Fighting mosquito bite during a crisis: capabilities of Florida mosquito control districts during the COVID-19 pandemic

Incorporating citizen science engagement in a vector surveillance undergraduate internship

Citizen science is recognized as an important tool to engage the public in important scientific and environmental issues that impact them. Mosquito surveillance-based citizen science in college curricula have not received much attention even though its usage has the potential to actively engage students in inquiry and elevate student support for science. FLAGG (Florida Aedes Genome Group) was a course-based internship where college students engaged in mosquito egg collections, learned about disease transmission, and gained an understanding of data collection in scientific research. This paper reports on a study comparing the outcomes of FLAGG participants with students in other college internships and students who had never done an internship. Findings show that participation in the citizen science mosquito control internship not only increased knowledge and skills in mosquito abatement, but also increased confidence and to a certain extent, sense of engagement, when compared to other groups. These results support the inclusion of citizen science methods in college-based curricula, where benefits extend beyond content learning.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44217-024-00293-6.

Seroprevalence of West Nile Virus in Tampa Bay Florida Patients Admitted to Hospital during 2020-2021 for Respiratory Symptoms

West Nile virus (WNV) is an arbovirus spread primarily by Culex mosquitoes, with humans being a dead-end host. WNV was introduced to Florida in 2001, with 467 confirmed cases since. It is estimated that 80 percent of cases are asymptomatic, with mild cases presenting as a non-specific flu-like illness. Currently, detection of WNV in humans occurs primarily in healthcare settings via RT-PCR or CSF IgM when patients present with severe manifestations of disease including fever, meningitis, encephalitis, or acute flaccid paralysis. Given the short window of detectable viremia and requirement for CSF sampling, most WNV infections never receive an official diagnosis. This study utilized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect WNV IgG antibodies in 250 patient serum and plasma samples collected at Tampa General Hospital during 2020 and 2021. Plaque reduction neutralization tests were used to confirm ELISA results. Out of the 250 patients included in this study, 18.8% of them were IgG positive, consistent with previous WNV exposure. There was no relationship between WNV exposure and age or sex.

A Qualitative Analysis of the Perceptions of Stakeholders Involved in Vector Control and Vector-Borne Disease Research and Surveillance in Orinoquia, Colombia

Colombia has a tropical climate and environmental conditions that favour the circulation of most of the known vector-borne diseases (VBDs). Protocols have been established and implemented to address the threats of these diseases, but they are for country-wide use and do not take into consideration the nuances of the different environments of the country. Almost the entire population is vulnerable to infection with one or more VBD. This study aims to characterise the perceptions and experiences of stakeholders involved in vector control and VBDs in the Orinoquia region in Colombia. Two panel discussions, and 12 semi-structured interviews, were conducted. Experts from the Colombian National Health Institute (INS), health secretaries from Meta, Guaviare and Vichada Departments, academic researchers, and individuals from private vector control companies participated. All sessions were recorded, transcribed, and translated, and then subject to thematic analysis. Three major themes emerged: involvement, limitations, and recommendations. Results showed that participants are engaged in vector surveillance activities, education, and vector control research. Participants focused on problems of disjointed efforts towards VBD control between health secretaries and the health ministry, as well as societal issues, such as socioeconomic, cultural, and political issues, which became the rationale for the lack of vector control resources. Responses in the panel discussions and interviews overlapped in opinions, and suggested that vector control could be improved through better communication between vector control bodies, strengthened engagement with vulnerable communities, more collaborative actions, and a more balanced distribution of resources.

Amino acid-dependent regulation of insulin-like peptide signaling is mediated by TOR and GATA factors in the disease vector mosquito Aedes aegypti

Aedes aegypti female mosquitoes require vertebrate blood for their egg production and consequently they become vectors of devastating human diseases. Amino acids (AAs) and nutrients originating from a blood meal activate vitellogenesis and fuel embryo development of anautogenous mosquitoes. Insulin-like peptides (ILPs) are indispensable in reproducing female mosquitoes, regulating glycogen and lipid metabolism, and other essential functions. However, how ILPs coordinate their action in response to the AA influx in mosquito reproduction was unknown. We report here that the AA/Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway regulates ILPs through GATA transcription factors (TFs). AA infusion combined with RNA-interference TOR silencing of revealed their differential action on ILPs, elevating circulating levels of several ILPs but inhibiting others, in the female mosquito. Experiments involving isoform-specific CRISPR-Cas9 genomic editing and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that the expression of ilp4, ilp6, and ilp7 genes was inhibited by the GATA repressor (GATAr) isoform in response to low AA-TOR signaling, while the expression of ilp1, ilp2, ilp3, ilp5, and ilp8 genes was activated by the GATA activator isoform after a blood meal in response to the increased AA-TOR signaling. FoxO, a downstream TF in the insulin pathway, was involved in the TOR-GATAr-mediated repression of ilp4, ilp6, and ilp7 genes. This work uncovered how AA/TOR signaling controls the ILP pathway in modulation of metabolic requirements of reproducing female mosquitoes.

Geographic disparities in violent crime during the COVID-19 lockdown in Miami-Dade County, Florida, 2018-2020

OBJECTIVES

This study uses two cluster detection techniques to identify clusters of violent crime during the 3 months of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Miami-Dade County compared to that during an equivalent period in 2018 and 2019.

METHODS

Violent crime data from the Miami-Dade Central Records Bureau were analyzed. The Local Indicators of Spatial Association statistics and a space-time permutation statistic were used to identify clusters of violent crimes and outliers, and Global Moran's I tool was used to assess spatial patterning in violent crime. Neighborhood disadvantage data were obtained from the American Community Survey 5-year estimates linked with arrest locations.

RESULTS

Violent crime arrests fell by 7.1% in 2020. Arrests were concentrated in predominantly Black disadvantaged neighborhoods in the northern part, and similar results were produced for core clusters by the two cluster techniques with positive global Moran's I for all study years. Although accounting for only 17% of the county population, nearly half of violent crime arrests were for Black or African American. Males comprised most violent crime arrests.

CONCLUSIONS

Crime prevention and intervention efforts should be focused on both high-risk places and offenders.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards mosquito control and used vehicle tire dumping by median household income, in metropolitan New Orleans, Louisiana

Background

Discarded vehicle tires are an important artificial habitat for the larvae of many container-breeding mosquito species worldwide, including in the United States. Unmanaged discarded vehicle tires create health, environmental and social costs, and with budget and staffing constraints, effective management of discarded used vehicle tires a mosquito larval habitat depends in part on the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of community residents.

Objectives

This study aims to examine the knowledge, attitude and practices of New Orleans, Louisiana residents toward illegally discarded vehicle tires, and larval mosquito control.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional design study was used where 422 households were selected using a two-stage cluster random sampling procedure in New Orleans, Louisiana. Heads of households or a person aged 18 years or older self-administered the survey. The questionnaire comprised five parts: screening, tire sightings, preferred communication method, knowledge, attitude and precautionary measures against mosquito control, disease risk and illegal discarding. We then statistically compared above and below median income household responses to identify likely causes of detected differences. The data were analyzed using ordinal regression models via IBM SPSS statistics V.26.0. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results

Out of 290 responding households, 95.5% strongly agree or agree that mosquitoes can spread serious diseases like West Nile, Zika or Dengue. Only 2.3% of the sample had high knowledge of illegally discarded tires dumping and mosquito larval control. Those employed were 1.0 times more likely to possess good knowledge than the unemployed (p < 0.001). Despite low knowledge levels regarding mosquito breeding and polluted water in discarded tires, 29.9% of respondents had positive attitude and 20.5% reported sufficient practices. Among the socio-demographic variables, only home ownership and being employed were predictors of knowledge and attitude towards mosquito breeding in illegally discarded tires (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Despite the observed increasing number of illegally discarded vehicle tires in New Orleans, the knowledge of people about illegal tire dumping and their associated risk factors as suitable larval habitants was low. Therefore, there is a need for developing community-based and place-based tailored sensitization campaigns to prevent illegal used tire dumping, and larval control.

Epidemiology of Mosquito-Borne Viruses in Egypt: A Systematic Review

There are at least five common mosquito-borne viruses (MBVs) recorded in Egypt, including dengue virus (DENV), Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), West Nile virus (WNV), Chikungunya virus, and Sindbis virus. Unexpected outbreaks caused by MBVs reflect the deficiencies of the MBV surveillance system in Egypt. This systematic review characterized the epidemiology of MBV prevalence in Egypt. Human, animal, and vector prevalence studies on MBVs in Egypt were retrieved from Web of Science, PubMed, and Bing Scholar, and 33 eligible studies were included for further analyses. The monophyletic characterization of the RVFV and WNV strains found in Egypt, which spans about half a century, suggests that both RVFV and WNV are widely transmitted in this nation. Moreover, the seropositive rates of DENV and WNV in hosts were on the rise in recent years, and spillover events of DENV and WNV to other countries from Egypt have been recorded. The common drawback for surveillance of MBVs in Egypt is the lack of seroprevalence studies on MBVs, especially in this century. It is necessary to evaluate endemic transmission risk, establish an early warning system for MBVs, and develop a sound joint system for medical care and public health for managing MBVs in Egypt.

Impact of COVID-19 Mitigation Measures on Mosquito-Borne Diseases in 2020 in Queensland, Australia

We describe the impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures on mosquito-borne diseases in Queensland, Australia, during the first half of 2020. Implementation of restrictions coincided with an atypical late season outbreak of Ross River virus (RRV) characterized by a peak in notifications in April (1173) and May (955) which were greater than 3-fold the mean observed for the previous four years. We propose that limitations on human movement likely resulted in the majority of RRV infections being acquired at or near the place of residence, and that an increase in outdoor activities, such as gardening and bushwalking in the local household vicinity, increased risk of exposure to RRV-infected mosquitoes. In contrast, the precipitous decline in international passenger flights led to a reduction in the number of imported dengue and malaria cases of over 70% and 60%, respectively, compared with the previous five years. This substantial reduction in flights also reduced a risk pathway for importation of exotic mosquitoes, but the risk posed by importation via sea cargo was not affected. Overall, the emergence of COVID-19 has had a varied impact on mosquito-borne disease epidemiology in Queensland, but the need for mosquito surveillance and control, together with encouragement of personal protective measures, remains unchanged.

Fighting mosquito bite during a crisis: capabilities of Florida mosquito control districts during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The stay-at-home orders imposed in early April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in various states complicated mosquito control activities across the United States (US), and Florida was no exception. Mosquito control programs are the first line of defense against mosquito-borne pathogens. The purpose of this study was to examine the capabilities of Florida mosquito programs to implement key mosquito measures during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

METHODS

Using a self-administered online survey, we examined the capabilities of all Florida mosquito control programs (both state-approved mosquito districts, N = 63; and open programs, N = 27) at a time when the state of Florida was still under heightened awareness of, stay-at-home orders and planning a phase 1 reopening over the COVID-19 pandemic (June to July 2020). The final sample included mosquito control programs structured as the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) (n = 42), independent tax district (n = 16), municipal (n = 10), and health or emergency department (n = 5). We used descriptive statistics to summarize information about the characteristics of responding programs, their implemented mosquito control and surveillance activities.  wWe used bivariate analysis to compare the characteristics of responding programs and the self-reported mosquito measures.

RESULTS

Of the recruited mosquito control programs, 73 completed the survey (81.1% response rate; 73/90). Of these, 57.5% (n = 42) were Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) mosquito control programs, 21.9% (n = 16) were independent tax district programs, 13.7% (n = 10) were municipal mosquito control programs, and only 6.8% (n = 5) were either health or emergency department mosquito control programs. Except for arbovirus surveillance, most programs either fully or partially performed larval (61.8%) and adult (78.9%) surveillance; most programs conducted species-specific control for Aedes aegypti (85.2%, n = 54), Aedes albopictus (87.3%, n = 55), Culex quinquefasciatus (92.1%, n = 58), and Culex nigripalpus (91.9%, n = 57).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings underscore the importance of ongoing mosquito control activities, and suggest that Florida mosquito control programs are vigilant and have significant capability to handle potential mosquito-borne disease threats, but arbovirus surveillance systems (laboratory testing of mosquito pools and testing of human and nonhuman specimens for arboviruses) are needed during pandemics as well.