Evaluation of the In2Care Mosquito Station at low deployment density: a field study to manage Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) in North Central Florida.

In the last 2 decades, there has been an increase in the geographic range and frequency of vector-borne diseases. Management of mosquito populations has become challenging due to increasing rates of resistance to existing insecticidal products and formulations. Several alternative tools have emerged to suppress or replace mosquito populations.

The increasing threat of Rift Valley fever virus globalization: strategic guidance for protection and preparation.

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) (Bunyavirales: Phlebovirus) is a prominent vector-borne zoonotic disease threat to global agriculture and public health. Risks of introduction into nonendemic regions are tied to changing climate regimes and other dynamic environmental factors that are becoming more prevalent, as well as virus evolutionary factors and human/animal movement. Endemic to the African continent, RVFV has caused large epizootics at the decadal scale since the early 20th century but has spread to the Arabian Peninsula and shows increasing patterns of interepizootic transmission on the annual scale.

Transfluthrin Spatial Repellent on US Military Camouflage Netting Reduces Tabanids in a Warm-Temperate Environment.

We investigated the capability of transfluthrin on US military camouflage netting to reduce collections of tabanid biting flies in a warm-temperate field environment on the Gulf Coast of Florida. We found that transfluthrin significantly reduced collections of a variety of medically and veterinarily important tabanids inside protected areas by up to 96% upon initial treatment and up to 74% after 20 days posttreatment. These results suggest that transfluthrin could be an effective element in the US Department of Defense integrated pest management system and leveraged in civilian scenarios to protect livestock and humans from potential mechanical transmission of pathogens and disruption of activities caused by painful bites.

Author Correction: Global disease outbreaks associated with the 2015-2016 El Niño Event.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Individual-based network model for Rift Valley fever in Kabale District, Uganda.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic disease, that causes significant morbidity and mortality among ungulate livestock and humans in endemic regions. In East Africa, the causative agent of the disease is Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) which is primarily transmitted by multiple mosquito species in Aedes and Mansonia genera during both epizootic and enzootic periods in a complex transmission cycle largely driven by environmental and climatic factors. However, recent RVFV activity in Uganda demonstrated the capability of the virus to spread into new regions through livestock movements, and underscored the need to develop effective mitigation strategies to reduce transmission and prevent spread among cattle populations.

Global Disease Outbreaks Associated with the 2015-2016 El Niño Event.

Interannual climate variability patterns associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon result in climate and environmental anomaly conditions in specific regions worldwide that directly favor outbreaks and/or amplification of variety of diseases of public health concern including chikungunya, hantavirus, Rift Valley fever, cholera, plague, and Zika. We analyzed patterns of some disease outbreaks during the strong 2015-2016 El Niño event in relation to climate anomalies derived from satellite measurements. Disease outbreaks in multiple El Niño-connected regions worldwide (including Southeast Asia, Tanzania, western US, and Brazil) followed shifts in rainfall, temperature, and vegetation in which both drought and flooding occurred in excess (14-81% precipitation departures from normal).

Biologically Informed Individual-Based Network Model for Rift Valley Fever in the US and Evaluation of Mitigation Strategies.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic disease endemic in sub-Saharan Africa with periodic outbreaks in human and animal populations. Mosquitoes are the primary disease vectors; however, Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) can also spread by direct contact with infected tissues. The transmission cycle is complex, involving humans, livestock, and multiple species of mosquitoes.

Laboratory evaluation of an improved electronic grain probe insect counter.

An Electronic Grain Probe Insect Counter system, which incorporates modified passive grain probes, allows offsite monitoring and detection of insect pests in stored grain. An electronic count is generated whenever an insect falls through an infrared beam in the sensor head located at the bottom of the electronic grain probe. We report descriptions and laboratory evaluations of prototype electronic grain probes that were custom-made in-house (n=8) and by small-scale manufacturing (n=54).