm.

METHODOLOGY: The Hexarotor Agro Drone (Polardrone Sdn Bhd, Malaysia) was used to carry out larviciding using Vectobac® manufactured by Valent BioSciences LLC, Libertyville, USA. The drone flew at a height of 10 feet and at a speed of 5 m/s. A total of 32 items with 10 larvae in each item were placed to test the effectiveness of larviciding using UAV.

RESULTS: Out of 32 items used, 4 containers had a 100% larva mortality (13.3% mortality). The drone was not able to reach the designated spraying route that had been pre-programmed. This was due to interference with the electromagnetic waves emitted from the home satellite dishes, that were in front of the houses along the route.

METHODS: To assess the potential inhibitory activity of 29 phenolic acids from Theobroma cacao L. against DENV3-NS5 RdRp, a range of computational methods were employed. These included docking, drug-likeness analysis, ADMET prediction, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The aim of these studies was to confirm the stability of the ligand-protein complex and the binding pose identified during the docking experiment.

RESULTS: Twenty-one compounds were found to have possible inhibitory activities against DENV according to the docking data, and they had a binding affinity of ≥-37.417 kcal/mol for DENV3- enzyme as compared to the reference compound panduratin A. Additionally, the drug-likeness investigation produced four hit compounds that were subjected to ADMET screening to obtain the lead compound, catechin. Based on ELUMO, EHOMO, and band energy gap, the DFT calculations showed strong electronegetivity, favouravle global softness and chemical reactivity with considerable intra-molecular charge transfer between electron-donor to electron-acceptor groups for catechin. The MD simulation result also demonstrated favourable RMSD, RMSF, SASA and H-bonds in at the binding pocket of DENV3-NS5 RdRp for catechin as compared to panduratin A.

METHODS: A validated instrument was used to interview 399 randomly selected respondents from the public (n = 202, 50.6%) and scientists (n = 197, 49.4%) in the Klang Valley region of Malaysia. The data were analysed using PLS-SEM involving Smart-PLS software.

RESULTS: The results confirmed that stakeholder attitudes toward fogging should be viewed in terms of a multi-dimensional association. The stakeholders surveyed were highly positive with regard to the application of fogging to control dengue but professed moderate concerns as to associated risks. The PLS-SEM analyses demonstrated that the perceived benefit was the most important factor influencing attitudes, followed by trust in key players.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We assessed oral susceptibility of Malaysian Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus by real-time PCR to an Australian RRV strain SW2089. Replication kinetics in midgut, head and saliva were determined at 3 and 10 days post-infection (dpi). With a 3 log10 PFU/ml blood meal, infection rate was higher in Ae. albopictus (60%) than Ae. aegypti (15%; p<0.05). Despite similar infection rates at 5 and 7 log10 PFU/ml blood meals, Ae. albopictus had significantly higher viral loads and required a significantly lower median oral infectious dose (2.7 log10 PFU/ml) than Ae. aegypti (4.2 log10 PFU/ml). Ae. albopictus showed higher vector competence, with higher viral loads in heads and saliva, and higher transmission rate (RRV present in saliva) of 100% at 10 dpi, than Ae. aegypti (41%). Ae. aegypti demonstrated greater barriers at either midgut escape or salivary gland infection, and salivary gland escape. We then assessed seropositivity against RRV among 240 Kuala Lumpur inpatients using plaque reduction neutralization, and found a low rate of 0.8%.