GLOBAL EXPERIENCE

Since its inception, Genesis Labs has strived to conduct environmental, vector-control, resource management, and invasive species research throughout the world. Diverse project span an array of disciplines.  Here are a few of such projects: 

Sierra Leone, Africa.  Lassa fever and rodent control.  This deadly disease which kills thousands of Africans each year, has the multimmate rat as the main vector of the disease. People contract the disease by touching, cooking, and eating the rodent, which traditionally has been considered a delicacy in parts of West Africa. The UN maintained eight refugee camps in eastern Sierra Leone not far from the border of Liberia.   80,000 refugees fled Liberia to escape civil war.  Confined to refugee camps, the residents were basically given a situation with the disease carrying rodents.  Through the efforts of the International Rescue Committee, Genesis was contracted to consult and help develop an inexpensive rodent control program.  Traps were designed to complement the use of expensive glue traps, and provide an inexpensive means of ridding the camps of the deadly disease-carrying rodent.

China.  Plague continues to be an issue in many parts of China.  This endemic disease kills scores of people.  Working with the Plague Research Institute, Genesis helped evaluate the effective of rodent management programs, to ensure a reduced-risk in eliminating these disease-carrying vermin. 

 Tunisia.  Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that ranges from north and East Africa, through the Middle East into India.  Working with the US DoD and Tunisian Pasteur Institute, Genesis staff developed feed-through products that are presented to rodents, absorbed into the blood, and kill the blood-sucking vector, which is the sand fly.  This small insect accounts for thousand of case of the disease each year. 

Uruguay.  The Rufus-capped blackbird is a destructive birds that consumes millions of tons of crops grown in South America each year.  Government and private companies have tried for years to develop repellent products to reduce the damage inflicted by this species.  Genesis operated a lab in Uruguay, developed, and registered a bird repellent for use in rice fields. 

India.  Considered a neglected disease, visceral leishmaniasis kills thousands of people each from eastern Africa through India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Of the 500,000 new cases each year globally, over 90% of the cases occur from northeastern India.  Genesis received a three-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop products to control the vector, a small sand fly, the size of a gnat.  Since cattle are revered and often taken into the home at night, cattle as the main source of blood meals for this blood-sucking vector, attract the sand flies which carry the disease.  These insects bite humans and transmit the disease organism which results in visceral leishmaniasis, known as Kala-azar in India.  With experience in product development and the use of systemic insecticides and insect growth regulators, Genesis staff have embarked on developing low cost products that can be use by farmers to control the sand fly vector, thus reducing the possible number of cases of the disease.  The project, still going on, is rather complex and involves laboratory and field research, PCR to determine the source of blood meals, registration of the products, and distribution within an area of India that has a pour product distribution network. ...See more

Niger, Africa.  Work in national parks in West Africa has enabled Genesis staff to help develop wildlife management programs and park development plans.  Research has ranged from elephants to rodents, birds, and bats.  Experience included basic census technique development, organizing an international conference on National Park Management in West Africa, collection and identification of local mammalian and avian fauna, and the construction of over 500 km of roads through parks to areas with dense game populations.

Indonesia.  Having a dense human population, Indonesia has an effective agricultural production system.  Unfortunately rodents play havoc in inflicting damage to rice crops.  Working with agricultural officials, Genesis staff helped develop a series of rodent control products to help reduce crop damage.

Sudan.  Rodent damage surveys in regions near Khartoum.  This also involved laboratory studies, methods for quantifying damage, recommendation relative to control measure, and implementation of project. 

Bangladesh.  This multi-year project involved identification of vertebrate pest problems in agriculture, including rodents, birds, jackals, and elephants.  For rodents extensive laboratory and field testing was conducted to recommend products for the commercial market.  Damage assessments in cereal crops revealed about 12% of total crop production was lost to rats before harvest.  Radio-tracking studies were conducted on jackals and their impact on agriculture, such as vegetable and crop production.  Studies were done with repellents in attempts to reduce crop damage by birds to sprouting wheat and rice.  A research laboratory was constructed, personnel trained, and the operation turned over to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Similar research projects were performed in about 40 other countries around the globe.