Biologists have created a digital repository of important vectors that carry and transmit pathogens to humans and livestock in India1.
The database, called VectorInfo, contains biological information such as genes and genome sequences, proteins and metabolic pathways about 53 species of vectors found in India, the researchers say. Such a database will aid researchers studying vectors and vector-borne diseases.
Scientists from the Vector Control Research Centre and the Pondicherry University, both in Pondicherry, India, developed VectorInfo by collecting data from sources such as the research literature, reference books, manually curated databases and data from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information.
The online database has seven sections, including biology, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, enzymes and their pathways, immune-specific genes and insecticides.
It offers 2498 pieces of omics data that correspond to global analyses of proteins, genes, metabolites, lipids, DNA and modified proteins in chromosomes related to the vectors. The site has information about insecticides that are used to kill important disease-carrying insects such as mosquitoes, flies, fleas, ticks and mites.
The metabolic pathways of each vector species were collected from all the available databases and research articles, and accumulated onto a single web page for easy browsing. The data about immune-specific genes for each vector species are available in a text file for easy download.
The insecticide section outlines the list of chemicals and medicinal-plant-derived insecticides that targets multiple stages of vectors, such as egg, larva and adult.
References
1. Gopal, J. et al. VectorInfo: A web resource for medically important Indian arthropod disease vectors. Acta. Tropica. 211, 105601 (2020) doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105601
