Economic optimization of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti release to prevent dengue.

Background: Dengue virus, primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is a major public health concern affecting ≈3.83 billion people worldwide. Recent releases of Wolbachia-transinfected Ae.

Leveraging insect-specific viruses to elucidate mosquito population structure and dynamics.

Several aspects of mosquito ecology that are important for vectored disease transmission and control have been difficult to measure at epidemiologically important scales in the field. In particular, the ability to describe mosquito population structure and movement rates has been hindered by difficulty in quantifying fine-scale genetic variation among populations. The mosquito virome represents a possible avenue for quantifying population structure and movement rates across multiple spatial scales.

Evolution of Spatial Risk of Malaria Infection After a Pragmatic Chemoprevention Program in Response to Severe Flooding in Rural Western Uganda.

Background: Malaria epidemics result from extreme precipitation and flooding, which are increasing with global climate change. Local adaptation and mitigation strategies will be essential to prevent excess morbidity and mortality.

Methods: We investigated the spatial risk of malaria infection at multiple timepoints after severe flooding in rural western Uganda employing longitudinal household surveys measuring parasite prevalence and leveraging remotely sensed information to inform spatial models of malaria risk in the 3 months after flooding.

Comparing field-collected versus remotely-sensed variables to model malaria risk in the highlands of western Uganda.

Background: Malaria risk is not uniform across relatively small geographic areas, such as within a village. This heterogeneity in risk is associated with factors including demographic characteristics, individual behaviours, home construction, and environmental conditions, the importance of which varies by setting, making prediction difficult. This study attempted to compare the ability of statistical models to predict malaria risk at the household level using either (i) free easily-obtained remotely-sensed data or (ii) results from a resource-intensive household survey.

Evaluation of an open forecasting challenge to assess skill of West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease prediction.

Background: West Nile virus (WNV) is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the continental USA. WNV occurrence has high spatiotemporal variation, and current approaches to targeted control of the virus are limited, making forecasting a public health priority. However, little research has been done to compare strengths and weaknesses of WNV disease forecasting approaches on the national scale.

Prevalence of Knock-Down Resistance F1534S Mutations in Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) in North Carolina.

Knock-down resistance (kdr) mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene of Aedes species mosquitoes are biomarkers for resistance to pyrethroid insecticides. In the United States, few studies have reported kdr mutations among Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) populations. In this study, we sought to compare the presence of kdr alleles among Ae.

Patterns Testing for Tick-Borne Diseases and Implications for Surveillance in the Southeastern US.

Importance: Tick-borne diseases (TBD), including spotted fever group rickettsiosis (SFGR), ehrlichiosis, and, increasingly, Lyme disease, represent a substantial public health concern throughout much of the southeastern United States. Yet, there is uncertainty about the epidemiology of these diseases because of pitfalls in existing diagnostic test methods.

Objective: To examine patterns of diagnostic testing and incidence of TBD in a large, academic health care system.

Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine Chemoprevention and Malaria Incidence After Severe Flooding: Evaluation of a Pragmatic Intervention in Rural Uganda.

Background: Malaria epidemics are a well-described phenomenon after extreme precipitation and flooding. Yet, few studies have examined mitigation measures to prevent post-flood malaria epidemics.

Methods: We evaluated a malaria chemoprevention program implemented in response to severe flooding in western Uganda.