Diptera: Culicidae) in RELATION to EPIZOOTIC TRANSMISSION of EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS in CENTRAL FLORIDA

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Diptera: Culicidae) in RELATION to EPIZOOTIC TRANSMISSION of EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS in CENTRAL FLORIDA SEASONAL CHANGES IN HOST USE AND VECTORIAL CAPACITY OF Culiseta melanura (Diptera: Culicidae) IN RELATION TO EPIZOOTIC TRANSMISSION OF EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA By RICHARD G. WEST A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2019 © 2019 Richard G. West 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisor Nathan Burkett-Cadena for his invaluable guidance and instruction and Derrick Mathias and Jonathan Day for serving on my committee and sharing their expertise and helpful input. I would like to thank the following for their assistance with mosquito sampling: Carl Boohene, Jackson Mosley, Hugo Ortiz Saavedra, and Roger Johnson at Polk County Mosquito Control District; Kelly Deutsch, Rafael Melendez, and others at Orange County Mosquito Control District; and Sue Bartlett, Miranda Tressler, Hong Chen, Drake Falcon, Tia Vasconcellos, and Brandi Anderson at Volusia County Mosquito Control District. This study could not have been done without their cooperation and hard work. I would also like to thank Carolina Acevedo for help with bloodmeal analysis, Erik Blosser for help with mosquito identifications, Diana Rojas and Annsley West for helping with field collections, and to all the faculty, staff, and students at FMEL for their support and encouragement. Finally, I thank my wife Annsley for her faithful encouragement and love and for my Lord Jesus and family for their support. This research is supported by the CDC Southeast Gateway Center of Excellence and the University of Florida. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 3 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ 6 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... 7 LIST OF DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................. 8 ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 11 Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus and Culiseta melanura ..................................... 11 Seasonality of EEEV ............................................................................................... 13 2 SEASONAL HOST USE OF Culiseta melanura ..................................................... 15 Materials and Methods............................................................................................ 17 Field Locations ................................................................................................. 17 Mosquito Sampling ........................................................................................... 17 Bloodmeal Analysis .......................................................................................... 18 Results .................................................................................................................... 21 Culiseta melanura Bloodmeals ......................................................................... 21 Seasonal Host Use ........................................................................................... 22 Avian Host Diversity and Residency ................................................................. 23 Mammalian Bloodmeals ................................................................................... 24 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 25 3 SEASONAL CHANGES IN VECTORIAL CAPACITY OF Culiseta melanura FOR EEEV IN CENTRAL FLORIDA ....................................................................... 41 Seasonality of EEEV in Florida ............................................................................... 41 Vectorial Capacity ................................................................................................... 41 Materials and Methods............................................................................................ 46 Parity Determinations ....................................................................................... 46 Vectorial Capacity Calculations ........................................................................ 46 Results .................................................................................................................... 49 Mosquito Abundance and Host Feeding .......................................................... 49 Parity Rate, Gonotrophic Cycle Length, and Extrinsic Incubation Length ........ 49 EEEV Transmission in Central Florida ............................................................. 50 Vectorial Capacity ............................................................................................ 51 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 52 4 Vectorial Capacity ............................................................................................ 52 Abundance ....................................................................................................... 52 Host use ........................................................................................................... 54 Mosquito Survival ............................................................................................. 55 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 55 LIST OF REFERENCES ............................................................................................... 64 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ............................................................................................ 72 5 LIST OF TABLES Table page 2-1 Collection sites of Cs. melanura in central Florida. ............................................. 30 2-2 Forward and reverse primers used for bloodmeal host identification. ................. 31 2-3 Vertebrate hosts of Cs. melanura by county ....................................................... 32 2-4 Vertebrate hosts of Cs. melanura by month. ...................................................... 34 3-1 Monthly abundance of Cs. melanura and other mosquito species ..................... 57 3-2 Vectorial capacity variables of Cs. melanura for EEEV ...................................... 58 6 LIST OF FIGURES Figure page 2-1 Map of collection sites in central Florida, USA.................................................... 36 2-2 Mosquito resting shelter ..................................................................................... 37 2-3 Aspirator used in mosquito collection from resting shelters ................................ 38 2-4 Seasonal host use by Cs. melanura in central Florida ........................................ 39 2-5 Monthly resident and nonresident bird host detection ........................................ 40 3-1 Ovaries from Cs. melanura at 100X magnification ............................................. 59 3-2 Mean density of Cs. melanura from Orange and Polk County, FL in 2018 ......... 60 3-3 Parity of Cs. melanura from Orange and Polk County, FL in 2018 ..................... 61 3-4 Vectorial capacity (C) of Cs. melanura for EEEV against EEEV equine cases from 2018 and past decade ................................................................................ 62 3-5 Relationship of central Florida EEEV equine cases and vectorial capacity of Cs. melanura ...................................................................................................... 63 7 LIST OF DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS Bridge vector A species of arthropod that acquires an infectious agent from an infected wild animal and then transmits the agent to a non- amplifying host. C Vectorial capacity; the average number of new vertebrate infections per day resulting from an initial index case. Dilution host A species that has low host competence for an infectious agent which reduces transmission by decreasing contact between competent vectors and competent hosts. EEEV Eastern equine encephalitis virus. Encephalitis Inflammation of the brain. Endemic Regularly found among particular group or in a certain area. Enzootic In relation to a disease regularly affecting nonhuman animals. Epizootic An outbreak of disease in nonhuman animals; in relation to an epizootic disease in animals. Extrinsic incubation The interval between the acquisition of an infectious agent by a period vector and the point at which the vector is able to transmit the agent to other susceptible vertebrate hosts. Host competence The physiological ability of a host organism to acquire, maintain and transmit an infectious agent. Parity The reproductive state of an organism; whether a female has completed a reproductive cycle. Vector competence The physiological ability of a vector organism to acquire, maintain and transmit an infectious agent. 8 Abstract of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science SEASONAL CHANGES IN HOST USE AND VECTORIAL CAPACITY OF Culiseta melanura (Diptera: Culicidae) IN RELATION TO EPIZOOTIC TRANSMISSION OF EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS
Recommended publications
  • Mosquito Species Identification Using Convolutional Neural Networks With
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Mosquito species identifcation using convolutional neural networks with a multitiered ensemble model for novel species detection Adam Goodwin1,2*, Sanket Padmanabhan1,2, Sanchit Hira2,3, Margaret Glancey1,2, Monet Slinowsky2, Rakhil Immidisetti2,3, Laura Scavo2, Jewell Brey2, Bala Murali Manoghar Sai Sudhakar1, Tristan Ford1,2, Collyn Heier2, Yvonne‑Marie Linton4,5,6, David B. Pecor4,5,6, Laura Caicedo‑Quiroga4,5,6 & Soumyadipta Acharya2* With over 3500 mosquito species described, accurate species identifcation of the few implicated in disease transmission is critical to mosquito borne disease mitigation. Yet this task is hindered by limited global taxonomic expertise and specimen damage consistent across common capture methods. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are promising with limited sets of species, but image database requirements restrict practical implementation. Using an image database of 2696 specimens from 67 mosquito species, we address the practical open‑set problem with a detection algorithm for novel species. Closed‑set classifcation of 16 known species achieved 97.04 ± 0.87% accuracy independently, and 89.07 ± 5.58% when cascaded with novelty detection. Closed‑set classifcation of 39 species produces a macro F1‑score of 86.07 ± 1.81%. This demonstrates an accurate, scalable, and practical computer vision solution to identify wild‑caught mosquitoes for implementation in biosurveillance and targeted vector control programs, without the need for extensive image database development for each new target region. Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world, infecting between 250–500 million people every year with a wide range of fatal or debilitating diseases, including malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Zika and West Nile Virus1.
    [Show full text]
  • Data-Driven Identification of Potential Zika Virus Vectors Michelle V Evans1,2*, Tad a Dallas1,3, Barbara a Han4, Courtney C Murdock1,2,5,6,7,8, John M Drake1,2,8
    RESEARCH ARTICLE Data-driven identification of potential Zika virus vectors Michelle V Evans1,2*, Tad A Dallas1,3, Barbara A Han4, Courtney C Murdock1,2,5,6,7,8, John M Drake1,2,8 1Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, United States; 2Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, United States; 3Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California-Davis, Davis, United States; 4Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, United States; 5Department of Infectious Disease, University of Georgia, Athens, United States; 6Center for Tropical Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, United States; 7Center for Vaccines and Immunology, University of Georgia, Athens, United States; 8River Basin Center, University of Georgia, Athens, United States Abstract Zika is an emerging virus whose rapid spread is of great public health concern. Knowledge about transmission remains incomplete, especially concerning potential transmission in geographic areas in which it has not yet been introduced. To identify unknown vectors of Zika, we developed a data-driven model linking vector species and the Zika virus via vector-virus trait combinations that confer a propensity toward associations in an ecological network connecting flaviviruses and their mosquito vectors. Our model predicts that thirty-five species may be able to transmit the virus, seven of which are found in the continental United States, including Culex quinquefasciatus and Cx. pipiens. We suggest that empirical studies prioritize these species to confirm predictions of vector competence, enabling the correct identification of populations at risk for transmission within the United States. *For correspondence: mvevans@ DOI: 10.7554/eLife.22053.001 uga.edu Competing interests: The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mosquitoes of Minnesota
    Technical Bulletin 228 April 1958 The Mosquitoes of Minnesota (Diptera : Culicidae : Culicinae) A. RALPH BARR University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station ~2 Technirnl Rull!'lin :z2g 1-,he Mosquitoes of J\ilinnesota (Diptera: Culicidae: Culicinae) A. llALPII R\lm University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station CONTENTS I. Introduction JI. Historical Ill. Biology of mosquitoes ................................ Zoogeography Oviposition ......................................... Breeding places of larvae ................................... I) Larrnl p;rowth ....................................... Ill ,\atural factors in the control of larvae .................. JI The pupal stage ............................................... 12 .\lating .................................... _ ..... 12 Feeding of adults ......................................... 12 Hibernation 11 Seasonal distribution II I\ . Techniques Equipment Eggs ............................... · .... · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Larvae Pupae Adults Colonization and rearing . IB \. Systematic treatment Keys to genera Adult females . l'J \fale terminalia . 19 Pupae ······················································· .... ········ 2.'i Larvae ····················································· ..... ········ 2S :-n Anopheles ········································· ··························· Anopheles (Anopheles) barberi .................... · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · earlei ...•......................... · · · · ·
    [Show full text]
  • MOSQUITOES of the SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES
    L f ^-l R A R > ^l^ ■'■mx^ • DEC2 2 59SO , A Handbook of tnV MOSQUITOES of the SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES W. V. King G. H. Bradley Carroll N. Smith and W. C. MeDuffle Agriculture Handbook No. 173 Agricultural Research Service UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE \ I PRECAUTIONS WITH INSECTICIDES All insecticides are potentially hazardous to fish or other aqpiatic organisms, wildlife, domestic ani- mals, and man. The dosages needed for mosquito control are generally lower than for most other insect control, but caution should be exercised in their application. Do not apply amounts in excess of the dosage recommended for each specific use. In applying even small amounts of oil-insecticide sprays to water, consider that wind and wave action may shift the film with consequent damage to aquatic life at another location. Heavy applications of insec- ticides to ground areas such as in pretreatment situa- tions, may cause harm to fish and wildlife in streams, ponds, and lakes during runoff due to heavy rains. Avoid contamination of pastures and livestock with insecticides in order to prevent residues in meat and milk. Operators should avoid repeated or prolonged contact of insecticides with the skin. Insecticide con- centrates may be particularly hazardous. Wash off any insecticide spilled on the skin using soap and water. If any is spilled on clothing, change imme- diately. Store insecticides in a safe place out of reach of children or animals. Dispose of empty insecticide containers. Always read and observe instructions and precautions given on the label of the product. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Agriculture Handbook No.
    [Show full text]
  • Clearing up Culex Confusion
    Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology 1185 Clearing up Culex Confusion A Basis for Virus Vector Discrimination in Europe JENNY C. HESSON ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALIENSIS ISSN 1651-6214 ISBN 978-91-554-9044-7 UPPSALA urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-232726 2014 Dissertation presented at Uppsala University to be publicly examined in Zootissalen, Villavägen 9, 2 tr, Uppsala, Friday, 7 November 2014 at 10:00 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The examination will be conducted in English. Faculty examiner: Professor Laura D Kramer (Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, USA). Abstract Hesson, J. C. 2014. Clearing up Culex Confusion. A Basis for Virus Vector Discrimination in Europe. Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology 1185. 56 pp. Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. ISBN 978-91-554-9044-7. Mosquito species of the Culex genus are the enzootic vectors for several bird-associated viruses that cause disease in humans. In Europe, these viruses include Sindbis (SINV), West Nile and Usutu viruses. The morphologically similar females of Cx. torrentium and Cx. pipiens are potential vectors of these viruses, but difficulties in correctly identifying the mosquito species have caused confusion regarding their respective distribution, abundance, ecology, and consequently their importance as vectors. Species-specific knowledge from correctly identified field material is however of crucial importance since previous research shows that the relatively unknown Cx. torrentium is a far more efficient SINV vector than the widely recognized Cx. pipiens. The latter is involved in the transmission of several other viruses, but its potential importance for SINV transmission is debated.
    [Show full text]
  • Biological and Molecular Studies of a Cypovirus from the Black Fly
    Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 95 (2007) 26–32 www.elsevier.com/locate/yjipa Biological and molecular studies of a cypovirus from the black Xy Simulium ubiquitum (Diptera: Simuliidae) Terry B. Green a, Susan White a, Shujing Rao b, Peter P.C. Mertens b, Peter H. Adler c, James J. Becnel a,¤ a ARS, CMAVE, 1600-1700 S.W. 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA b Pirbright Laboratory, Institute for Animal Health, Ash Road Pirbright, Woking, Surrey, GU24 0NF, UK c Division of Entomology, Clemson University, 114 Long Hall, Clemson, SC 29634-0315, USA Received 20 July 2006; accepted 24 October 2006 Available online 16 January 2007 Abstract A cypovirus from the black Xy Simulium ubiquitum (SuCPV) was isolated and examined using biological and molecular techniques. SuCPV produces small (typically 0.25 m), polyhedral shaped inclusion bodies (polyhedra), in which the virus particles become multiply embedded. SuCPV is the third cypovirus isolated from Diptera, but the Wrst from Simuliidae that has been characterized using molecular analyses. SuCPV has a genome composed of 10 segments of dsRNA, with an electrophoretic migration pattern that is diVerent from those of recent UsCPV-17 and CrCPV-17 isolates from the mosquitoes Uranotaenia sapphirina and Culex restuans, respectively. The SuCPV electropherotype appears to show signiWcant diVerences from those of the previously characterized lepidopteran cypoviruses. Sequence analysis of SuCPV segment 10 shows that it is unrelated to either of the two CPV isolates from Diptera or to the CPV species for which Seg-10 has been previously characterized from Lepidoptera. A comparison of the terminal regions of SuCPV genome segments to those of CPV-1, 2, 4, 5 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 also revealed only low levels of conservation.
    [Show full text]
  • Catalog of the Subgenus Melanoconion of Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) for South America
    Zootaxa 4028 (1): 001–050 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2015 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4028.1.1 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:31CA1483-9A4B-4B31-AC85-DD574C7FAB25 Catalog of the subgenus Melanoconion of Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) for South America CAROLINA TORRES-GUTIERREZ1,2,3 & MARIA ANICE MUREB SALLUM1 1Departamento de Epidemiologia, Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil 2Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, PECET, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia. Calle 70 # 52-21, Medellin, Colombia 3Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Species of Culex (Melanoconion) Theobald are recognized as vectors of arboviruses. The species of this subgenus pose a real taxonomic challenge. The current classification of the subgenus recognizes a total of 160 species divided in two major sections, Melanoconion and Spissipes; and several non-formal groupings within each section. We gathered bibliographic records of the subgenus in South America, with particular focus on the period of time after the publication of the Catalog by Pecor et al. (1992) until present time. This compilation included 139 species occurring in South American countries with all the relevant bibliographic sources, including the corresponding information for those medically important species. Key words: Culex, Melanoconion, Spissipes Section, Melanoconion Section, taxonomy, South America Introduction Species of Culex subgenus Melanoconion Theobald represent a diverse group widely distributed in the Americas. There are 160 species considered within the subgenus and members of this group are known to occur in the southern part of North America, including United States and Mexico, Central America, some of the Caribbean islands such as Trinidad, Tobago, Jamaica, Martinique and Puerto Rico, among others; and in most of South American countries (Pecor et al.
    [Show full text]
  • P2699 Identification Guide to Adult Mosquitoes in Mississippi
    Identification Guide to Adult Mosquitoes in Mississippi es Identification Guide to Adult Mosquitoes in Mississippi By Wendy C. Varnado, Jerome Goddard, and Bruce Harrison Cover photo by Dr. Blake Layton, Mississippi State University Extension Service. Preface Entomology, and Plant Pathology at Mississippi State University, provided helpful comments and Mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit are in- other supportIdentification for publication and ofGeographical this book. Most Distri- creasing in frequency and geographic distribution. butionfigures of used the inMosquitoes this book of are North from America, Darsie, R. North F. and As many as 1,000 people were exposed recently ofWard, Mexico R. A., to dengue fever during an outbreak in the Florida Mos- Keys. “New” mosquito-borne diseases such as quitoes of, NorthUniversity America Press of Florida, Gainesville, West Nile and Chikungunya have increased pub- FL, 2005, and Carpenter, S. and LaCasse, W., lic awareness about disease potential from these , University of California notorious pests. Press, Berkeley, CA, 1955. None of these figures are This book was written to provide citizens, protected under current copyrights. public health workers, school teachers, and other Introduction interested parties with a hands-on, user-friendly guide to Mississippi mosquitoes. The book’s util- and Background ity may vary with each user group, and that’s OK; some will want or need more detail than others. Nonetheless, the information provided will allow There has never been a systematic, statewide you to identify mosquitoes found in Mississippi study of mosquitoes in Mississippi. Various au- with a fair degree of accuracy. For more informa- thors have reported mosquito collection records tion about mosquito species occurring in the state as a result of surveys of military installations in and diseases they may transmit, contact the ento- the state and/or public health malaria inspec- mology staff at the Mississippi State Department of tions.
    [Show full text]
  • Infrared Light Sensors Permit Rapid Recording of Wingbeat Frequency and Bioacoustic Species Identifcation of Mosquitoes Dongmin Kim1, Terry J
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Infrared light sensors permit rapid recording of wingbeat frequency and bioacoustic species identifcation of mosquitoes Dongmin Kim1, Terry J. DeBriere2, Satish Cherukumalli2, Gregory S. White3 & Nathan D. Burkett‑Cadena1* Recognition and classifcation of mosquitoes is a critical component of vector‑borne disease management. Vector surveillance, based on wingbeat frequency and other parameters, is becoming increasingly important in the development of automated identifcation systems, but inconsistent data quality and results frequently emerge from diferent techniques and data processing methods which have not been standardized on wingbeat collection of numerous species. We developed a simple method to detect and record mosquito wingbeat by multi‑dimensional optical sensors and collected 21,825 wingbeat fles from 29 North American mosquito species. In pairwise comparisons, wingbeat frequency of twenty six species overlapped with at least one other species. No signifcant diferences were observed in wingbeat frequencies between and within individuals of Culex quinquefasciatus over time. This work demonstrates the potential utility of quantifying mosquito wingbeat frequency by infrared light sensors as a component of an automated mosquito identifcation system. Due to species overlap, wingbeat frequency will need to integrate with other parameters to accurately delineate species in support of efcient mosquito surveillance, an important component of disease intervention. Mosquitoes are vectors of causative agents for numerous diseases, including malaria, flariasis, dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and encephalitis, ultimately resulting in more than one million deaths annually1 and enormous economic losses through the costs of vaccinations, vector controls, and trade embargoes2. Te recent Zika virus outbreak in Latin America cost approximately USD 18 billion from 2015 to 20173.
    [Show full text]
  • Technical Bulletin of the Florida Mosquito Control Association
    TECHNICAL BULLETIN OF THE FLORIDA MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION VOLUME 10, 2016 TECHNICAL BULLETIN OF THE FLORIDA MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION VOLUME 10, 2016 FLORIDA MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION, INC. ORGANIZED IN 1922 The Florida Mosquito Control Association, Inc. is a non-profit, technical, scientific, and educational association of mosquito control, medical, public health, and military biologists, entomologists, engineers, and lay persons who are interested in the biology and control of mosquitoes or other· arthropods of public health importance. TECHNICAL BULLETIN OF THE FLORIDA MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: James E. Cilek, Ph.D. E-mail: [email protected] ASSISTANT EDITOR: Jonathan F. Day, Ph.D. E-mail: [email protected] ASSISTANT EDITOR: Nathan D. Burkett-Cadena, Ph.D. Email: [email protected] FMCA MEMBERSHIP Individual membership fees for the Florida Mosquito Control Association (FMCA) are $35.00 per year and student memberships are $15.00 per year, payable January 1 of each year. Life member, sustaining industry, and sustaining governmental memberships are also available. For more information please visit the FMCA website: floridamosquito.org and click on the tab “membership “or e-mail the Executive Director at: ExecutiveDirector@ floridamosquito.org CORRESPONDENCE Communications relating to membership, change of address, and other Association matters should be sent to the Executive Director at: [email protected]. Communications relating to suggested content of future volumes of the Technical Bulletin should be addressed to the Editor-In-Chief. The Technical Bulletin of the Florida Mosquito Control Association is published by the Florida Mosquito Control Association, Inc. Printed by the E. O. Painter Printing Company P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • Echoes 2018 Open House
    Mountain Lake Echoes 2018 Open House Produced by the University of Virginia’s Mountain Lake Biological Station mlbs.org In This Issue Fall 2018, Vol. 19 From the Director 2 Meet the Beetlearies! 2 Why Reach Overseas? Student Corner 2 Many of our country’s most important inland biological field stations, as they were once Research Spotlight 3 called, came into being quite intentionally during the middle of the last century. Most News & Notes 4-5 were designed to serve as regional platforms for college courses, collecting forays, or A Look Back at the 2018 Season 6-7 land management efforts. During the 1960s and 70s some took on themed research missions – hydrology, ecosystem dynamics, forest ecology, agriculture, lake processes, prairie dynamics, population biology, animal behavior, etc. Field research is now a globe-trotting industry with graduate students choosing systems and questions independent of local biology, or field stations. Today’s field stations must play host to biologists from around the world, and are learning how to support and retain international scientists who face special challenges, including time zones, travel costs and time, language, culture, academic schedules, funding disparities, rules and regulations in two countries, and immigration and visa complexities. To attract international users, field stations must remove barriers, e.g., program schedules designed to align only with US calendars, or excessive permitting requirements. If stations can do this, they and their host institutions will reap the benefits of bringing together scientists with different training, perspectives, conceptual tools, and ways of thinking. Dr. Adriana Herrera Montes is primarily interested in how human disturbance, specifically human environmental engineering, impacts biodiversity and vertebrate ecosystem services.
    [Show full text]
  • MF2571 Mosquitoes and West Nile Virus: Pests That Affect Human Health
    Mosquitoes and West Nile Virus Since the occurrence of the first recorded human the two most likely ways the virus is transported to case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in New York in new areas. Infected ticks have been found in Asia 1999, human cases of WNV have spread, and at and Africa, but there is no evidence that ticks play one time or another have been recorded in all con- a role in WNV transmission in the United States. tiguous states. For the most current information At least 26 mosquito species can transmit WNV. on the status of WNV go to the U.S. Centers for In Kansas, the primary mosquito species detected Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website to carry the WNV belong to the genus Culex at: www.cdc.gov/WestNile/. (Cx. tarsalis, Cx. salinarius, Cx. restuans, Cx. pipiens, Cx. erraticus). Virus Ecology Birds and Mosquitoes Mammals WNV typically circulates between birds and The common way mammals, including horses mosquitoes. The female mosquito feeds on the and people, are infected with the virus is a bite blood of an infected bird. The virus multiplies in from an infected mosquito. Infections from organ the mosquito gut and then travels to the salivary transplants, blood transfusions or breastfeeding glands. When an infected mosquito bites or feeds have been reported, but these are extremely rare. on a non-infected bird, it injects virus-containing saliva into the new host (Figure 1). In some bird Important Facts About species, primarily crows, blue jays, and ravens, the West Nile Virus virus can cause infection of kidney and brain, often leading to death.
    [Show full text]