Landscape-Level Spatial Patterns of West Nile Virus Risk in the Northern Great Plains

Chuang, Ting-Wu; Hockett, Christine W.; Kightlinger, Lon; Wimberly, Michael C.

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2012.11-0515

Cited by 41 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…One study in Georgia found birds in forested habitats showing WNV seroprevalence at levels nearly as high as birds from urban and suburban sites (Gibbs et al 2006b), whereas another identified a larger proportion of urban tree cover as significant factor in WNV infection spatial clusters (Vazquez Prokopec et al 2010). A study from South Dakota even identified forests as a factor contributing to a positive association with WNV risk (Chuang et al 2012). Increased vegetation levels, especially in urban areas, provide optimal habitats for avian hosts of WNV and facilitate contact between bird species that congregate in these areas, thereby aiding in transmission amplification (Messina et al 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limited Spillover to Humans from West Nile Virus Viremic Birds in Atlanta, Georgia

Levine

Mead²,

Kitron³

2013

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

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West Nile Virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that impacts the health of its passerine bird hosts as well as incidentally infected humans in the United States. Intensive enzootic activity among the hosts and vectors does not always lead to human outbreaks, as is the situation throughout much of the southeastern United States. In Georgia, substantial yearly evidence of WNV in the mosquito vectors and avian hosts since 2001 has only led to 324 human cases. Although virus has been consistently isolated from mosquitoes trapped in Atlanta, GA, little is known about viral activity among the passerine hosts. A possible reason for the suppression of WNV spillover to humans is that viremic birds are absent from high human-use areas of the city. To test this hypothesis, multiseason, multihabitat, longitudinal WNV surveillance for active WNV viremia was conducted within the avian host community of urban Atlanta by collection of blood samples from wild passerine birds in five urban microhabitats. WNV was isolated from the serum of six blood samples collected from 630 (0.95%) wild passerine birds in Atlanta during 2010-2012, a proportion similar to that found in the Chicago, IL, area in 2005, when over 200 human cases were reported. Most of the viremic birds were Northern Cardinals, suggesting they may be of particular importance to the WNV transmission cycle in Georgia. Results indicated active WNV transmission in all microhabitats of urban Atlanta, except in the old-growth forest patches. The number of viremic birds was highest in Zoo Atlanta, where 3.5% of samples were viremic. Although not significant, these observations may suggest a possible transmission reduction effect of urban old-growth forests and a potential role in WNV amplification for Zoo Atlanta. Overall, spillover to humans remains a rare occurrence in urban Atlanta settings despite active WNV transmission in the avian population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limited Spillover to Humans from West Nile Virus Viremic Birds in Atlanta, Georgia

Levine

Mead²,

Kitron³

2013

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

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“…Studies have found that the percentage of wetland is not associated with the abundance of Cx. tarsalis and WNV risk in the Canadian prairies and northern Great Plains [13,14,17,18]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change and West Nile Virus in a Highly Endemic Region of North America

Chen

Jenkins

Epp

et al. 2013

IJERPH

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The Canadian prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have reported the highest human incidence of clinical cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in Canada. The primary vector for WVN in this region is the mosquito Culex tarsalis. This study used constructed models and biological thresholds to predict the spatial and temporal distribution of Cx. tarsalis and WNV infection rate in the prairie provinces under a range of potential future climate and habitat conditions. We selected one median and two extreme outcome scenarios to represent future climate conditions in the 2020 (2010–2039), 2050 (2040–2069) and 2080 (2070–2099) time slices. In currently endemic regions, the projected WNV infection rate under the median outcome scenario in 2050 raised 17.91 times (ranged from 1.29-27.45 times for all scenarios and time slices) comparing to current climate conditions. Seasonal availability of Cx. tarsalis infected with WNV extended from June to August to include May and September. Moreover, our models predicted northward range expansion for Cx. tarsalis (1.06–2.56 times the current geographic area) and WNV (1.08–2.34 times the current geographic area). These findings predict future public and animal health risk of WNV in the Canadian prairie provinces.

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“…Aedes vexans Meigen is a nuisance mosquito and can potentially serve as a bridge vector of WNV (Turell et al, 2005). Previous research has highlighted the importance of the Northern Great Plains as a region of consistently high WNV risk and quantified influences of climate and land cover on spatial patterns of WNV risk (Chuang et al, 2012; Wimberly et al, 2008). Meteorological variables measured using weather stations have also been identified as important drivers of mosquito abundance, with Cx.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Satellite microwave remote sensing for environmental modeling of mosquito population dynamics

Chuang

Henebry

Kimball

et al. 2012

Remote Sensing of Environment

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Environmental variability has important influences on mosquito life cycles and understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of mosquito populations is critical for mosquito control and vector-borne disease prevention. Meteorological data used for model-based predictions of mosquito abundance and life cycle dynamics are typically acquired from ground-based weather stations; however, data availability and completeness are often limited by sparse networks and resource availability. In contrast, environmental measurements from satellite remote sensing are more spatially continuous and can be retrieved automatically. This study compared environmental measurements from the NASA Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer on EOS (AMSR-E) and in situ weather station data to examine their ability to predict the abundance of two important mosquito species (Aedes vexans and Culex tarsalis) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA from 2005 to 2010. The AMSR-E land parameters included daily surface water inundation fraction, surface air temperature, soil moisture, and microwave vegetation opacity. The AMSR-E derived models had better fits and higher forecasting accuracy than models based on weather station data despite the relatively coarse (25-km) spatial resolution of the satellite data. In the AMSR-E models, air temperature and surface water fraction were the best predictors of Aedes vexans, whereas air temperature and vegetation opacity were the best predictors of Cx. tarsalis abundance. The models were used to extrapolate spatial, seasonal, and interannual patterns of climatic suitability for mosquitoes across eastern South Dakota. Our findings demonstrate that environmental metrics derived from satellite passive microwave radiometry are suitable for predicting mosquito population dynamics and can potentially improve the effectiveness of mosquito-borne disease early warning systems.

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Landscape-Level Spatial Patterns of West Nile Virus Risk in the Northern Great Plains

Cited by 41 publications

References 43 publications

Limited Spillover to Humans from West Nile Virus Viremic Birds in Atlanta, Georgia

Limited Spillover to Humans from West Nile Virus Viremic Birds in Atlanta, Georgia

Climate Change and West Nile Virus in a Highly Endemic Region of North America

Satellite microwave remote sensing for environmental modeling of mosquito population dynamics

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