Environmental conditions for Jamestown Canyon virus correlated with population-level resource selection by white-tailed deer in a suburban landscape.

Suburban landscapes can alter spatial patterns by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and increase animal contact with vectors, pathogens, and humans. Close-contact relationships at a landscape level can have broad implications for disease epidemiology. From 1995-1999, we captured and radio-collared 41 deer in two suburban forest preserves in Chicago, Illinois.

Evaluation of the eastern cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus as an amplifying vertebrate host for Cache Valley virus (Bunyaviridae) in Indiana.

To evaluate the importance of eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus) as amplifying hosts for Cache Valley virus (CVV), we tested hunter-provided blood samples from northern Indiana for specific neutralizing (N) antibodies against this mosquito-borne bunya-virus. Samples were collected during the winter of 1994-95. Two seronegative eastern cottontails, captured in July 1995, were also infected with CVV by subcutaneous inoculation, and two others were infected by allowing CVV-infected mosquitoes to feed on them.

Identification of quantitative trait loci for larval morphological traits in interspecific hybrids of Ochlerotatus triseriatus and Ochlerotatus hendersoni (Diptera: Culicidae).

Ochlerotatus triseriatus is the natural vector of La Crosse virus, a common cause of pediatric encephalitis in the United States; the closely related Ochlerotatus hendersoni transmits this virus at low frequency. Adults of these mosquito species are difficult to distinguish morphologically; however, the larval stages show species-specific differences in several characters. We identified genomic regions contributing to the differences between the larvae of these species through interspecific hybridizations.

Quantitative genetics of vector competence for La Crosse virus and body size in Ochlerotatus hendersoni and Ochlerotatus triseriatus interspecific hybrids.

La Crosse virus is a leading cause of pediatric encephalitis in the United States. The mosquito Ochlerotatus triseriatus is an efficient vector for La Crosse virus, whereas the closely related O. hendersoni transmits only at very low rates.

Overwintering and establishment of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in an urban La Crosse virus enzootic site in Illinois.

In 1997, Aedes albopictus (Skuse) was discovered in Peoria, IL, a known focus of La Crosse (LAC) virus transmission. This accidental introduction provided an opportunity to determine whether Ae. albopictus would reemerge in the spring or summer and, if successful overwintering occurred, to follow changes in the geographic range of Ae.