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Bonds JAS, Fritz BK, Thistle H, Tressler M, Wheeler SS, Harshaw R, Reynolds B, Kimbell P. Uncrewed Aerial Spray Systems For Mosquito Control: Efficacy Studies For Space Sprays. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION 2023; 39:223-230. [PMID: 38108430 DOI: 10.2987/23-7140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Achieving an appropriate droplet size distribution for adulticiding has proved problematic for unmanned aerial spray systems (UASSs). The high-pressure pumping systems utilized on crewed aircraft conflict with the weight constraints of UASSs. The alternative is a lightweight rotary atomizer, which when run at a maximum rpm with a minimal flow rate can achieve the appropriate droplet size distribution. For this study a UASS was calibrated to discharge an appropriate droplet size distribution (Dv0.5 of 48 µm and Dv0.9 of 76 µm). Spray was released from an altitude of 23 m (75 ft). The spray plume was shown to effectively disperse through the sampling zone. To achieve the appropriate application rate, the flight speed was 3 m/sec (6.7 mph) with an assumed swath of 150 m (500 ft). The objective of this project was not to conduct an operational application; instead only 1 flight line was used so that the effective swath width could be confirmed and the appropriate flightline separation defined. This study showed that control was achieved across distances of 100-150 m. Considering a swath width of 150 m (500 ft), ground deposition was 13-36% of applied material. Spray deposition corresponded well with the mortality data, which helped improve confidence in the data. The overall conclusion from this study is that aerial adulticiding is feasible with the system presented here. Further work is required to improve the atomization system to allow operational flight speeds and to determine the interaction between release altitude and droplet size in order to minimize ground deposition of application material.
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Chen YX, Pan CY, Chen BY, Jeng SW, Chen CH, Huang JJ, Chen CD, Liu WL. Use of unmanned ground vehicle systems in urbanized zones: A study of vector Mosquito surveillance in Kaohsiung. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011346. [PMID: 37289665 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Dengue fever is a vector-borne disease that has become a serious global public health problem over the past decade. An essential aspect of controlling and preventing mosquito-borne diseases is reduction of mosquito density. Through the process of urbanization, sewers (ditches) have become easy breeding sources of vector mosquitoes. In this study, we, for the first time, used unmanned ground vehicle systems (UGVs) to enter ditches in urban areas to observe vector mosquito ecology. We found traces of vector mosquitoes in ~20.7% of inspected ditches, suggesting that these constitute viable breeding sources of vector mosquitoes in urban areas. We also analyzed the average gravitrap catch of five administrative districts in Kaohsiung city from May to August 2018. The gravitrap indices of Nanzi and Fengshan districts were above the expected average (3.26), indicating that the vector mosquitoes density in these areas is high. Using the UGVs to detect positive ditches within the five districts followed by insecticide application generally yielded good control results. Further improving the high-resolution digital camera and spraying system of the UGVs may be able to effectively and instantly monitor vector mosquitoes and implement spraying controls. This approach may be suitable to solve the complex and difficult task of detecting mosquito breeding sources in urban ditches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Xuan Chen
- National Mosquito-Borne Diseases Control Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioindustry Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chao-Ying Pan
- Department of Health, Kaohsiung City Government, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Science Education & Environmental Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Bo-Yu Chen
- National Mosquito-Borne Diseases Control Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Wen Jeng
- National Mosquito-Borne Diseases Control Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hong Chen
- National Mosquito-Borne Diseases Control Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Joh-Jong Huang
- Department of Health, Kaohsiung City Government, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Humanity and Education, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chaur-Dong Chen
- Department of Health, Kaohsiung City Government, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Sanmin District Public Health Center, Department of Health, Kaohsiung City Government, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Liang Liu
- National Mosquito-Borne Diseases Control Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan
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Mechan F, Bartonicek Z, Malone D, Lees RS. Unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance and control of vectors of malaria and other vector-borne diseases. Malar J 2023; 22:23. [PMID: 36670398 PMCID: PMC9854044 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04414-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has expanded rapidly in ecological conservation and agriculture, with a growing literature describing their potential applications in global health efforts including vector control. Vector-borne diseases carry severe public health and economic impacts to over half of the global population yet conventional approaches to the surveillance and treatment of vector habitats is typically laborious and slow. The high mobility of UAVs allows them to reach remote areas that might otherwise be inaccessible to ground-based teams. Given the rapidly expanding examples of these tools in vector control programmes, there is a need to establish the current knowledge base of applications for UAVs in this context and assess the strengths and challenges compared to conventional methodologies. This review aims to summarize the currently available knowledge on the capabilities of UAVs in both malaria control and in vector control more broadly in cases where the technology could be readily adapted to malaria vectors. This review will cover the current use of UAVs in vector habitat surveillance and deployment of control payloads, in comparison with their existing conventional approaches. Finally, this review will highlight the logistical and regulatory challenges in scaling up the use of UAVs in malaria control programmes and highlight potential future developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Mechan
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA UK
| | - Zikmund Bartonicek
- Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC), Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA UK
| | - David Malone
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), 500 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 USA
| | - Rosemary Susan Lees
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA UK
- Innovation to Impact (I2I), Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA UK
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Annan E, Guo J, Angulo-Molina A, Yaacob WFW, Aghamohammadi N, C Guetterman T, Yavaşoglu Sİ, Bardosh K, Dom NC, Zhao B, Lopez-Lemus UA, Khan L, Nguyen USDT, Haque U. Community acceptability of dengue fever surveillance using unmanned aerial vehicles: A cross-sectional study in Malaysia, Mexico, and Turkey. Travel Med Infect Dis 2022; 49:102360. [PMID: 35644475 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2022.102360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Surveillance is a critical component of any dengue prevention and control program. There is an increasing effort to use drones in mosquito control surveillance. Due to the novelty of drones, data are scarce on the impact and acceptance of their use in the communities to collect health-related data. The use of drones raises concerns about the protection of human privacy. Here, we show how willingness to be trained and acceptance of drone use in tech-savvy communities can help further discussions in mosquito surveillance. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Malaysia, Mexico, and Turkey to assess knowledge of diseases caused by Aedes mosquitoes, perceptions about drone use for data collection, and acceptance of drones for Aedes mosquito surveillance around homes. Compared with people living in Turkey, Mexicans had 14.3 (p < 0.0001) times higher odds and Malaysians had 4.0 (p = 0.7030) times the odds of being willing to download a mosquito surveillance app. Compared to urban dwellers, rural dwellers had 1.56 times the odds of being willing to be trained. There is widespread community support for drone use in mosquito surveillance and this community buy-in suggests a potential for success in mosquito surveillance using drones. A successful surveillance and community engagement system may be used to monitor a variety of mosquito spp. Future research should include qualitative interview data to add context to these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Annan
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA.
| | - Jinghui Guo
- Department of Computer Science, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
| | - Aracely Angulo-Molina
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Sonora, Hermosillo, 83000, Sonora, Mexico
| | - Wan Fairos Wan Yaacob
- Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Kelantan, Kampus Kota Bharu, Lembah Sireh, 15050, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia; Institute for Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (IBDAAI), Kompleks Al-Khawarizmi, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Nasrin Aghamohammadi
- Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia
| | | | - Sare İlknur Yavaşoglu
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, 09010, Turkey
| | - Kevin Bardosh
- Center for One Health Research, School of Public Health, University of Washington, USA
| | - Nazri Che Dom
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Selangor, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Bingxin Zhao
- Department of Statistics, Purdue University, 250 N. University St, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Uriel A Lopez-Lemus
- Department of Health Sciences, Center for Biodefense and Global Infectious Diseases, Colima, 28078, Mexico
| | - Latifur Khan
- Department of Computer Science, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
| | - Uyen-Sa D T Nguyen
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA
| | - Ubydul Haque
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA
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