A Comparison of Questing Substrates and Environmental Factors That Influence Nymphal Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae) Abundance and Seasonality in the Sierra Nevada Foothills of California.

In California, the western blacklegged tick, Ixodes pacificus Cooley and Kohls, is the principal vector of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (sl) complex (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae, Johnson et al.), which includes the causative agent of Lyme disease (B. burgdorferi sensu stricto).

Pre-existing Microfilarial Infections of American Robins (Passeriformes: Turdidae) and Common Grackles (Passeriformes: Icteridae) Have Limited Impact on Enhancing Dissemination of West Nile Virus in Culex pipiens Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae).

Microfilariae (MF) are the immature stages of filarial nematode parasites and inhabit the blood and dermis of all classes of vertebrates, except fish. Concurrent ingestion of MF and arboviruses by mosquitoes can enhance mosquito transmission of virus compared to when virus is ingested alone. Shortly after being ingested, MF penetrate the mosquito's midgut and may introduce virus into the mosquito's hemocoel, creating a disseminated viral infection much sooner than normal.

Long-Term Rodent Surveillance after Outbreak of Hantavirus Infection, Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2012.

In 2012, a total of 9 cases of hantavirus infection occurred in overnight visitors to Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California, USA. In the 6 years after the initial outbreak investigation, the California Department of Public Health conducted 11 rodent trapping events in developed areas of Yosemite Valley and 6 in Tuolumne Meadows to monitor the relative abundance of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and seroprevalence of Sin Nombre orthohantavirus, the causative agent of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Deer mouse trap success in Yosemite Valley remained lower than that observed during the 2012 outbreak investigation.

Human-Biting Ixodes Ticks and Pathogen Prevalence from California, Oregon, and Washington.

From July 2006 through August 2017, a passive surveillance study of Ixodes ticks submitted from California, Oregon, and Washington was conducted by the TickReport program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In total, 549 human-biting Ixodes ticks were submitted comprising both endemic and nonendemic species. We found that 430 endemic ticks were from 3 Ixodes species: Ixodes pacificus, Ixodes spinipalpis, and Ixodes angustus, whereas Ixodes scapularis (n = 111) was the most common species among the 119 nonendemic ticks.

Wolbachia effects on Rift Valley fever virus infection in Culex tarsalis mosquitoes.

Innovative tools are needed to alleviate the burden of mosquito-borne diseases, and strategies that target the pathogen are being considered. A possible tactic is the use of Wolbachia, a maternally inherited, endosymbiotic bacterium that can (but does not always) suppress diverse pathogens when introduced to naive mosquito species. We investigated effects of somatic Wolbachia (strain wAlbB) infection on Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) in Culex tarsalis mosquitoes.

First Record of Aedes albopictus in Georgia and Updated Checklist of Reported Species.

Mosquito surveillance was carried out in Batumi, Georgia, in August 2014. Aedes albopictus was detected for the first time, which brought the number of reported mosquito species in Georgia to 32. An updated checklist of the mosquitoes of Georgia is provided.

Effect of Holding Conditions on the Detection of Chikungunya and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Viruses in Mosquito Pools.

Emerging and re-emerging arboviruses continue to be a threat to global public health, and viral surveillance of mosquito populations is critical for mosquito control operations. Due to the tropical climate of many of the affected areas, it may be difficult to maintain a cold chain as the samples travel from collection sites to laboratories for testing. We determined how suboptimal holding temperatures affected the ability to detect viruses in pools of mosquitoes.

Interspecific Transfer of a Wolbachia Infection Into Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Yields a Novel Phenotype Capable of Rescuing a Superinfection.

Wolbachia are maternally transmitted obligate bacteria that occur naturally in many arthropods. The phenotype observed in mosquitoes is known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), which results in reduced or absent egg hatch in crosses between individuals with different infection types. Applied mosquito control strategies propose that by releasing individuals infected with a Wolbachia strain that differs from that in the natural host population, CI could be used to suppress or replace mosquito populations.

Species Diversity, Seasonal, and Spatial Distribution of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) Captured in Aotus Monkey-Baited Traps in a Forested Site Near Iquitos, Peru.

This study was conducted to determine the relative abundance, diversity, seasonal, and vertical distributions of potential mosquito vectors in the Amazon Basin, Peru. A total of 66,097 mosquitoes (50 mosquito species from 12 genera) were collected from May 2001 through March 2002 at a forested site near Iquitos, Peru. Mosquitoes were collected using Aotus nancymae Hershkovitz monkey-baited CDC light traps set for 12-h day and night periods at varying heights (e.

Analyzing arthropods for the presence of bacteria.

Bacteria within arthropods can be identified using culture-independent methods. This unit describes protocols for surface sterilization of arthropods, DNA extraction of whole bodies and tissues, touchdown PCR amplification using 16S rDNA general bacteria primers, and profiling the bacterial community using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis.

Reactive oxygen species production and Brugia pahangi survivorship in Aedes polynesiensis with artificial Wolbachia infection types.

Heterologous transinfection with the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia has been shown previously to induce pathogen interference phenotypes in mosquito hosts. Here we examine an artificially infected strain of Aedes polynesiensis, the primary vector of Wuchereria bancrofti, which is the causative agent of Lymphatic filariasis (LF) throughout much of the South Pacific. Embryonic microinjection was used to transfer the wAlbB infection from Aedes albopictus into an aposymbiotic strain of Ae.

Pollinator and herbivore attraction to cucurbita floral volatiles.

Mutualists and antagonists may place conflicting selection pressures on plant traits. For example, the evolution of floral traits is typically studied in the context of attracting pollinators, but traits may incur fitness costs if they are also attractive to antagonists. Striped cucumber beetles (Acalymma vittatum) feed on cucurbits and are attracted to several volatiles emitted by Cucurbita blossoms.