Novel Vector Control Approaches: The Future for Prevention of Zika Virus Transmission?

In a Perspective accompanying Abad-Franch and colleagues, Lorenz von Seidlein, Alexander Kekulé, and Daniel Strickman discuss the importance of developing effective strategies to minimize mosquito-borne transmission of human diseases.

Suppression of Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, using a 'hot spot' approach.

Background: Recent changes in climate and human behavior have led to dramatic increases in the abundance and geographic expansion of invasive mosquito vectors such as Aedes albopictus. Although source reduction has been shown to be effective in reducing mosquito populations, thousands of backyards need to be inspected during door-to-door campaigns, which is labor intensive and expensive. We identified 'hot spots' as high (five or more female or male Ae.

Making Mosquito Taxonomy Useful: A Stable Classification of Tribe Aedini that Balances Utility with Current Knowledge of Evolutionary Relationships.

The tribe Aedini (Family Culicidae) contains approximately one-quarter of the known species of mosquitoes, including vectors of deadly or debilitating disease agents. This tribe contains the genus Aedes, which is one of the three most familiar genera of mosquitoes. During the past decade, Aedini has been the focus of a series of extensive morphology-based phylogenetic studies published by Reinert, Harbach, and Kitching (RH&K).

Economic evaluation of an area-wide integrated pest management program to control the Asian tiger mosquito in New Jersey.

Aedes albopictus is the most invasive mosquito in the world, an important disease vector, and a biting nuisance that limits outdoor activities. Area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) is the recommended control strategy. We conducted an economic evaluation of the AW-IPM project in Mercer and Monmouth Counties, New Jersey with a controlled design (AW-IPM vs.

Differences in male-female ratios of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) following ultra-low volume adulticide applications.

Suppression of Aedes albopictus populations is a substantial challenge for mosquito control programs globally because juveniles of this species are found in numerous kinds of domestic artificial containers that are difficult to detect, access, and eliminate. We conducted a multi-year assessment of the effect of different interventions to control Ae. albopictus near the northernmost geographic boundary of the species in temperate North America and deployed an array of BG-Sentinel traps for adult surveillance.

Quantifying the impact of mosquitoes on quality of life and enjoyment of yard and porch activities in New Jersey.

The recent expansion of Aedes albopictus, a day-biting mosquito, to densely inhabited areas in the northeastern Atlantic states of the USA has dramatically increased the problem that mosquitoes create for urban and suburban residents. We quantified the impact of mosquitoes on residents' quality of life within the context of a comprehensive area-wide integrated pest management program to control Ae. albopictus in two counties (Mercer and Monmouth) in New Jersey.

Crouching tiger, hidden trouble: urban sources of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) refractory to source-reduction.

Our ultimate objective is to design cost-effective control strategies for Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, an important urban nuisance and disease vector that expanded worldwide during the last 40 years. We conducted mosquito larval surveys from May through October 2009 in the City of Trenton, New Jersey, USA, while performing intensive monthly source-reduction campaigns that involved removing, emptying, or treating all accessible containers with larvicides and pupicides. We examined patterns of occurrence of Ae.

Willingness-to-pay for an area-wide integrated pest management program to control the Asian tiger mosquito in New Jersey.

Using contingent valuation we estimated the perceived value of an area-wide integrated pest management program for the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, implemented in Monmouth and Mercer counties, NJ. We estimated residents' maximum willingness-to-pay and perceived monetary benefits (willingness-to-pay excluding residents who protested all types of payments) and payment modality through a telephone survey of 51 randomly selected households. The mean (+/- SE) perceived monetary benefits for an enhanced mosquito abatement program was $9.

Area-wide management of Aedes albopictus. Part 2: gauging the efficacy of traditional integrated pest control measures against urban container mosquitoes.

Background: Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse) is an important disease vector and biting nuisance. During the 2009 active season, six ∼1000-parcel sites were studied, three in urban and three in suburban areas of New Jersey, United States, to examine the efficacy of standard integrated urban mosquito control strategies applied area wide. Active source reduction, larviciding, adulticiding and public education (source reduction through education) were implemented in one site in each county, an education-only approach was developed in a second site and a third site was used as an untreated experimental control.

Larval mosquito habitat utilization and community dynamics of Aedes albopictus and Aedes japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae).

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Ae. japonicus (Theobald) are important container-inhabiting mosquitoes that transmit disease agents, outcompete native species, and continue to expand their range in the United States. Both species deposit eggs in natural and artificial containers and thrive in peridomestic environments.

Autogeny in Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes from the San Francisco Bay Area.

We surveyed the genetic ancestry and recorded the occurrence of autogeny, the developmental times, and survival rates in families of Culex pipiens in Santa Clara County, CA, at 37°N latitude. Females in 95% of the families produced fertile egg rafts without access to blood (= autogeny) after mating in stenogamous conditions. Developmental time, survival, and egg raft production were closely correlated to temperature.

Source reduction behavior as an independent measurement of the impact of a public health education campaign in an integrated vector management program for the Asian tiger mosquito.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a public health educational campaign to reduce backyard mosquito-larval habitats. Three communities each, within two New Jersey counties, were randomly selected to receive: (1) both education and mosquito control, (2) education only, and (3) no education or mosquito control. Four separate educational events included a 5-day elementary school curriculum in the spring, and three door to door distributions of educational brochures.

Area-wide management of Aedes albopictus: choice of study sites based on geospatial characteristics, socioeconomic factors and mosquito populations.

Background: Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse), the Asian tiger mosquito, is an introduced invasive species in the United States that is responsible for a significant proportion of service requests to local mosquito control programs. This container-utilizing mosquito is refractory to standard mosquito abatement measures in the United States. This study is part of a USDA-ARS project to develop an area-wide management strategy for Ae.

One Health approach to identify research needs in bovine and human babesioses: workshop report.

Background: Babesia are emerging health threats to humans and animals in the United States. A collaborative effort of multiple disciplines to attain optimal health for people, animals and our environment, otherwise known as the One Health concept, was taken during a research workshop held in April 2009 to identify gaps in scientific knowledge regarding babesioses. The impetus for this analysis was the increased risk for outbreaks of bovine babesiosis, also known as Texas cattle fever, associated with the re-infestation of the U.

Topically applied AaeIAP1 double-stranded RNA kills female adults of Aedes aegypti.

Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) is the primary vector of both dengue and yellow fever. Use of insecticides is one of the primary ways to control this medically important insect pest.

A Rift Valley fever risk surveillance system for Africa using remotely sensed data: potential for use on other continents.

The authors developed a monitoring and risk mapping system using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) times series data derived from the advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) instrument on polar orbiting national oceanographic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) satellites to map areas with a potential for a Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa. This system is potentially an important tool for local, national and international organisations involved in the prevention and control of animal and human disease, permitting focused and timely implementation of disease control strategies several months before an outbreak. We are currently developing a geographic information system (GIS)-based remotely sensed early warning system for potential RVF vectors in the United States.

Longevity of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) compared in cages and field under ambient conditions in rural Thailand.

Aedes aegypti (L.) were exposed to all of the physiological stresses of a natural environment, without mortality from predation or from the defensive behavior of bitten hosts. Each replicate consisted of four cages containing 50 male and 50 female, locally reared Ae.

The genus and subgenus categories within Culicidae and placement of Ochlerotatus as a subgenus of Aedes.

Many species of Culicidae are of major medical, veterinary, and economic importance. To facilitate discussion among taxonomists, medical entomologists, ecologists, and vector control specialists, it is essential that culicidologists be able to readily recognize individual genera. Adult female mosquitoes, the stage most often encountered in surveys, should be identifiable to genus without dissection with the aid of a good-quality dissecting microscope.

Comparative resistance of Anopheles albimanus and Aedes aegypti to N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (Deet) and 2-methylpiperidinyl-3-cyclohexen-1-carboxamide (AI3-37220) in laboratory human-volunteer repellent assays.

The insect repellents N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (Deet) and the racemate and 1S,2'S stereoisomer of 2-methylpiperidinyl-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxamide (AI3-37220) were tested against Anopheles albimanus Wiedemann and Aedes aegypti (L.) in laboratory human-volunteer assays. Estimated skin doses of Deet or racemic AI3-37220 required to reduce biting by 95% in Ae.

Occurrence of Orientia tsutsugamushi in small mammals from Thailand.

Extensive sampling of small mammals was conducted in eight provinces of Thailand between September 9, 1992 and April 29, 2001. A total of 3,498 specimens representing 22 species were collected. Eighty-eight percent (3,089 of 3,498) of the animals were collected from a region in Chiangrai Province, which is commonly recognized as endemic for human scrub typhus.