scholarly journals Avian diversity and West Nile virus: testing associations between biodiversity and infectious disease risk

2005 ◽  
Vol 273 (1582) ◽  
pp. 109-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa O Ezenwa ◽  
Marvin S Godsey ◽  
Raymond J King ◽  
Stephen C Guptill
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Avian Diversity ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Virus Testing

scholarly journals Light pollution affects West Nile virus exposure risk across Florida

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith E. Kernbach ◽  
Lynn B. Martin ◽  
Thomas R. Unnasch ◽  
Richard J. Hall ◽  
Rays H.Y. Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Surveillance Program ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Exposure Risk ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Field Evidence ◽  
Zoonotic Risk

AbstractEmerging infectious diseases (EIDs), including zoonotic arboviruses, present a global health threat. Multiple components of human land use change have been linked to arboviral emergence, but one pervasive factor that has received comparatively little attention is light pollution. Although often considered a component of built environments, artificial light at night (ALAN) outpaces the growth and spatial extent of urbanization, and thus affects areas where human population density and anthropogenic land changes are modest. West Nile virus (WNV) emergence has been described as peri-urban, but recent research suggests that its relative ubiquity in human-altered environments might actually be due to ALAN. Indeed, we found previously that experimental ALAN exposure enhanced avian competence to transmit WNV to mosquitoes. In the present study, we asked whether such organismal effects manifest ecologically by determining whether WNV exposure among sentinel chickens in Florida is related to local ALAN conditions. We found strong support for a nonlinear relationship between ALAN and WNV exposure in chickens with peak WNV risk occurring at low ALAN levels. Importantly, effects of ALAN on WNV exposure were stronger than other aspects of urbanization; only ambient temperature in the month prior to sampling had a comparable effect to ALAN. These results represent the first field evidence that ALAN might affect infectious disease exposure risk. We advocate for further research on how ALAN influences zoonotic risk, as well as efforts to study alternative nighttime lighting methods to reduce such risk.Significance StatementLight pollution associated with human development is a globally pervasive and rapidly expanding anthropogenic stressor; but despite documented effects on host immune functions and vector behaviors, how it affects infectious disease risk is unknown. Using data from the Florida Department of Health arbovirus surveillance program, we show that light pollution is a stronger predictor of variation in West Nile virus (WNV) exposure risk than many other previously implicated anthropogenic and natural environmental variables. Light pollution effects are nonlinear, so risk is highest in areas with dim light pollution. Our results highlight a new way that light pollution might affect human and wildlife health.

INFECTIOUS DISEASE: Bird Advocates Fear That West Nile Virus Could Silence the Spring

Science ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 297 (5589) ◽  
pp. 1989-1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Malakoff
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
West Nile Virus ◽  
West Nile

scholarly journals Light pollution increases West Nile virus competence of a ubiquitous passerine reservoir species

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1907) ◽  
pp. 20191051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith E. Kernbach ◽  
Daniel J. Newhouse ◽  
Jeanette M. Miller ◽  
Richard J. Hall ◽  
Justin Gibbons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Reservoir Host ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Reservoir Species ◽  
The Many

Among the many anthropogenic changes that impact humans and wildlife, one of the most pervasive but least understood is light pollution. Although detrimental physiological and behavioural effects resulting from exposure to light at night are widely appreciated, the impacts of light pollution on infectious disease risk have not been studied. Here, we demonstrate that artificial light at night (ALAN) extends the infectious-to-vector period of the house sparrow ( Passer domesticus ), an urban-dwelling avian reservoir host of West Nile virus (WNV). Sparrows exposed to ALAN maintained transmissible viral titres for 2 days longer than controls but did not experience greater WNV-induced mortality during this window. Transcriptionally, ALAN altered the expression of gene regulatory networks including key hubs (OASL, PLBD1 and TRAP1) and effector genes known to affect WNV dissemination (SOCS). Despite mounting anti-viral immune responses earlier, transcriptomic signatures indicated that ALAN-exposed individuals probably experienced pathogen-induced damage and immunopathology, potentially due to evasion of immune effectors. A simple mathematical modelling exercise indicated that ALAN-induced increases of host infectious-to-vector period could increase WNV outbreak potential by approximately 41%. ALAN probably affects other host and vector traits relevant to transmission, and additional research is needed to advise the management of zoonotic diseases in light-polluted areas.

West Nile virus testing experience in 2007: evaluation of different criteria for triggering individual-donation nucleic acid testing

Transfusion ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1160-1170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven H. Kleinman ◽  
Joan Dunn Williams ◽  
Gene Robertson ◽  
Sally Caglioti ◽  
Robert C. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Nucleic Acid ◽  
Nucleic Acid Testing ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Virus Testing

scholarly journals Persistent impacts of West Nile virus on North American bird populations

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (46) ◽  
pp. 14290-14294 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Luke George ◽  
Ryan J. Harrigan ◽  
Joseph A. LaManna ◽  
David F. DeSante ◽  
James F. Saracco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
North American Bird ◽  
Avian Populations ◽  
The Impact

Since its introduction to North America in 1999, West Nile virus (WNV) has had devastating impacts on native host populations, but to date these impacts have been difficult to measure. Using a continental-scale dataset comprised of a quarter-million birds captured over nearly two decades and a recently developed model of WNV risk, we estimated the impact of this emergent disease on the survival of avian populations. We find that populations were negatively affected by WNV in 23 of the 49 species studied (47%). We distinguished two groups of species: those for which WNV negatively impacted survival only during initial spread of the disease (n = 11), and those that show no signs of recovery since disease introduction (n = 12). Results provide a novel example of the taxonomic breadth and persistent impacts of this wildlife disease on a continental scale. Phylogenetic analyses further identify groups (New World sparrows, finches, and vireos) disproportionally affected by temporary or persistent WNV effects, suggesting an evolutionary dimension of disease risk. Identifying the factors affecting the persistence of a disease across host species is critical to mitigating its effects, particularly in a world marked by rapid anthropogenic change.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Nucleic Acid Preservation Cards for West Nile Virus Testing in Dead Birds

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e0157555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Foss ◽  
William K. Reisen ◽  
Ying Fang ◽  
Vicki Kramer ◽  
Kerry Padgett
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Nucleic Acid ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Virus Testing

scholarly journals Projection of Climate Change Influences on U.S. West Nile Virus Vectors

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (18) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi E. Brown ◽  
Alex Young ◽  
Joceline Lega ◽  
Theodore G. Andreadis ◽  
Jessica Schurich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Simulation Model ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Virus Vectors ◽  
Daily Weather Data ◽  
The Impact

Abstract While estimates of the impact of climate change on health are necessary for health care planners and climate change policy makers, models to produce quantitative estimates remain scarce. This study describes a freely available dynamic simulation model parameterized for three West Nile virus vectors, which provides an effective tool for studying vectorborne disease risk due to climate change. The Dynamic Mosquito Simulation Model is parameterized with species-specific temperature-dependent development and mortality rates. Using downscaled daily weather data, this study estimates mosquito population dynamics under current and projected future climate scenarios for multiple locations across the country. Trends in mosquito abundance were variable by location; however, an extension of the vector activity periods, and by extension disease risk, was almost uniformly observed. Importantly, midsummer decreases in abundance may be offset by shorter extrinsic incubation periods, resulting in a greater proportion of infective mosquitoes. Quantitative descriptions of the effect of temperature on the virus and mosquito are critical to developing models of future disease risk.

scholarly journals Assessing Ultra-Fine-Scale Factors to Improve Human West Nile Virus Disease Models in the Chicago Area

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johnny Uelmen ◽  
Patrick Irwin ◽  
William Brown ◽  
Surendra Karki ◽  
Marilyn O'Hara Ruiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cook County ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Chicago Area ◽  
Mosquito Infection

Abstract Background: Since 1999, West Nile virus (WNV) has moved rapidly across the United States, resulting in tens of thousands of human cases. Both the number of human cases and the level of mosquito infection (MIR) vary across time and space and are related to numerous abiotic and biotic forces, ranging from differences in microclimates to socio-demographic factors. Because the interactions among these multiple factors affect the locally variable risk of WNV illness, it has been especially difficult to model human disease risk across varying spatial and temporal scales. Cook and DuPage Counties, comprising the city of Chicago and surrounding suburbs, are among the areas hardest hit by WNV in the United States. Despite active mosquito control efforts, there is consistent annual WNV presence, resulting in more than 285 confirmed WNV human cases and 20 deaths in the past 5 years in Cook County alone. Methods: A previous WNV model for the greater Chicago area identified the fifty-five most high and low risk study areas in the Northwest Mosquito Abatement District (NWMAD), an enclave ¼ the size of the previous study area. In these locations, human WNV risk was stratified by strength of predictive success, as indicated by differences in studentized residuals. Within these areas, an additional two-years of field collections and data processing was added to a 10-year WNV dataset and assessed by an ultra-fine-scale multivariate logistic regression model.Results: Multivariate statistical approaches revealed that this ultra-fine-scale model resulted in fewer explanatory variables while improving upon the fit of the existing model. Beyond mosquito infection rates and climatic factors, efforts to acquire additional covariates only slightly improve model predictive performance. Conclusions: These results suggest human WNV illness in the Chicago area may be associated with fewer, but increasingly critical, key variables at finer scales. Given limited resources, this study suggests a large variation in the significance to model performance, and provides guidance in covariate selection for optimal WNV human illness modeling.

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