Community Composition and Year-round Abundance of Vector Species of Mosquitoes make Miami-Dade County, Florida a Receptive Gateway for Arbovirus entry to the United States

Abstract

Vector-borne diseases are a heavy burden to human-kind. Global warming and urbanization have a significant impact on vector-borne disease transmission, resulting in more severe outbreaks, and outbreaks in formerly non-endemic areas. Miami-Dade County, Florida was the most affected area in the continental United States during the 2016 Zika virus outbreak. Miami is an important gateway and has suitable conditions for mosquitoes year-round. Therefore, it was critical to establish and validate a surveillance system to guide and improve mosquito control operations. Here we assess two years of mosquito surveillance in Miami established after the 2016 Zika virus outbreak. Our results show that the most abundant mosquito species are either well adapted to urban environments or are adapting to it. The five most abundant species comprised 85% of all specimens collected, with four of them being primary vectors of arboviruses. Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus were found year-round throughout Miami regardless of urbanization level, vegetation, or socioeconomic variations. This study serves as a foundation for future efforts to improve mosquito surveillance and control operations.

Cemeteries in Miami-Dade County, Florida are important areas to be targeted in mosquito management and control efforts

“…aegypti were collected in Miami, while 11,405 Ae. albopictus were collected in the same period [6]. A similar result was found for their immature forms, from 2,488 inspections performed by Miami-Dade Mosquito Control inspectors, from April 2018 to June 2019, a total of 19,206 Ae.…”

“…Invasive mosquito vector species often benefit from the decrease in the overall biodiversity of species due to an increase in urbanization [4]. Such biotic homogenization processes not only increase the contact between human hosts and mosquito vectors but also act as drivers that positively increase the range and abundance of populations of mosquito vector species [4][5][6][7].…”

Proliferation of Aedes aegypti in urban environments mediated by the availability of key aquatic habitats

“…The distribution and abundance of vector mosquitoes are driven by complex multi-causal variables, being strongly associated with seasonality. Different species peak in abundance and expand their range in different months of the year depending on their geographic location 48 – 50 . Moreover, not only can Ae.…”

Beyond frontiers: On invasive alien mosquito species in America and Europe

“…Since then, it has spread and has been commonly found in most of the Southeastern states, including Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida [10]. In Miami-Dade County (Florida) alone, 26,825 female C. coronator were collected in urban areas from May 2016 to November 2018 [6]. In 2016, C. coronator was detected in Tennessee, where it is currently considered an established species, and in Virginia, being the northernmost record in the US (Fig 1A) [11,12].…”

“…Invasive mosquitoes of epidemiological importance, such as Aedes aegypti (L.), A. albopictus (Skuse), and Culex quinquefasciatus Say, are more likely to adapt and thrive in urban environments in low-latitude parts of the world in comparison with native species [3,4]. Moreover, invasive species often benefit from biotic homogenization processes and from the reduction in overall biodiversity by being able to increase their range and abundance in the process [3,[5][6][7]. The substantial increase in the incidence of vector-borne diseases can be partially attributed to these factors [2].…”