scholarly journals Potential for Waterborne and Invertebrate Transmission of West Nile Virus in the Great Salt Lake, Utah

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Lund ◽  
Valerie Shearn-Bochsler ◽  
Robert J. Dusek ◽  
Jan Shivers ◽  
Erik Hofmeister
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Brine Shrimp ◽  
Salt Lake ◽  
Great Salt Lake ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
Haliaeetus Leucocephalus ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Bald Eagles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mortality Event

ABSTRACT In November and December of 2013, a large mortality event involving 15,000 to 20,000 eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) occurred at the Great Salt Lake (GSL), UT. The onset of the outbreak in grebes was followed by a mortality event in >86 bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). During the die-off, West Nile virus (WNV) was detected by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) or viral culture in the carcasses of grebes and eagles submitted to the National Wildlife Health Center. However, no activity of mosquitoes, the primary vectors of WNV, was detected by the State of Utah's WNV monitoring program. The transmission of WNV has rarely been reported during the winter in North America in the absence of known mosquito activity; however, the size of this die-off, the habitat in which it occurred, and the species involved are unique. We experimentally investigated whether WNV could survive in water with a high salt content, as found at the GSL, and whether brine shrimp, the primary food of migrating eared grebes on the GSL, could have played a role in the transmission of WNV to feeding birds. We found that WNV can survive up to 72 h at 4°C in water containing 30 to 150 ppt NaCl, and brine shrimp incubated with WNV in 30 ppt NaCl may adsorb WNV to their cuticle and, through feeding, infect epithelial cells of their gut. Both mechanisms may have potentiated the WNV die-off in migrating eared grebes on the GSL. IMPORTANCE Following a major West Nile virus die-off of eared grebes and bald eagles at the Great Salt Lake (GSL), UT, in November to December 2013, this study assessed the survival of West Nile virus (WNV) in water as saline as that of the GSL and whether brine shrimp, the major food for migrating grebes, could have played a role as a vector for the virus. While mosquitoes are the major vector of WNV, under certain circumstances, transmission may occur through contaminated water and invertebrates as food.

Mixture of parthenogenetic and zygogenetic brine shrimp Artemia (Branchiopoda: Anostraca) in commercial cyst lots from Great Salt Lake, UT, USA

2003 ◽  
Vol 296 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Campos-Ramos ◽  
Alejandro M Maeda-Martı́nez ◽  
Hortencia Obregón-Barboza ◽  
Gopal Murugan ◽  
Danitzia A Guerrero-Tortolero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brine Shrimp ◽  
Salt Lake ◽  
Great Salt Lake

scholarly journals Phylogenetic Diversities and Community Structure of Members of the Extremely Halophilic Archaea (Order Halobacteriales) in Multiple Saline Sediment Habitats

2011 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 1332-1344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noha H. Youssef ◽  
Kristen N. Ashlock-Savage ◽  
Mostafa S. Elshahed
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Salt Lake ◽  
Great Salt Lake ◽  
Halophilic Archaea ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mangrove Tree ◽  
Rare Biosphere

ABSTRACTWe investigated the phylogenetic diversity and community structure of members of the halophilicArchaea(orderHalobacteriales) in five distinct sediment habitats that experience various levels of salinity and salinity fluctuations (sediments from Great Salt Plains and Zodletone Spring in Oklahoma, mangrove tree sediments in Puerto Rico, sediment underneath salt heaps in a salt-processing plant, and sediments from the Great Salt Lake northern arm) usingHalobacteriales-specific 16S rRNA gene primers. Extremely diverseHalobacterialescommunities were encountered in all habitats, with 27 (Zodletone) to 37 (mangrove) different genera identified per sample, out of the currently described 38Halobacterialesgenera. With the exception of Zodletone Spring, where the prevalent geochemical conditions are extremely inhospitable toHalobacterialessurvival, habitats with fluctuating salinity levels were more diverse than permanently saline habitats. Sequences affiliated with the recently described generaHalogranum,Halolamina,Haloplanus,Halosarcina, andHalorientalis, in addition to the generaHalorubrum,Haloferax, andHalobacterium, were among the most abundant and ubiquitous genera, suggesting a wide distribution of these poorly studied genera in saline sediments. TheHalobacterialessediment communities analyzed in this study were more diverse than and completely distinct from communities from typical hypersaline water bodies. Finally, sequences unaffiliated with currently described genera represented a small fraction of the totalHalobacterialescommunities, ranging between 2.5% (Zodletone) to 7.0% (mangrove and Great Salt Lake). However, these novel sequences were characterized by remarkably high levels of alpha and beta diversities, suggesting the presence of an enormous, yet-untapped supply of novelHalobacterialesgenera within the rare biosphere of various saline ecosystems.

scholarly journals Establishment of Culex modestus in Belgium and a Glance into the Virome of Belgian Mosquito Species

mSphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanjiao Wang ◽  
Ana Lucia Rosales Rosas ◽  
Lander De Coninck ◽  
Chenyan Shi ◽  
Johanna Bouckaert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Usutu Virus ◽  
Surveillance Programs ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
The City

ABSTRACT Culex modestus mosquitoes are considered potential transmission vectors of West Nile virus and Usutu virus. Their presence has been reported across several European countries, including one larva detected in Belgium in 2018. In this study, mosquitoes were collected in the city of Leuven and surrounding areas in the summers of 2019 and 2020. Species identification was performed based on morphological features and partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The 107 mosquitoes collected in 2019 belonged to eight mosquito species, Culex pipiens (24.3%), Cx. modestus (48.6%), Cx. torrentium (0.9%), Culiseta annulata (0.9%), Culiseta morsitans (0.9%), Aedes sticticus (14.0%), Aedes cinereus (9.3%), and Anopheles plumbeus (0.9%), suggesting the presence of an established Cx. modestus population in Belgium. The collection of Cx. modestus mosquitoes at the same locations in 2020 confirmed their establishment in the region. Haplotype network analysis of the COI sequences for Cx. modestus showed that the Belgian population is rather diverse, suggesting that it may have been established in Belgium for some time. The Belgian Cx. modestus population was most closely related to populations from the United Kingdom and Germany. Characterization of the virome of the collected mosquitoes resulted in the identification of at least 33 eukaryotic viral species. Nine (nearly) complete genomes belonging to 6 viral species were identified, all of which were closely related to known viruses. In conclusion, here, we report the presence of Cx. modestus in the surrounding areas of Leuven, Belgium. As this species is considered to be a vector of several arboviruses, the implementation of vector surveillance programs to monitor this species is recommended. IMPORTANCE Culex modestus mosquitoes are considered to be a potential “bridge” vector, being able to transmit pathogens between birds as well as from birds to mammals, including humans. In Belgium, this mosquito species was considered absent until the finding of one larva in 2018 and subsequent evidence of a large population in 2019 to 2020 described here. We collected mosquitoes in the summers of 2019 and 2020 in the city of Leuven and surrounding areas. The mosquito species was identified by morphological and molecular methods, demonstrating the presence of Cx. modestus in this region. The ability of mosquitoes to transmit pathogens can depend on several factors, one of them being their natural virus composition. Therefore, we identified the mosquito-specific viruses harbored by Belgian mosquitoes. As Cx. modestus is able to transmit viruses such as West Nile virus and Usutu virus, the establishment of this mosquito species may increase the risk of virus transmission in the region. It is thus advisable to implement mosquito surveillance programs to monitor this species.

The Brine Shrimp of Great Salt Lake

1937 ◽  
Vol 71 (737) ◽  
pp. 612-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gladys M. Relyea
Keyword(s):  
Brine Shrimp ◽  
Salt Lake ◽  
Great Salt Lake

scholarly journals The Brine Shrimp of the Great Salt Lake

1893 ◽  
Vol 35 (893supp) ◽  
pp. 14274-14275
Author(s):  
J. E. Talmage
Keyword(s):  
Brine Shrimp ◽  
Salt Lake ◽  
Great Salt Lake
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