Peridomestic conditions affect La Crosse virus entomological risk by modifying the habitat use patterns of its mosquito vectors

Tamini, Tuamami T.; Byrd, Brian D; Goggins, J. Alan; Sither, Charles B.; White, Laura A.; Wasserberg, Gideon

doi:10.52707/1081-1710-46.1.34

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The following land cover variables were assessed for associations with LACV-ND: percent of developed land in 2019, percentage of forested land in 2019, and change in percentage developed land from 2001 to 2019 [ 16 , 32 , 54 – 56 ] ( S2 Table ). Gridded land cover data were obtained at a 30m resolution from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) [ 57 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistent spatial clustering and predictors of pediatric La Crosse virus neuroinvasive disease risk in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, 2003–2020

Day,

Odoi,

Moncayo

et al. 2024

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The combined region of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina has a persistently high risk of pediatric La Crosse virus neuroinvasive disease (LACV-ND). To guide public health intervention in this region, the objectives of this retrospective ecological study were to investigate the geographic clustering and predictors of pediatric LACV-ND risk at the ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA) level. Data on pediatric cases of LACV-ND reported between 2003 and 2020 were obtained from Tennessee Department of Health and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Purely spatial and space-time scan statistics were used to identify ZCTA-level clusters of confirmed and probable pediatric LACV-ND cases from 2003–2020, and a combination of global and local (i.e., geographically weighted) negative binomial regression models were used to investigate potential predictors of disease risk from 2015–2020. The cluster investigation revealed spatially persistent high-risk and low-risk clusters of LACV-ND, with most cases consistently reported from a few high-risk clusters throughout the entire study period. Temperature and precipitation had positive but antagonistic associations with disease risk from 2015–2020, but the strength of those relationships varied substantially across the study area. Because LACV-ND risk clustering in this region is focally persistent, retroactive case surveillance can be used to guide the implementation of targeted public health intervention to reduce the disease burden in high-risk areas. Additional research on the role of climate in LACV transmission is warranted to support the development of predictive transmission models to guide proactive public health interventions.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistent spatial clustering and predictors of pediatric La Crosse virus neuroinvasive disease risk in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, 2003–2020

Day,

Odoi,

Moncayo

et al. 2024

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Schools and UTK used similar mosquito collection protocols during the same collection periods in 2019 and 2020 to create comparable datasets. In 2019, schools and UTK collected mosquito eggs for 10 consecutive weeks (calendar weeks [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]. Schools deployed 10 ovitraps around their campuses while UTK deployed one ovitrap at 26 sites in Knox County, TN.…”

Section: Objective 1: Assessment Of Community Mosquito Collections (2...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, we investigated the impact of a neighborhood litter cleanup organized by a local non-profit organization on the abundance of Aedes mosquitoes using data collected by schools as a control dataset to test the hypothesis that a neighborhood litter cleanup would reduce the abundance of Aedes mosquitoes in the area. It is already known that high densities of human-made containers (e.g., buckets, cups, litter, bird baths, and used tires) lead to elevated mosquito populations [28,31] and are associated with elevated risk for LACV infection [32]. An effective method for reducing the burden of container mosquitoes is reduction of potential larval habitats, accomplished via container removal either by professionally trained crews (e.g., sanitation, public health personnel, entomologists) [33][34][35][36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community efforts to monitor and manage Aedes mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) with ovitraps and litter reduction in east Tennessee

Day

Fryxell

2022

BMC Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background East Tennessee (USA) is burdened by mosquito-borne La Crosse virus disease, but minimal resources for mosquito surveillance, management, or related community education exist in the region. To address these needs, we developed a program to train middle and high school educators in basic medical entomology. The educators then used their skills in the classroom to teach students about La Crosse virus disease and conduct mosquito collection experiments. As a case study of a potential application of classroom-collected data, we also partnered with a local non-profit organization to assess the potential for a volunteer litter cleanup to reduce mosquito populations in a Tennessee neighborhood. Methods Our first objective was to investigate the ability for educators and their students (schools) to collect high-quality mosquito surveillance data. In 2019 and 2020, we collected Aedes (Diptera: Culicidae) eggs during the same study period as schools and assessed whether data collected by schools reflected the same findings as our own data. Our second objective was to investigate the impact of a volunteer litter cleanup event on Aedes mosquito abundance. In 2021, we collected Aedes eggs before and after a neighborhood trash cleanup while schools conducted their own mosquito egg collections. Using the school collections as non-treatment sites, we used a Before-After-Control-Impact analysis to determine if there was a significant decline in egg abundance after the cleanup. Results In 2019, mosquito abundance trends were similar between our data and school data but differed significantly during some weeks. After refining our protocols in 2020, school data was highly similar to our data, indicating that schools consistently collected high-quality surveillance data in the program’s second year. In 2021, we found a significant decline in Aedes egg abundance after the litter cleanup event in comparison to the schools, but the number of adults reared from those eggs did not differ between sites after the cleanup. Conclusion The results of our work demonstrate the potential for community-driven programs to monitor mosquito abundance trends and for volunteer-based cleanup events to reduce the burden of Aedes mosquitoes. In the absence of infrastructure and resources, academic-community partnerships like the ones evaluated here, provide opportunities to help resource limited areas.

show abstract

“…Importantly, LACV is maintained in the environment via zoonotic transmission with their sciurid hosts [16] and transovarial transmission from female to offspring [17]. Epidemiological work in southern Appalachia demonstrated that LACE cases are associated with a combination of natural and artificial oviposition sites [15,18,19] and that LACE cases are focal and repetitive at specific sites [20,21], suggesting mosquito management and education is a potential solution to disease prevention. Knowing Ae.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Community-Driven Mosquito Surveillance Program for Vectors of La Crosse Virus to Educate, Inform, and Empower a Community

Fryxell

Camponovo

Smith

et al. 2022

Insects

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The fields of entomology, geospatial science, and science communication are understaffed in many areas, resulting in poor community awareness and heightened risks of vector-borne diseases. This is especially true in East Tennessee, where La Crosse encephalitis (LACE) causes pediatric illness each year. In response to these problems, we created a community engagement program that includes a yearlong academy for secondary STEM educators in the 6–12 grade classroom. The objectives of this program were to support inquiry-driven classroom learning to foster student interest in STEM fields, produce community-driven mosquito surveillance, and enhance community awareness of LACE. We trained educators in medical entomology, geospatial science, and science communication, and they incorporated those skills into lesson plans for a mosquito oviposition experiment that tested hypotheses developed in the classroom. Here, we share results from the first two years of the MEGA:BITESS academy, tailored for our community by having students ask questions directly related to Aedes mosquito oviposition biology and La Crosse encephalitis. In year one, we recruited 17 educators to participate in the project, and 15 of those educators returned in year two. All participating educators completed the academy, conducted the oviposition experiment, and informed over 400 students about a variety of careers and disciplines for their students. Here, we present a community-based program that helps to address the problems associated with long-term mosquito surveillance, health and science education and communication, career opportunities, and the community needs of Appalachia, as well as the initial data on the effectiveness of two years of an educator-targeted professional-development program.

show abstract

Peridomestic conditions affect La Crosse virus entomological risk by modifying the habitat use patterns of its mosquito vectors

Cited by 9 publications

References 38 publications

Persistent spatial clustering and predictors of pediatric La Crosse virus neuroinvasive disease risk in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, 2003–2020

Persistent spatial clustering and predictors of pediatric La Crosse virus neuroinvasive disease risk in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, 2003–2020

Community efforts to monitor and manage Aedes mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) with ovitraps and litter reduction in east Tennessee

Development of a Community-Driven Mosquito Surveillance Program for Vectors of La Crosse Virus to Educate, Inform, and Empower a Community

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About