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

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1947) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith E. Kernbach ◽  
Lynn B. Martin ◽  
Thomas R. Unnasch ◽  
Richard J. Hall ◽  
Rays H. Y. Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Anthropogenic Change ◽  
Exposure Risk ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Virus Exposure ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) present global health threats, and their emergences are often linked to anthropogenic change. Artificial light at night (ALAN) is one form of anthropogenic change that spans beyond urban boundaries and may be relevant to EIDs through its influence on the behaviour and physiology of hosts and/or vectors. Although West Nile virus (WNV) emergence has been described as peri-urban, we hypothesized that exposure risk could also be influenced by ALAN in particular, which is testable by comparing the effects of ALAN on prevalence while controlling for other aspects of urbanization. By modelling WNV exposure among sentinel chickens in Florida, we found strong support for a nonlinear relationship between ALAN and WNV exposure risk in chickens with peak WNV risk occurring at low ALAN levels. Although our goal was not to discern how ALAN affected WNV relative to other factors, effects of ALAN on WNV exposure were stronger than other known drivers of risk (i.e. impervious surface, human population density). Ambient temperature in the month prior to sampling, but no other considered variables, strongly influenced WNV risk. These results indicate that ALAN may contribute to spatio-temporal changes in WNV risk, justifying future investigations of ALAN on other vector-borne parasites.

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.

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal impacts of aerial adulticide applications on populations of West Nile virus vector mosquitoes

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen M. Holcomb ◽  
Robert C. Reiner ◽  
Christopher M. Barker
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Larval Habitat ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
Dispersal Ability ◽  
Stochastic Variation ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Abstract Background Aerial applications of insecticides that target adult mosquitoes are widely used to reduce transmission of West Nile virus to humans during periods of epidemic risk. However, estimates of the reduction in abundance following these treatments typically focus on single events, rely on pre-defined, untreated control sites and can vary widely due to stochastic variation in population dynamics and trapping success unrelated to the treatment. Methods To overcome these limitations, we developed generalized additive models fitted to mosquito surveillance data collected from CO2-baited traps in Sacramento and Yolo counties, California from 2006 to 2017. The models accounted for the expected spatial and temporal trends in the abundance of adult female Culex (Cx.) tarsalis and Cx. pipiens in the absence of aerial spraying. Estimates for the magnitude of deviation from baseline abundance following aerial spray events were obtained from the models. Results At 1-week post-treatment with full spatial coverage of the trapping area by pyrethroid or pyrethrin products, Cx. pipiens abundance was reduced by a mean of 52.4% (95% confidence intrval [CI] − 65.6, − 36.5%) while the use of at least one organophosphate pesticide resulted in a mean reduction of 76.2% (95% CI − 82.8, − 67.9%). For Cx. tarsalis, at 1-week post-treatment with full coverage there was a reduction in abundance of 30.7% (95% CI − 54.5, 2.5%). Pesticide class was not a significant factor contributing to the reduction. In comparison, repetition of spraying over three to four consecutive weeks resulted in similar estimates for Cx. pipiens and estimates of somewhat smaller magnitude for Cx. tarsalis. Conclusions Aerial adulticides are effective for achieving a rapid short-term reduction of the abundance of the primary West Nile virus vectors, Cx. tarsalis and Cx. pipiens. A larger magnitude of reduction was estimated in Cx. pipiens, possibly due to the species’ focal distribution. Effects of aerial sprays on Cx. tarsalis populations are likely modulated by the species’ large dispersal ability, population sizes and vast productive larval habitat present in the study area. Our modeling approach provides a new way to estimate effects of public health pesticides on vector populations using routinely collected observational data and accounting for spatio-temporal trends and contextual factors like weather and habitat. This approach does not require pre-selected control sites and expands upon past studies that have focused on the effects of individual aerial treatment events.

scholarly journals Predicted and observed mortality from vector-borne disease in wildlife: West Nile virus and small songbirds

2013 ◽  
Vol 165 ◽  
pp. 79-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Marm Kilpatrick ◽  
Ryan J. Peters ◽  
Alan P. Dupuis ◽  
Matthew J. Jones ◽  
Peter Daszak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Vector Borne Disease ◽  
Vector Borne

scholarly journals Predictive Spatial Models for Risk of West Nile Virus Exposure in Eastern and Western Colorado

2008 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Winters ◽  
W. John Pape ◽  
Chester G. Moore ◽  
Saul Lozano-Fuentes ◽  
Lars Eisen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Spatial Models ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Western Colorado ◽  
Virus Exposure

Discovering Spatio-Temporal Models of the Spread of West Nile Virus

Risk Analysis ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta ◽  
Jane Jorgensen ◽  
Bruce D'Ambrosio ◽  
Eric Altendorf ◽  
Philippe A. Rossignol
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Temporal Models ◽  
Spatio Temporal

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.

Effects of climate change on vector-borne diseases: an updated focus on West Nile virus in humans

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shlomit Paz
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
West Nile Virus ◽  
The West ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Transmission Season ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Abstract One of the main impacts of climate change on health is the influence on vector-borne diseases (VBDs). During the last few years, yearly outbreaks of the West Nile virus (WNV) have occurred in many locations, providing evidence of ongoing transmission. Currently, it is the most widely distributed arbovirus in the world. Increases in ambient temperature have impacts on WNV transmission. Indeed, clear associations were found between warm conditions and WNV outbreaks in various areas. The impact of changes in rainfall patterns on the incidence of the disease is influenced by the amount of precipitation (increased rainfall, floods or droughts), depending on the local conditions and the differences in the ecology and sensitivity of the species of mosquito. Predictions indicate that for WNV, increased warming will result in latitudinal and altitudinal expansions of regions climatically suitable for transmission, particularly along the current edges of its transmission areas. Extension of the transmission season is also predicted. As models show that the current climate change trends are expected to continue, it is important to reinforce WNV control efforts and increase the resilience of population health. For a better preparedness, any assessment of future transmission of WNV should consider the impacts of the changing climate.

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