Mosquito—Virus Interactions

2020 ◽  
pp. 191-214
Author(s):  
Christine M. Reitmayer ◽  
Michelle V. Evans ◽  
Kerri L. Miazgowicz ◽  
Philip M. Newberry ◽  
Nicole Solano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Virus West Nile ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Virus Interaction ◽  
Abiotic And Biotic Factors ◽  
Virus Interactions

Vector-borne viruses (arboviruses) are emerging threats to both human and animal health. The global expansion of dengue virus, West Nile virus, chikungunya, and most recently Zika virus are prominent examples of how quickly mosquito-transmitted viruses can emerge and spread. We currently lack high quality data from a diversity of mosquito-arbovirus systems on the specific mosquito and viral traits that drive disease transmission. Further, the factors that contribute to variation in these traits and disease transmission remain largely unidentified. In this chapter, we outline and explore the following: 1. the specific mechanisms governing the outcome of vector-virus interactions 2. how genetic variation across mosquito populations and viral strains, as well as environmental variation in abiotic and biotic factors shape the mosquito-virus interaction and 3. the implications of these interactions for understanding and predicting arbovirus transmission, as well as for control of mosquito species that transmit human pathogens.

scholarly journals Mosquito diversity and dog heartworm prevalence in suburban areas

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith R. Spence Beaulieu ◽  
Jennifer L. Federico ◽  
Michael H. Reiskind
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Suburban Areas ◽  
Host Seeking ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Wake County

Abstract Background Urbanization is occurring rapidly on a global scale and is altering mosquito communities, creating assemblages that are characteristically less diverse. Despite high rates of urbanization and ample examples of vector-borne diseases transmitted by multiple species, the effects of urbanization-driven mosquito diversity losses on disease transmission has not been well explored. We investigated this question using the dog heartworm, a filarial parasite vectored by numerous mosquito species. Methods We trapped host-seeking mosquitoes in undeveloped areas and neighborhoods of different ages in Wake County, North Carolina, USA, analyzing captured mosquitoes for heartworm DNA. We compared within-mosquito heartworm infection across land-use types by Kruskal–Wallis and likelihood ratio tests. Using zip code level data acquired from dogs in a local shelter, we performed linear regressions of within-host heartworm prevalence by within-mosquito heartworm prevalence as well as by three mosquito diversity measures. We also determined the best predictor of host-level prevalence among models including within-mosquito infection, mosquito diversity and abundance, and socioeconomic status as variables. Results Suburban areas had lower within-mosquito heartworm prevalence and lower likelihood of heartworm-positive mosquitoes than did undeveloped field sites, although no differences were seen between suburban and undeveloped wooded sites. No relationships were noted between within-mosquito and within-host heartworm prevalence. However, mosquito diversity metrics were positively correlated with host heartworm prevalence. Model selection revealed within-host prevalence was best predicted by a positive relationship with mosquito Shannon–Wiener diversity and a negative relationship with household income. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that decreases in mosquito diversity due to urbanization alter vector-borne disease risk. With regard to dog heartworm disease, this loss of mosquito diversity is associated with decreased heartworm prevalence within both the vector and the host. Although the response is likely different for diseases transmitted by one or few species, mosquito diversity losses leading to decreased transmission could be generalizable to other pathogens with multiple vectors. This study contributes to better understanding of the effects of urbanization and the role of vector diversity in multi-vectored pathosystems.

scholarly journals A multiplex PCR assay for six Aedini species, including Aedes albopictus

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Woo Jun Bang ◽  
Min Hyeok Won ◽  
Seong Tae Cho ◽  
Jihun Ryu ◽  
Kwang Shik Choi
Keyword(s):  
Multiplex Pcr ◽  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Pairwise Distance ◽  
Molecular Diagnostic ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Pcr Assay ◽  
Multiplex Pcr Assay

Abstract Background Mosquitoes, as vectors of various human pathogens, are significant drivers of serious human illness. In particular, those species in the Aedini tribe, which typically transmit dengue virus, Chikungunya fever virus, and Zika virus, are increasing their range because of climate change and international commerce. In order to evaluate the risk of disease transmission, accurate mosquito species identification and monitoring are needed. The goal of this work was to develop a rapid and simple molecular diagnostic method for six morphologically similar Aedini species (Aedes flavopictus, Aedes albopictus, Ochlerotatus koreicus, Ochlerotatus japonicus, Ochlerotatus togoi and Ochlerotatus hatorii) in Korea. Methods A total of 109 samples were assayed in this study. The internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) regions from all six species were amplified, sequenced and analyzed using Mega 6. Following the identification of regions that were consistently different in terms of sequence between all six species, multiplex primers were designed to amplify these regions to generate species-specific fragments distinguishable by their size. Results Uniquely sized fragments were generated in Ae. flavopictus (495 bp), Ae. albopictus (438 bp), Oc. koreicus (361 bp), Oc. togoi (283 bp), Oc. hatorii (220 bp) and Oc. japonicus (160 bp). Pairwise distance analysis showed that the difference was 35.0 ± 1.5% between Aedes spp. and Ochlerotatus spp., 17.4 ± 0.2% between Ae. albopictus and Ae. flavopictus and 11.1 ± 0.3% between Oc. koreicus and Oc. japonicus. Conclusions In this study, a multiplex PCR assay for six species of the Aedini tribe was developed. This assay is more accurate than morphological identification and will be useful for monitoring and controlling these vector mosquitoes. Graphical Abstract

scholarly journals Increased Adult Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) Abundance in a Dengue Transmission Hotspot, Compared to a Coldspot, within Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

Insects ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ka-Chon Ng ◽  
Luis Chaves ◽  
Kun-Hsien Tsai ◽  
Ting-Wu Chuang
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Culex Quinquefasciatus ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Vector Surveillance ◽  
Mosquito Abundance ◽  
Dengue Transmission ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Kaohsiung City

The assumption that vector abundance differences might drive spatial and temporal heterogeneities in vector-borne disease transmission is common, though data supporting it is scarce. Here, we present data from two common mosquito species Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) and Culex quinquefasciatus Say, biweekly sampled as adults, from March 2016 through December 2017, with BG-sentinel traps in two neighboring districts of Kaohsiung City (KC), Taiwan. One district has historically been a dengue transmission hotspot (Sanmin), and the other a coldspot (Nanzih). We collected a total 41,027 mosquitoes, and we found that average mosquito abundance (mean ± S.D.) was higher in Sanmin (Ae. aegypti: 9.03 ± 1.46; Cx. quinquefasciatus: 142.57 ± 14.38) than Nanzih (Ae. aegypti: 6.21 ± 0.47; Cx. quinquefasciatus: 63.37 ± 8.71) during the study period. In both districts, Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus population dynamics were sensitive to changes in temperature, the most platykurtic environmental variable at KC during the study period, a pattern predicted by Schmalhausen’s law, which states that organisms are more sensitive to small changes in environmental variables whose average value is more uncertain than its extremes. Our results also suggest that differences in Ae. aegypti abundance might be responsible for spatial differences in dengue transmission at KC. Our comparative approach, where we also observed a significant increment in the abundance of Cx. quinquefasciatus in the dengue transmission hotspot, suggests this area might be more likely to experience outbreaks of other vector borne diseases and should become a primary focus for vector surveillance and control.

The Scientific Basis for the Prevention of Zooanthroponoze Vector-Borne Diseases Spread by Parasitic Arthropods of the Center of the East European Plain

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-88
Author(s):  
Fedor I. Vasilevich ◽  
Anna M. Nikanorova
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Culex Pipiens ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Piperonyl Butoxide ◽  
East European Plain ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Kaluga Region

The purpose of the research is development of preventive measures against zooanthroponoze vector-borne diseases spread by parasitic arthropods in the Kaluga Region. Materials and methods. The subject of the research was Ixodidae, mosquitoes, and small mammals inhabiting the Kaluga Region. The census of parasitic arthropods was carried out on the territory of all districts of the Kaluga Region and the city of Kaluga. Open natural habitat and human settlements were investigated. Weather conditions from 2013 to 2018 were also taken into account. For the purposes of the study, we used standard methods for capturing and counting arthropods and mouse-like rodents. In order to obtain mathematical models of small mammal populations, a full factorial experiment was conducted using the collected statistical data. In-process testing of the drug based on s-fenvalerate and piperonyl butoxide were carried out under the conditions of the agricultural collective farm “Niva” of the Kozelsky District, the Kaluga Region, and LLC “Angus Center of Genetics” of the Babyninsky District, the Kaluga Region. Results and discussion. In the Kaluga Region, two species of ixodic ticks are found, namely, Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus, which have two activity peaks. Mosquito may have 3-4 generations in a year in the Kaluga region. The most common mosquito species in the Kaluga Region are Aedes communis, Ae. (Och.) togoi and Ae. (Och.) diantaeus, Culex pipiens Culex Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera, Culicidae) (Culex pipiens): Cx. pipiens f. pipiens L. (non-autogenic form) and Cx. p. f. molestus Fors. (autogenic form), which interbreed, and reproductively isolated in the Region. The developed mathematical models make it possible to quantify the risks of outbreaks of zooanthroponoze vector-borne diseases without the cost of field research, and allow for rational, timely and effective preventive measures. Medications based on s-fenvalerate and piperonyl butoxide and based on cyfluthrin showed high insecto-acaricidal efficacy and safety.

scholarly journals Understanding mosquito host-choice behaviour: a new and low-cost method of identifying the sex of human hosts from mosquito blood meals

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Teltscher ◽  
Sophie Bouvaine ◽  
Gabriella Gibson ◽  
Paul Dyer ◽  
Jennifer Guest ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Meal ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Host Choice ◽  
Epidemiological Models ◽  
Choice Behaviour ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Transmission Models ◽  
Blood Meals

Abstract Background Mosquito-borne diseases are a global health problem, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths per year. Pathogens are transmitted by mosquitoes feeding on the blood of an infected host and then feeding on a new host. Monitoring mosquito host-choice behaviour can help in many aspects of vector-borne disease control. Currently, it is possible to determine the host species and an individual human host from the blood meal of a mosquito by using genotyping to match the blood profile of local inhabitants. Epidemiological models generally assume that mosquito biting behaviour is random; however, numerous studies have shown that certain characteristics, e.g. genetic makeup and skin microbiota, make some individuals more attractive to mosquitoes than others. Analysing blood meals and illuminating host-choice behaviour will help re-evaluate and optimise disease transmission models. Methods We describe a new blood meal assay that identifies the sex of the person that a mosquito has bitten. The amelogenin locus (AMEL), a sex marker located on both X and Y chromosomes, was amplified by polymerase chain reaction in DNA extracted from blood-fed Aedes aegypti and Anopheles coluzzii. Results AMEL could be successfully amplified up to 24 h after a blood meal in 100% of An. coluzzii and 96.6% of Ae. aegypti, revealing the sex of humans that were fed on by individual mosquitoes. Conclusions The method described here, developed using mosquitoes fed on volunteers, can be applied to field-caught mosquitoes to determine the host species and the biological sex of human hosts on which they have blood fed. Two important vector species were tested successfully in our laboratory experiments, demonstrating the potential of this technique to improve epidemiological models of vector-borne diseases. This viable and low-cost approach has the capacity to improve our understanding of vector-borne disease transmission, specifically gender differences in exposure and attractiveness to mosquitoes. The data gathered from field studies using our method can be used to shape new transmission models and aid in the implementation of more effective and targeted vector control strategies by enabling a better understanding of the drivers of vector-host interactions.

scholarly journals Feeding sites promoting wildlife-related tourism might highly expose the endangered Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) to parasite transmission

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eve Afonso ◽  
Rong Fu ◽  
Amaël Dupaix ◽  
Anne-Claude Goydadin ◽  
ZhongHua Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Buffer Zone ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Parasite Transmission ◽  
Rhinopithecus Bieti ◽  
Domesticated Animals ◽  
Feeding Sites ◽  
In The Wild

AbstractAn increasing number of studies have found that the implementation of feeding sites for wildlife-related tourism can affect animal health, behaviour and reproduction. Feeding sites can favour high densities, home range overlap, greater sedentary behaviour and increased interspecific contacts, all of which might promote parasite transmission. In the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti), human interventions via provisioning monkeys at specific feeding sites have led to the sub-structuring of a group into genetically differentiated sub-groups. The fed subgroup is located near human hamlets and interacts with domesticated animals. Using high-throughput sequencing, we investigated Entamoeba species diversity in a local host assemblage strongly influenced by provisioning for wildlife-related tourism. We identified 13 Entamoeba species or lineages in faeces of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, humans and domesticated animals (including pigs, cattle, and domestic chicken). In Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, Entamoeba prevalence and OTU richness were higher in the fed than in the wild subgroup. Entamoeba polecki was found in monkeys, pigs and humans, suggesting that this parasite might circulates between the wild and domestic components of this local social–ecological system. The highest proportion of faeces positive for Entamoeba in monkeys geographically coincided with the presence of livestock and humans. These elements suggest that feeding sites might indirectly play a role on parasite transmission in the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey. The implementation of such sites should carefully consider the risk of creating hotspots of disease transmission, which should be prevented by maintaining a buffer zone between monkeys and livestock/humans. Regular screenings for pathogens in fed subgroup are necessary to monitor transmission risk in order to balance the economic development of human communities dependent on wildlife-related tourism, and the conservation of the endangered Yunnan snub-nosed monkey.

scholarly journals Satellite Imaging and Long-Term Mosquito Surveillance Implicate the Influence of Rapid Urbanization on Culex Vector Populations

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 269
Author(s):  
Eleanor N. Field ◽  
Ryan E. Tokarz ◽  
Ryan C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Culex Pipiens ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Mosquito Surveillance

The ecology and environmental conditions of a habitat have profound influences on mosquito population abundance. As a result, mosquito species vary in their associations with particular habitat types, yet long-term studies showing how mosquito populations shift in a changing ecological landscape are lacking. To better understand how land use changes influence mosquito populations, we examined mosquito surveillance data over a thirty-four-year period for two contrasting sites in central Iowa. One site displayed increasing levels of urbanization over time and a dramatic decline in Culex pipiens group (an informal grouping of Culex restuans, Culex pipiens, and Culex salinarius, referred to as CPG), the primary vectors of West Nile virus in central Iowa. Similar effects were also shown for other mosquito vector populations, yet the abundance of Aedes vexans remained constant during the study period. This is in contrast to a second site, which reflected an established urban landscape. At this location, there were no significant changes in land use and CPG populations remained constant. Climate data (temperature, total precipitation) were compiled for each location to see if these changes could account for altered population dynamics, but neither significantly influence CPG abundance at the respective site locations. Taken together, our data suggest that increased landscape development can have negative impacts on Culex vector populations, and we argue that long-term surveillance paired with satellite imagery analysis are useful methods for measuring the impacts of rapid human development on mosquito vector communities. As a result, we believe that land use changes can have important implications for mosquito management practices, population modeling, and disease transmission dynamics.

scholarly journals Development and Validation of a Three-Dimensional Printed Multifunctional Trap for Surveillance of Mosquitoes

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-75
Author(s):  
Drew David Reinbold-Wasson ◽  
Michael Hay Reiskind
Keyword(s):  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Disease Monitoring ◽  
Life History Stage ◽  
Mosquito Trap ◽  
Host Seeking ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
Better Than

ABSTRACT An essential component of vector-borne disease monitoring programs is mosquito surveillance. Surveillance efforts employ various collection traps depending on mosquito species and targeted life-history stage, i.e., eggs, larvae, host-seeking, resting, or gravid adults. Surveillance activities often use commercial traps, sometimes modified to accept specific mosquito species attractants. The advent of widely available and affordable 3D printing technology allows the construction of novel trap designs and components. The study goal was to develop and assess a cost-effective, multipurpose, 6-volt mosquito trap integrating features of both host-seeking and gravid mosquito traps to collect undamaged live specimens: a multifunctional mosquito trap (MMT). We tested the MMT in comparison to commercial traps, targeting gravid Aedes albopictus, host-seeking Ae. albopictus, and total number of host-seeking mosquitos regardless of species. Field evaluations found the MMT performed as well as or better than comparable commercial traps. This project demonstrates an easy to construct, inexpensive, and versatile mosquito trap, potentially useful for surveying multiple mosquito species and other hematophagous insects by varying attractants into the MMT.

scholarly journals Long-term impact of a ten-year intervention program on human and canine Trypanosoma cruzi infection in the Argentine Chaco

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. e0009389
Author(s):  
Marta Victoria Cardinal ◽  
Gustavo Fabián Enriquez ◽  
Natalia Paula Macchiaverna ◽  
Hernán Darío Argibay ◽  
María del Pilar Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Triatoma Infestans ◽  
Incident Case ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Long Term Impact

Background Interruption of domestic vector-borne transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi is still an unmet goal in several American countries. In 2007 we launched a long-term intervention program aimed to suppress house infestation with the main domestic vector in southern South America (Triatoma infestans) and domestic transmission in Pampa del Indio, a resource-constrained, hyperendemic municipality with 1446 rural houses inhabited by Creole and indigenous people, in the Argentine Chaco ecoregion. Here, we assessed whether the 10-year insecticide-based program combined with community mobilization blocked vector-borne domestic transmission of T. cruzi to humans and dogs. Methods We carried out two municipality-wide, cross-sectional serosurveys of humans and dogs (considered sentinel animals) during 2016–2017 to compare with baseline data. We used a risk-stratified random sampling design to select 273 study houses; 410 people from 180 households and 492 dogs from 151 houses were examined for antibodies to T. cruzi using at least two serological methods. Results The seroprevalence of T. cruzi in children aged <16 years was 2.5% in 2017 (i.e., 4- to 11-fold lower than before interventions). The mean annual force of child infection (λ) sharply decreased from 2.18 to 0.34 per 100 person-years in 2017. One of 102 children born after interventions was seropositive for T. cruzi; he had lifetime residence in an apparently uninfested house, no outside travel history, and his mother was T. cruzi-seropositive. No incident case was detected among 114 seronegative people of all ages re-examined serologically. Dog seroprevalence was 3.05%. Among native dogs, λ in 2016 (1.21 per 100 dog-years) was 5 times lower than at program onset. Six native adult dogs born after interventions and with stable lifetime residence were T. cruzi-seropositive: three had exposure to T. infestans at their houses and one was an incident case. Conclusions These results support the interruption of vector-borne transmission of T. cruzi to humans in rural Pampa del Indio. Congenital transmission was the most likely source of the only seropositive child born after interventions. Residual transmission to dogs was likely related to transient infestations and other transmission routes. Sustained vector control supplemented with human chemotherapy can lead to a substantial reduction of Chagas disease transmission in the Argentine Chaco.

scholarly journals Effects of seasonality and land use on the abundance and distribution of mosquitoes on St. Kitts, West Indies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Valentine ◽  
Brenda Ciraola ◽  
Gregory R. Jacobs ◽  
Charlie Arnot ◽  
Patrick J. Kelly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Mosquito Control ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression Model ◽  
Local Data ◽  
Land Covers

AbstractBackgroundHigh quality mosquito surveys that collect fine resolution local data on mosquito species’ abundances provide baseline data to help us understand potential host-pathogen-mosquito relationships, accurately predict disease transmission, and target mosquito control efforts in areas at risk of mosquito borne diseases.MethodsAs part of an investigation into arboviral sylvatic cycles on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, we carried out an island wide mosquito survey from November 2017 to March 2019. Using Biogents Sentinel 2 and miniature CDC light traps that were set monthly and run for 48 hour intervals, we collected mosquitoes from a total of 30 sites distributed across the five common land covers on the island (agricultural, mangrove, rainforest, scrub, and urban). We developed a mixed effects negative binomial regression model to predict the effects of land cover, seasonality, and precipitation on observed counts of the most abundant mosquito species we found.ResultsWe captured 10 of the 14 mosquito species reported on the island, the four most abundant being Aedes taeniorhynchus, Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegpyti, and Deinocerites magnus. Sampling in the mangroves yielded the most mosquitoes, with Ae. taeniorhynchus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, and De. magnus predominating. Aedes aegypti was recovered primarily from urban and agricultural habitats, but also at lower frequency in other land covers. Psorophora pygmaea and Toxorhynchites guadeloupensis were only captured in scrub habitat. Capture rates in rainforests were low. Our models indicated the relative abundance of the four most common species varied seasonally and with land cover. They also suggested that the extent to which monthly average precipitation influenced counts varied according to species.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates there is high seasonality in mosquito abundances and that land cover influenced the distribution and abundance of mosquito species on St. Kitts. Further, human-adapted mosquito species (e.g. Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus) that are known vectors for many human relevant pathogens are the most wide-spread (across land covers) and the least responsive to seasonal variation in precipitation.

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