scholarly journals Increasing Public Health Mosquito Surveillance in Hidalgo County, Texas to Monitor Vector and Arboviral Presence

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1022
Author(s):  
Clarissa D. Guerrero ◽  
Steven Hinojosa ◽  
Diana Vanegas ◽  
Niko Tapangan ◽  
Matthew Guajardo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
Vector Species ◽  
Mosquito Surveillance ◽  
Vector Abundance ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Sporadic Cases ◽  
Collection Period ◽  
Hidalgo County ◽  
Historical Presence

From 2016 to 2018, Hidalgo County observed the emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) infections along with sporadic cases of Dengue virus (DENV) and West Nile virus (WNV). Due to the emergence of ZIKV and the historical presence of other mosquito-borne illnesses, Hidalgo County obtained funding to enhance mosquito surveillance and educate residents on arboviruses and travel risks. During this time period, Hidalgo County mosquito surveillance efforts increased by 1.275%. This increase resulted in >8000 mosquitoes collected, and 28 mosquito species identified. Aedes aegypti, Ae albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus made up approximately two-thirds of the mosquitoes collected in 2018 (4122/6171). Spatiotemporal shifts in vector species composition were observed as the collection period progressed. Significantly, temperature variations (p < 0.05) accounted for associated variations in vector abundance, whereas all other climate variables were not significant.

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.

Nocturnal Mosquitoes of Pará State in the Brazilian Amazon: Species Composition, Habitat Segregation, and Seasonal Variation

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 1913-1919
Author(s):  
Walter Santos de Araújo ◽  
Thallyta Maria Vieira ◽  
Guilherme Antunes de Souza ◽  
Isaque Clementino Bezerra ◽  
Paulo Henrique Costa Corgosinho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Culex Quinquefasciatus ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Habitat Segregation ◽  
Vector Species ◽  
High Degree

Abstract Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are one of the most important disease vector species in the world. Many species have a high degree of anthropophilia and are often found in human habitations. In the present study, we have inventoried the nocturnal mosquito assemblage in intra-, peri-, and extradomicile environments in four municipalities in Pará, Brazil. At each municipality, a residence was selected and the mosquitoes were sampled using the protected human attraction capture and Shannon trap methods in April (rainy season) and August 2018 (dry season). We have collected a total of 696 mosquito specimens belonging to 8 genera and 17 species. The most abundant species were Mansonia (Mansonoides) titillans (Walker) (366/696, 52.6%), Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) albitarsis Lynch-Arribálzaga (97/696, 13.9%), and Culex (Culex) quinquefasciatus Say (93/696, 13.4%). Mosquito richness, abundance, and composition did not differ between intra-, peri-, and extradomicile environments suggesting limited habitat segregation among the different species. However, mosquito species richness and mosquito species abundance were significantly higher during the rainy season than during the dry season, suggesting increased mosquito activity during the rainy season. We detected several important vector species of human diseases including Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus), Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) darlingi Root, Haemagogus (Conopostegus) leucocelaenus (Dyar and Shannon), Coquillettidia (Coquillettidia) venezuelensis (Theobald), and Culex (Culex) quinquefasciatus which are the main transmitters of dengue, malaria, yellow fever, mayaro, and oropouche fever, respectively. As inventories of disease-carrying mosquitoes in the region are very scarce, mainly in residential environments, our results suggest high potential for mosquito-borne disease transmission in Pará State.

scholarly journals Using mobile phones as acoustic sensors for high-throughput mosquito surveillance

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haripriya Mukundarajan ◽  
Felix J H Hol ◽  
Erica A Castillo ◽  
Cooper Newby ◽  
Manu Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Mobile Network ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Mosquito Surveillance ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Species Specific

AbstractThe direct monitoring of mosquito populations in field settings is a crucial input for shaping appropriate and timely control measures for mosquito-borne diseases. Here, we demonstrate that commercially available mobile phones are a powerful tool for acoustically mapping mosquito species distributions worldwide. We show that even low-cost mobile phones with very basic functionality are capable of sensitively acquiring acoustic data on species-specific mosquito wingbeat sounds, while simultaneously recording the time and location of the human-mosquito encounter. We survey a wide range of medically important mosquito species, to quantitatively demonstrate how acoustic recordings supported by spatio-temporal metadata enable rapid, non-invasive species identification. As proof-of-concept, we carry out field demonstrations where minimally-trained users map local mosquitoes using their personal phones. Thus, we establish a new paradigm for mosquito surveillance that takes advantage of the existing global mobile network infrastructure, to enable continuous and large-scale data acquisition in resource-constrained areas.

scholarly journals Delimiting cryptic morphological variation among human malaria vector species using convolutional neural networks

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. e0008904
Author(s):  
Jannelle Couret ◽  
Danilo C. Moreira ◽  
Davin Bernier ◽  
Aria Mia Loberti ◽  
Ellen M. Dotson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Convolutional Neural Networks ◽  
Morphological Variation ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Data Augmentation ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Vector Species

Deep learning is a powerful approach for distinguishing classes of images, and there is a growing interest in applying these methods to delimit species, particularly in the identification of mosquito vectors. Visual identification of mosquito species is the foundation of mosquito-borne disease surveillance and management, but can be hindered by cryptic morphological variation in mosquito vector species complexes such as the malaria-transmitting Anopheles gambiae complex. We sought to apply Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to images of mosquitoes as a proof-of-concept to determine the feasibility of automatic classification of mosquito sex, genus, species, and strains using whole-body, 2D images of mosquitoes. We introduce a library of 1, 709 images of adult mosquitoes collected from 16 colonies of mosquito vector species and strains originating from five geographic regions, with 4 cryptic species not readily distinguishable morphologically even by trained medical entomologists. We present a methodology for image processing, data augmentation, and training and validation of a CNN. Our best CNN configuration achieved high prediction accuracies of 96.96% for species identification and 98.48% for sex. Our results demonstrate that CNNs can delimit species with cryptic morphological variation, 2 strains of a single species, and specimens from a single colony stored using two different methods. We present visualizations of the CNN feature space and predictions for interpretation of our results, and we further discuss applications of our findings for future applications in malaria mosquito surveillance.

The Culex Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of French Guiana: A Comprehensive Review With the Description of Three New Species

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanislas Talaga ◽  
Jean-Bernard Duchemin ◽  
Romain Girod ◽  
Isabelle Dusfour
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
French Guiana ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Nominal Species ◽  
Vector Species ◽  
Comprehensive Review ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Bibliographic Data ◽  
Voucher Specimens ◽  
Three New Species

Abstract The taxonomically intricate genus Culex Linnaeus includes numerous known vector species of parasites and viruses to humans. The aim of this article is to comprehensively review the Culex species which occur in French Guiana to provide a stronger taxonomic foundation for future studies on this genus in South America. The occurrence of Culex species was investigated in light of current taxonomic knowledge through an extensive examination of voucher specimens deposited in the entomological collections of four French depositories and additional specimens recently collected at various localities in French Guiana. Based on this review, 104 Culex species classified in eight subgenera are confirmed to occur in French Guiana. Compared to the most recent checklist, 18 species are added, and 10 species excluded, resulting in a total number of 242 valid mosquito species known to occur in French Guiana. Three nominal species are synonymized, three others are newly described, and a last one is transferred to another informal infrasubgeneric group. Overall, this review also highlights the limits of the use of only bibliographic data when dealing with taxonomically complex groups of insects.

Effects of SO2 emissions in Alberta, Canada on lodgepole pine climate-growth relationships

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devon Earl ◽  
Ann-Lise Norman ◽  
Mary Reid
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Exposure Time ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Growth Response ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
Gas Processing ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Sour Gas ◽  
Reduced Emissions

&lt;p&gt;The growth response of trees to climate can be altered by other environmental changes that a tree may face including pollution or fertilization. In this study, the effect of spatial and temporal patterns sulfur dioxide (SO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;) emissions on climate-growth relationships of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) in two areas of Alberta, Canada was assessed. Twenty tree cores were collected in each of four stands per study area: two near a source of SO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; emissions (sour gas processing facility) and two far from the source of emissions. To select important climate variables, the average standardized tree ring width of all trees in each area were first compared to monthly average temperature and total precipitation variables. For each important climate variable, response function analysis was conducted between standardized tree ring widths and climate in each of three SO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; exposure time periods: a period pre-dating any emissions, a period of high emissions, and a more recent period of reduced emissions. Linear mixed models were used to compare response coefficients of tree ring widths to climate between exposure space (near or far from the source of emissions) and exposure time (no emissions, high emissions, reduced emissions) and the interaction between them. The absolute values of predicted ring widths in each exposure space and exposure time in each area were used as a response variable in a linear mixed effects model to assess the effects of SO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; exposure on the magnitude of tree growth response to climate. SO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; exposure time was a significant term in all climate-growth relationship models. Exposure space was significant in 13 out of 20 models, and the interaction between exposure time and exposure space was significant in 14 out of 20 models. The effects of exposure time and exposure space on climate-growth relationships were not consistent between climate variables. Overall, tree growth responded most strongly to climate in the high exposure time period. The increase in magnitude of climate-growth relationships in the high SO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; exposure time period may indicate that trees stressed by sulfur deposition are not able to buffer the effects of climate, and are more susceptible to extreme weather conditions such as drought. However, the response to climate during the high emission period was greater far from the source of emissions than near the source of emissions; This could be because the historical addition of lime to stands near the sour gas processing facilities resulted in less sulfur stress. SO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; emissions in Alberta may alter climate-growth relationships of lodgepole pine. &amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Multiple Novel Clades of Anopheline Mosquitoes Caught Outdoors in Northern Zambia

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine M. Jones ◽  
Ilinca I. Ciubotariu ◽  
Mbanga Muleba ◽  
James Lupiya ◽  
David Mbewe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malaria Vector ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Gene Segment ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Vector Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Groups ◽  
Continue Development ◽  
Anopheline Species ◽  
Anopheline Mosquitoes

Residual vector populations that do not come in contact with the most frequently utilized indoor-directed interventions present major challenges to global malaria eradication. Many of these residual populations are mosquito species about which little is known. As part of a study to assess the threat of outdoor exposure to malaria mosquitoes within the Southern and Central Africa International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research, foraging female anophelines were collected outside households in Nchelenge District, northern Zambia. These anophelines proved to be more diverse than had previously been reported in the area. In order to further characterize the anopheline species, sequencing and phylogenetic approaches were utilized. Anopheline mosquitoes were collected from outdoor light traps, morphologically identified, and sent to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for sequencing. Sanger sequencing from 115 field-derived samples yielded mitochondrial COI sequences, which were aligned with a homologous 488 bp gene segment from known anophelines (n = 140) retrieved from NCBI. Nuclear ITS2 sequences (n = 57) for at least one individual from each unique COI clade were generated and compared against NCBI’s nucleotide BLAST database to provide additional evidence for taxonomical identity and structure. Molecular and morphological data were combined for assignment of species or higher taxonomy. Twelve phylogenetic groups were characterized from the COI and ITS2 sequence data, including the primary vector species Anopheles funestus s.s. and An. gambiae s.s. An unexpectedly large proportion of the field collections were identified as An. coustani and An. sp. 6. Six phylogenetic groups remain unidentified to species-level. Outdoor collections of anopheline mosquitoes in areas frequented by people in Nchelenge, northern Zambia, proved to be extremely diverse. Morphological misidentification and underrepresentation of some anopheline species in sequence databases confound efforts to confirm identity of potential malaria vector species. The large number of unidentified anophelines could compromise the malaria vector surveillance and malaria control efforts not only in northern Zambia but other places where surveillance and control are focused on indoor-foraging and resting anophelines. Therefore, it is critical to continue development of methodologies that allow better identification of these populations and revisiting and cleaning current genomic databases.

scholarly journals Recovering external contribution from the monthly mean series of a given geomagnetic observatory

2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bejo Duka ◽  
Eni Duka ◽  
Klaudio Peqini
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Geomagnetic Field ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Power Spectra ◽  
Model Bias ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Model Biases ◽  
Time Period ◽  
External Contribution ◽  
Sporadic Cases

<p>The differences between monthly mean values of the observed geomagnetic field and monthly values predicted by different models of the internal geomagnetic field (named “model biases”) for the time period 2000-2015 at several geomagnetic observatories are analyzed. We notice that increasing the maximum degree of the model is not always followed by the decrease of such “model bias”. The time series of these “model biases” reduced by their average resulted to be approximately the same for all models and should represent the external (non-modeled) contribution to the observed geomagnetic field. These time series for different observatories (close or away to each other) are compared and their power spectra are analyzed. Such spectra have common features like the annual and semi-annual variation with some possible sporadic cases of seasonal variation.</p>

scholarly journals Genetic diversity and stability of the porA allele as a genetic marker in human Campylobacter infection

Microbiology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 155 (12) ◽  
pp. 4145-4154 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Cody ◽  
M. J. C. Maiden ◽  
K. E. Dingle
Keyword(s):  
Campylobacter Coli ◽  
Immune Selection ◽  
Extracellular Loops ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Normal Duration ◽  
Sporadic Cases ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Campylobacter Infection ◽  
Human Campylobacteriosis ◽  
Individual Human

The major outer-membrane protein (MOMP) of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, encoded by the porA gene, is extremely genetically diverse. Conformational MOMP epitopes are important in host immunity, and variation in surface-exposed regions probably occurs as a result of positive immune selection during infection. porA diversity has been exploited in genotyping studies using highly discriminatory nucleotide sequences to identify potentially epidemiologically linked cases of human campylobacteriosis. To understand the overall nature and extent of porA diversity and stability in C. jejuni and C. coli we investigated sequences in isolates (n=584) obtained from a defined human population (approx. 600 000) over a defined time period (1 year). A total of 196 distinct porA variants were identified. Regions encoding putative extracellular loops were the most variable in both nucleotide sequence and length. Phylogenetic analysis identified three porA allele clusters that originated in (i) predominantly C. jejuni and a few C. coli, (ii) solely C. jejuni or (iii) predominantly C. coli and a few C. jejuni. The stability of porA within an individual human host was investigated using isolates cultured longitudinally from 64 sporadic cases, 27 of which had prolonged infection lasting between 5 and 98 days (the remainder having illness of normal duration, 0–4 days), and 20 cases from family outbreaks. Evidence of mutation was detected in two patients with prolonged illness. Despite demonstrable positive immune selection in these two unusual cases, the persistence of numerous variants within the population indicated that the porA allele is a valuable tool for use in extended typing schemes.

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