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Tong Jia Ming S, Tan Yi Jun K, Carissimo G. Pathogenicity and virulence of O'nyong-nyong virus: A less studied Togaviridae with pandemic potential. Virulence 2024; 15:2355201. [PMID: 38797948 PMCID: PMC11135837 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2024.2355201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
O'nyong-nyong virus (ONNV) is a neglected mosquito-borne alphavirus belonging to the Togaviridae family. ONNV is known to be responsible for sporadic outbreaks of acute febrile disease and polyarthralgia in Africa. As climate change increases the geographical range of known and potential new vectors, recent data indicate a possibility for ONNV to spread outside of the African continent and grow into a greater public health concern. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge on ONNV epidemiology, host-pathogen interactions, vector-virus responses, and insights into possible avenues to control risk of further epidemics. In this review, the limited ONNV literature is compared and correlated to other findings on mainly Old World alphaviruses. We highlight and discuss studies that investigate viral and host factors that determine viral-vector specificity, along with important mechanisms that determine severity and disease outcome of ONNV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Tong Jia Ming
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR ID Labs), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Katrina Tan Yi Jun
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR ID Labs), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Guillaume Carissimo
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR ID Labs), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technical University, Singapore, Singapore
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2
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El-Helw EAE, Hosni EM, Kamal M, Hashem AI, Ramadan SK. Synthesis, insecticidal Activity, and molecular docking analysis of some benzo[h]quinoline derivatives against Culex pipiens L. Larvae. Bioorg Chem 2024; 150:107591. [PMID: 38964147 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Some heterocycles bearing a benzo[h]quinoline moiety were synthesized through treating a 3-((2-chlorobenzo[h]quinolin-3-yl)methylene)-5-(p-tolyl)furan-2(3H)-one with four nitrogen nucleophiles comprising ammonium acetate, benzylamine, dodecan-1-amine, and 1,2-diaminoethane. Also, thiation reactions of furanone and pyrrolinone derivatives were investigated. The insecticidal activity of these compounds against mosquito larvae (Culex pipiens L.) was evaluated. All tested compounds exhibited significant larvicidal activity, surpassing that of the conventional insecticide chlorpyrifos. In silico docking analysis revealed that these compounds may act as acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors, potentially explaining their larvicidal effect. Additionally, interactions with other neuroreceptors, such as nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and sodium channel voltage-gated alpha subunit were also predicted. The results obtained from this study reflected the potential of benzo[h]quinoline derivatives as promising candidates for developing more effective and sustainable mosquito control strategies. The ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) analyses displayed their desirable drug-likeness and oral bioavailability properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eman A E El-Helw
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Eslam M Hosni
- Entomology Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud Kamal
- Entomology Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Ahmed I Hashem
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Sayed K Ramadan
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt.
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3
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de Jesús Crespo R, Pavlakis A, Breaux J, Riegel C. Discarded vehicle tires and their association with mosquito vector abundance across socioenvironmental gradients in New Orleans, LA. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2024:tjae092. [PMID: 39096529 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjae092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/05/2024]
Abstract
Discarded vehicle tires serve as habitat for mosquito vectors. In New Orleans, Louisiana, discarded tires are an increasingly important public concern, especially considering that the city is home to many medically important mosquito species. Discarded tires are known to be associated with mosquito abundance, but how their presence interacts with other socioenvironmental gradients to influence mosquito ecology is poorly understood. Here, we ask whether discarded tire distribution could be explained by social factors, particularly median income, home vacancy and human population density, and whether these factors interact with urban heat islands (UHI) to drive mosquito vector assemblages. We surveyed tire piles across the city and adult mosquitoes in 12 sites, between May and October of 2020. We compared this data with the social indicators selected and UHI estimates. Our results show that median income and human population density were inversely related to tire abundance. Tire abundance was positively associated with Aedes albopictus abundance in places of low heat (LS) severity. Heat was the only predictor for the other monitored species, where high heat corresponded to higher abundance of Aedes aegypti, and LS to higher abundance of Culex quinquefasciatus. Our results suggest that low-income, sparsely populated neighborhoods of New Orleans may be hotspots for discarded vehicle tires, and are associated with higher abundances of at least one medically important mosquito (Ae. albopictus). These findings suggest potential locations for prioritizing source reduction efforts to control mosquito vectors and highlight discarded tires as a potential exposure pathway to unequal disease risk for low-income residents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexandros Pavlakis
- New Orleans Mosquito, Termite, and Rodent Control Board, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Jennifer Breaux
- New Orleans Mosquito, Termite, and Rodent Control Board, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Claudia Riegel
- New Orleans Mosquito, Termite, and Rodent Control Board, New Orleans, LA, USA
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4
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Montalvo-Sabino E, Marquez-Ocaña OP, Otiniano-Moreno GA, Chuquiyauri-Talenas MA, Melo T, Seixas G, Parreira R, de Almeida APG. Description of New Morphological Variation of Culex (Culex) coronator Dyar and Knab, 1906 and First Report of Culex (Carrollia) bonnei Dyar, 1921 Found in the Central Region of Peru. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 53:987-996. [PMID: 38918340 PMCID: PMC11255002 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-024-01160-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) pose a significant threat to public health worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, where they act as primary vectors in transmission of infectious agents. In Peru, 182 culicid species have been identified and several species of the genus Culex are known to transmit arboviruses. However, knowledge of mosquito diversity and distribution remains limited, with many studies focusing on specific regions only. Here, we describe a new morphological variation of Cx. (Culex) coronator Dyar and Knab, 1906, and report the presence of Culex (Carrollia) bonnei Dyar, 1921 in the central region of Peru, Huanuco. Specimens were obtained through larvae collections and identified through morphologic characterization, including dissection of male genitalia, and molecular analyses. In total, 17 mosquitoes were analyzed, and the genitalia of the male specimens allowed the identification of Cx. coronator and Cx. bonnei. Partial sequences of the CoxI gene corresponding to these two species were obtained (N = 10). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the sequences of Cx. coronator grouped in a monophyletic clade with sequences ascribed to other species corresponding to the subgenus Carrollia, while Cx. bonnei specimens formed a monophyletic clade with homologous sequences from GenBank. This study underscores the importance of continued efforts to study the diversity and distribution of mosquitoes in Peru, including their potential role as vectors of human pathogens, to underpin effective disease control and prevention strategies, highlighting the importance of a complemented morphological and molecular analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Tiago Melo
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Associate Lab in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT), Univ Nova de Lisboa (NOVA), Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Gonçalo Seixas
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Associate Lab in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT), Univ Nova de Lisboa (NOVA), Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Parreira
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Associate Lab in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT), Univ Nova de Lisboa (NOVA), Lisboa, Portugal
| | - António Paulo Gouveia de Almeida
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Associate Lab in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT), Univ Nova de Lisboa (NOVA), Lisboa, Portugal.
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5
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Ippoliti C, Bonicelli L, De Ascentis M, Tora S, Di Lorenzo A, d’Alessio SG, Porrello A, Bonanni A, Cioci D, Goffredo M, Calderara S, Conte A. Spotting Culex pipiens from satellite: modeling habitat suitability in central Italy using Sentinel-2 and deep learning techniques. Front Vet Sci 2024; 11:1383320. [PMID: 39027906 PMCID: PMC11256216 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1383320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Culex pipiens, an important vector of many vector borne diseases, is a species capable to feeding on a wide variety of hosts and adapting to different environments. To predict the potential distribution of Cx. pipiens in central Italy, this study integrated presence/absence data from a four-year entomological survey (2019-2022) carried out in the Abruzzo and Molise regions, with a datacube of spectral bands acquired by Sentinel-2 satellites, as patches of 224 × 224 pixels of 20 meters spatial resolution around each site and for each satellite revisit time. We investigated three scenarios: the baseline model, which considers the environmental conditions at the time of collection; the multitemporal model, focusing on conditions in the 2 months preceding the collection; and the MultiAdjacency Graph Attention Network (MAGAT) model, which accounts for similarities in temperature and nearby sites using a graph architecture. For the baseline scenario, a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) analyzed a single multi-band Sentinel-2 image. The DCNN in the multitemporal model extracted temporal patterns from a sequence of 10 multispectral images; the MAGAT model incorporated spatial and climatic relationships among sites through a graph neural network aggregation method. For all models, we also evaluated temporal lags between the multi-band Earth Observation datacube date of acquisition and the mosquito collection, from 0 to 50 days. The study encompassed a total of 2,555 entomological collections, and 108,064 images (patches) at 20 meters spatial resolution. The baseline model achieved an F1 score higher than 75.8% for any temporal lag, which increased up to 81.4% with the multitemporal model. The MAGAT model recorded the highest F1 score of 80.9%. The study confirms the widespread presence of Cx. pipiens throughout the majority of the surveyed area. Utilizing only Sentinel-2 spectral bands, the models effectively capture early in advance the temporal patterns of the mosquito population, offering valuable insights for directing surveillance activities during the vector season. The methodology developed in this study can be scaled up to the national territory and extended to other vectors, in order to support the Ministry of Health in the surveillance and control strategies for the vectors and the diseases they transmit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Ippoliti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”, Teramo, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Bonicelli
- Department of Engineering “Enzo Ferrari”, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Matteo De Ascentis
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”, Teramo, Italy
| | - Susanna Tora
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”, Teramo, Italy
| | - Alessio Di Lorenzo
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”, Teramo, Italy
| | | | - Angelo Porrello
- Department of Engineering “Enzo Ferrari”, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Americo Bonanni
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”, Teramo, Italy
| | - Daniela Cioci
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”, Teramo, Italy
| | - Maria Goffredo
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”, Teramo, Italy
| | - Simone Calderara
- Department of Engineering “Enzo Ferrari”, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Annamaria Conte
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”, Teramo, Italy
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6
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Campbell LP, Bauer AM, Tavares Y, Guralnick RP, Reuman D. Broadscale spatial synchrony in a West Nile virus mosquito vector across multiple timescales. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12479. [PMID: 38816487 PMCID: PMC11139987 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62384-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Insects often exhibit irruptive population dynamics determined by environmental conditions. We examine if populations of the Culex tarsalis mosquito, a West Nile virus (WNV) vector, fluctuate synchronously over broad spatial extents and multiple timescales and whether climate drives synchrony in Cx. tarsalis, especially at annual timescales, due to the synchronous influence of temperature, precipitation, and/or humidity. We leveraged mosquito collections across 9 National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) sites distributed in the interior West and Great Plains region USA over a 45-month period, and associated gridMET climate data. We utilized wavelet phasor mean fields and wavelet linear models to quantify spatial synchrony for mosquitoes and climate and to calculate the importance of climate in explaining Cx. tarsalis synchrony. We also tested whether the strength of spatial synchrony may vary directionally across years. We found significant annual synchrony in Cx. tarsalis, and short-term synchrony during a single period in 2018. Mean minimum temperature was a significant predictor of annual Cx. tarsalis spatial synchrony, and we found a marginally significant decrease in annual Cx. tarsalis synchrony. Significant Cx. tarsalis synchrony during 2018 coincided with an anomalous increase in precipitation. This work provides a valuable step toward understanding broadscale synchrony in a WNV vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay P Campbell
- Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida, Vero Beach, FL, 32962, USA.
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
| | - Amely M Bauer
- Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida, Vero Beach, FL, 32962, USA
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Yasmin Tavares
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10025, USA
| | | | - Daniel Reuman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Ecological Research, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA
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7
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Plante KS, Plante JA, Azar SR, Shinde DP, Scharton D, Versiani AF, Oliveira da Silva NI, Strange T, Sacchetto L, Fokam EB, Rossi SL, Weaver SC, Marques RE, Nogueira ML, Vasilakis N. Potential of Ilhéus virus to emerge. Heliyon 2024; 10:e27934. [PMID: 38545168 PMCID: PMC10965525 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Ilhéus virus (ILHV)(Flaviviridae:Orthoflavivirus) is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) endemic to Central and South America and the Caribbean. First isolated in 1944, most of our knowledge derives from surveillance and seroprevalence studies. These efforts have detected ILHV in a broad range of mosquito and vertebrate species, including humans, but laboratory investigations of pathogenesis and vector competence have been lacking. Here, we develop an immune intact murine model with several ages and routes of administration. Our model closely recapitulates human neuroinvasive disease with ILHV strain- and mouse age-specific virulence, as well as a uniformly lethal Ifnar-/- A129 immunocompromised model. Replication kinetics in several vertebrate and invertebrate cell lines demonstrate that ILHV is capable of replicating to high titers in a wide variety of potential host and vector species. Lastly, vector competence studies provide strong evidence for efficient infection of and potential transmission by Aedes species mosquitoes, despite ILHV's phylogenetically clustering with Culex vectored flaviviruses, suggesting ILHV is poised for emergence in the neotropics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth S. Plante
- World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Jessica A. Plante
- World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Sasha R. Azar
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Center for Tissue Engineering, Department of Surgery, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Divya P. Shinde
- World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Dionna Scharton
- World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Alice F. Versiani
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | | | - Taylor Strange
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Lívia Sacchetto
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Virologia, Departamento de Doenças Dermatológicas, Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, 15090-000, SP, Brazil
| | - Eric B. Fokam
- Laboratory for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Department of Animal Biology and Conservation, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Shannan L. Rossi
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Center for Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Scott C. Weaver
- World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
| | - Rafael E. Marques
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, 13083-100, SP, Brazil
| | - Mauricio L. Nogueira
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Virologia, Departamento de Doenças Dermatológicas, Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, 15090-000, SP, Brazil
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, 13083-100, SP, Brazil
| | - Nikos Vasilakis
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
- Center for Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA
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Talaga S, le Goff G, Arana-Guardia R, Baak-Baak CM, García-Rejón JE, García-Suárez O, Rodríguez-Valencia VM, Tolsá-García MJ, Suzán G, Roiz D. The mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula: a comprehensive review on the use of taxonomic names. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 61:274-308. [PMID: 38159084 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjad168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The Yucatan Peninsula is a biogeographic province of the Neotropical region which is mostly encompassed by the 3 Mexican states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán. During the development of the International Joint Laboratory ELDORADO (Ecosystem, bioLogical Diversity, habitat mOdifications and Risk of emerging PAthogens and Diseases in MexicO), a French-Mexican collaboration between the IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement) and UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) in Mérida, it became evident that many putative mosquito species names recorded in the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula were misidentifications/misinterpretations or from the uncritical repetition of incorrect literature records. To provide a stronger foundation for future studies, the mosquito fauna of the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula is here comprehensively reviewed using current knowledge of taxonomy, ecology, and distribution of species through extensive bibliographic research, and examination of newly collected specimens. As a result, 90 mosquito species classified among 16 genera and 24 subgenera are recognized to occur in the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula, including 1 new peninsula record and 3 new state records.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislas Talaga
- Unité d'Entomologie Médicale, Vectopôle Amazonien Emile Abonnenc, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, 23 Avenue Pasteur, 97300, Cayenne, French Guiana
- MIVEGEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
- International Joint Laboratory ELDORADO, IRD/UNAM, Mérida, Yucatán, México
| | | | - Roger Arana-Guardia
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México, D. F., México
- International Joint Laboratory ELDORADO, IRD/UNAM, Mérida, Yucatán, México
| | - Carlos Marcial Baak-Baak
- Laboratorio de Arbovirología, Centro de Investigaciones Regionales "Dr. Hideyo Noguchi", Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, México
| | - Julián Everardo García-Rejón
- Laboratorio de Arbovirología, Centro de Investigaciones Regionales "Dr. Hideyo Noguchi", Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, México
| | - Omar García-Suárez
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México, D. F., México
- International Joint Laboratory ELDORADO, IRD/UNAM, Mérida, Yucatán, México
| | - Víctor Manuel Rodríguez-Valencia
- MIVEGEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
- International Joint Laboratory ELDORADO, IRD/UNAM, Mérida, Yucatán, México
| | - María José Tolsá-García
- MIVEGEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
- International Joint Laboratory ELDORADO, IRD/UNAM, Mérida, Yucatán, México
| | - Gerardo Suzán
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México, D. F., México
- International Joint Laboratory ELDORADO, IRD/UNAM, Mérida, Yucatán, México
| | - David Roiz
- MIVEGEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México, D. F., México
- International Joint Laboratory ELDORADO, IRD/UNAM, Mérida, Yucatán, México
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9
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Klingelhöfer D, Braun M, Kramer IM, Reuss F, Müller R, Groneberg DA, Brüggmann D. A virus becomes a global concern: research activities on West-Nile virus. Emerg Microbes Infect 2023; 12:2256424. [PMID: 37671854 PMCID: PMC10501173 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2256424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Currently, West-Nile virus (WNV) is spreading worldwide to colder regions due to climate change. Human mortality and morbidity are prevalent and steadily increasing, associated with costs to public health systems. Therefore, the question of the impact of scientific engagement arises. What trends, barriers, and incentives for research related to global burdens are important in this context? To answer these questions, this study provides detailed insights into the publication patterns of WNV research and interprets them using several parameters, such as absolute and relative publication indices and socioeconomic and epidemiological characteristics. It is shown that national interests combined with regional outbreaks significantly influence publication intensity. Thus, a correlation between national publication volume and the number of WNV cases was observed. In contrast to most life science topics, the scientific interest in WNV significantly decreased after 2006. The USA, as the main actor in WNV research, is at the centre of international networking. Recently, European countries are also getting involved according to their new-emerging outbreaks. The results demonstrate national interest in research activities with a lack of globally focused approaches that are urgently needed to better understand and assess the distribution and characteristics of WNV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris Klingelhöfer
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Markus Braun
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Isabelle M. Kramer
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Unit Entomology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Friederike Reuss
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ruth Müller
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Unit Entomology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - David A. Groneberg
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Dörthe Brüggmann
- Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
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10
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Holcomb KM, Staples JE, Nett RJ, Beard CB, Petersen LR, Benjamin SG, Green BW, Jones H, Johansson MA. Multi-Model Prediction of West Nile Virus Neuroinvasive Disease With Machine Learning for Identification of Important Regional Climatic Drivers. GEOHEALTH 2023; 7:e2023GH000906. [PMID: 38023388 PMCID: PMC10654557 DOI: 10.1029/2023gh000906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV) is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the continental United States (CONUS). Spatial heterogeneity in historical incidence, environmental factors, and complex ecology make prediction of spatiotemporal variation in WNV transmission challenging. Machine learning provides promising tools for identification of important variables in such situations. To predict annual WNV neuroinvasive disease (WNND) cases in CONUS (2015-2021), we fitted 10 probabilistic models with variation in complexity from naïve to machine learning algorithm and an ensemble. We made predictions in each of nine climate regions on a hexagonal grid and evaluated each model's predictive accuracy. Using the machine learning models (random forest and neural network), we identified the relative importance and variation in ranking of predictors (historical WNND cases, climate anomalies, human demographics, and land use) across regions. We found that historical WNND cases and population density were among the most important factors while anomalies in temperature and precipitation often had relatively low importance. While the relative performance of each model varied across climatic regions, the magnitude of difference between models was small. All models except the naïve model had non-significant differences in performance relative to the baseline model (negative binomial model fit per hexagon). No model, including the ensemble or more complex machine learning models, outperformed models based on historical case counts on the hexagon or region level; these models are good forecasting benchmarks. Further work is needed to assess if predictive capacity can be improved beyond that of these historical baselines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M. Holcomb
- Global Systems LaboratoryNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationBoulderCOUSA
- Now at Division of Vector‐Borne DiseasesCenters for Disease Control and PreventionFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - J. Erin Staples
- Division of Vector‐Borne DiseasesCenters for Disease Control and PreventionFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Randall J. Nett
- Division of Vector‐Borne DiseasesCenters for Disease Control and PreventionFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Charles B. Beard
- Division of Vector‐Borne DiseasesCenters for Disease Control and PreventionFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Lyle R. Petersen
- Division of Vector‐Borne DiseasesCenters for Disease Control and PreventionFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Stanley G. Benjamin
- Global Systems LaboratoryNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationBoulderCOUSA
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental SciencesUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderCOUSA
| | - Benjamin W. Green
- Global Systems LaboratoryNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationBoulderCOUSA
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental SciencesUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderCOUSA
| | - Hunter Jones
- Climate Prediction OfficeNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationSilver SpringMDUSA
| | - Michael A. Johansson
- Division of Vector‐Borne DiseasesCenters for Disease Control and PreventionSan JuanPRUSA
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11
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Trammell CE, Rowe EH, Char AB, Jones BJ, Fawcett S, Ahlers LRH, Goodman AG. Insulin-mediated endothelin signaling is antiviral during West Nile virus infection. J Virol 2023; 97:e0111223. [PMID: 37796127 PMCID: PMC10617537 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01112-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Arboviruses, particularly those transmitted by mosquitoes, pose a significant threat to humans and are an increasing concern because of climate change, human activity, and expanding vector-competent populations. West Nile virus is of significant concern as the most frequent mosquito-borne disease transmitted annually within the continental United States. Here, we identify a previously uncharacterized signaling pathway that impacts West Nile virus infection, namely endothelin signaling. Additionally, we demonstrate that we can successfully translate results obtained from D. melanogaster into the more relevant human system. Our results add to the growing field of insulin-mediated antiviral immunity and identify potential biomarkers or intervention targets to better address West Nile virus infection and severe disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chasity E. Trammell
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Evelyn H. Rowe
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Aditya B. Char
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Brianne J. Jones
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Stephen Fawcett
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Laura R. H. Ahlers
- RNA Viruses Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Alan G. Goodman
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
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12
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Arsenault-Benoit A, Fritz ML. Spatiotemporal organization of cryptic North American Culex species along an urbanization gradient. ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND EVIDENCE 2023; 4:e12282. [PMID: 38898889 PMCID: PMC11185319 DOI: 10.1002/2688-8319.12282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Landscape heterogeneity creates diverse habitat and resources for mosquito vectors of disease. A consequence may be varied distribution and abundance of vector species over space and time dependent on niche requirements.We tested the hypothesis that landscape heterogeneity driven by urbanization influences the distribution and relative abundance of Culex pipiens, Cx. restuans, and Cx. quinquefasciatus, three vectors of West Nile virus (WNv) in the eastern North American landscape. We collected 9,803 cryptic Culex from urban, suburban, and rural sites in metropolitan Washington, District of Columbia, during the months of June-October, 2019-2021. In 2021, we also collected mosquitoes in April and May to measure early-season abundance and distribution. Molecular techniques were used to identify a subset of collected Culex to species (n = 2,461). Ecological correlates of the spatiotemporal distribution of these cryptic Culex were examined using constrained and unconstrained ordination.Seasonality was not associated with Culex community composition in June-October over three years but introducing April and May data revealed seasonal shifts in community composition in the final year of our study. Culex pipiens were dominant across site types, while Cx. quinquefasciatus were associated with urban environments, and Cx. restuans were associated with rural and suburban sites. All three species rarely coexisted.Our work demonstrates that human-mediated land-use changes influence the distribution and relative abundance of Culex vectors of WNv, even on fine geospatial scales. Site classification, percent impervious surface, distance to city center, and longitude predicted Culex community composition. We documented active Culex months before vector surveillance typically commences in this region, with Culex restuans being most abundant during April and May. Active suppression of Cx. restuans in April and May could reduce early enzootic transmission, delay the seasonal spread of WNv, and thereby reduce overall WNv burden. By June, the highest risk of epizootic spillover of WNv to human hosts may be in suburban areas with high human population density and mixed Culex assemblages that can transmit WNv between birds and humans. Focusing management efforts there may further reduce human disease burden.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Megan L. Fritz
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
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13
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Lee HJ, Shields MR, Landeta A, Saldaña MA, Fredregill CL, Pietrantonio PV. Evaluation of field resistance in field-collected mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus Say through quantification of ULV permethrin/PBO formulation in field bioassays. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023; 79:3934-3949. [PMID: 37248198 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pyrethroids are among the most applied adulticides worldwide to control mosquito vectors for prevention of arboviral diseases transmission. However, pesticide resistance development in a mosquito population could lead to decreased control efficacy. While most studies investigate the resistant genotype (i.e. kdr, CYP450, etc.) as explanatory variables, few field efficacy studies have measured pesticide quantities deposited at different distances from the sprayer in association with observed mosquito mortality. The current study determined field delivered amounts of an applied ULV permethrin/PBO formulation (31% permethrin + 66% piperonyl butoxide) by GC/MS and estimated practical resistance ratios using caged mosquito females. RESULTS For field samples, the extraction method recovered 78 ± 3.92-108 ± 8.97% of the permethrin/PBO formulation when utilizing the peaks of PBO from GC/MS to estimate the concentrations of adulticide deposited near the mosquito cages. The field bioassay showed that the spatial distribution of permethrin/PBO formulation was heterogeneous among three pseudo-replicates within the same distance. Within the quantifiable permethrin/PBO range of 15.7-51.4 ng/cm2 , field-collected mosquito mortalities started at 64% and linearly increased reaching 100% only in two areas, while all Sebring susceptible mosquitoes died. The field LC95 resistance ratio (RR) of F0 Cx. quinquefasciatus ranged from 2.65-3.51, falling within the 95% CI of RR95 estimated by laboratory vial assays. Tests with and without PBO indicated P450's enzymes contributed to field resistance. CONCLUSION Results showed the suitability of the collection and quantification method to estimate the field resistance ratio at the applied pesticide rate. Pesticide quantification would also allow the association of the known frequencies of resistance mechanisms (e.g. kdr, CYP450) with field mortalities to estimate the resistance level conferred by such mechanisms. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han-Jung Lee
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Michael Ray Shields
- Geochemical and Environmental Research Group, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Anais Landeta
- Harris County Public Health, Mosquito and Vector Control Division (HCPH-MVCD), Houston, TX, USA
| | - Miguel Arturo Saldaña
- Harris County Public Health, Mosquito and Vector Control Division (HCPH-MVCD), Houston, TX, USA
| | - Chris Lee Fredregill
- Harris County Public Health, Mosquito and Vector Control Division (HCPH-MVCD), Houston, TX, USA
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14
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McCarter MSJ, Self S, Dye-Braumuller KC, Lee C, Li H, Nolan MS. The utility of a Bayesian predictive model to forecast neuroinvasive West Nile virus disease in the United States of America, 2022. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290873. [PMID: 37682897 PMCID: PMC10490885 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Arboviruses (arthropod-borne-viruses) are an emerging global health threat that are rapidly spreading as climate change, international business transport, and landscape fragmentation impact local ecologies. Since its initial detection in 1999, West Nile virus has shifted from being a novel to an established arbovirus in the United States of America. Subsequently, more than 25,000 cases of West Nile neuro-invasive disease have been diagnosed, cementing West Nile virus as an arbovirus of public health importance. Given its novelty in the United States of America, high-risk ecologies are largely underdefined making targeted population-level public health interventions challenging. Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ArboNET neuroinvasive West Nile virus data from 2000-2021, this study aimed to predict neuroinvasive West Nile virus human cases at the county level for the contiguous USA using a spatio-temporal Bayesian negative binomial regression model. The model includes environmental, climatic, and demographic factors, as well as the distribution of host species. An integrated nested Laplace approximation approach was used to fit our model. To assess model prediction accuracy, annual counts were withheld, forecasted, and compared to observed values. The validated models were then fit to the entire dataset for 2022 predictions. This proof-of-concept mathematical, geospatial modelling approach has proven utility for national health agencies seeking to allocate funding and other resources for local vector control agencies tackling West Nile virus and other notifiable arboviral agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maggie S. J. McCarter
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States of America
| | - Stella Self
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States of America
| | - Kyndall C. Dye-Braumuller
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States of America
| | - Christopher Lee
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States of America
| | - Huixuan Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States of America
| | - Melissa S. Nolan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States of America
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15
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Lippi CA, Mundis SJ, Sippy R, Flenniken JM, Chaudhary A, Hecht G, Carlson CJ, Ryan SJ. Trends in mosquito species distribution modeling: insights for vector surveillance and disease control. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:302. [PMID: 37641089 PMCID: PMC10463544 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05912-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Species distribution modeling (SDM) has become an increasingly common approach to explore questions about ecology, geography, outbreak risk, and global change as they relate to infectious disease vectors. Here, we conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature, screening 563 abstracts and identifying 204 studies that used SDMs to produce distribution estimates for mosquito species. While the number of studies employing SDM methods has increased markedly over the past decade, the overwhelming majority used a single method (maximum entropy modeling; MaxEnt) and focused on human infectious disease vectors or their close relatives. The majority of regional models were developed for areas in Africa and Asia, while more localized modeling efforts were most common for North America and Europe. Findings from this study highlight gaps in taxonomic, geographic, and methodological foci of current SDM literature for mosquitoes that can guide future efforts to study the geography of mosquito-borne disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine A Lippi
- Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) Lab, Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA.
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA.
| | - Stephanie J Mundis
- Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) Lab, Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA
| | - Rachel Sippy
- Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) Lab, Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK
| | - J Matthew Flenniken
- Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) Lab, Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA
| | - Anusha Chaudhary
- Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) Lab, Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA
| | - Gavriella Hecht
- Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) Lab, Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA
| | - Colin J Carlson
- Center for Global Health Science and Security, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Sadie J Ryan
- Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) Lab, Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA.
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA.
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16
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Moser SK, Barnard M, Frantz RM, Spencer JA, Rodarte KA, Crooker IK, Bartlow AW, Romero-Severson E, Manore CA. Scoping review of Culex mosquito life history trait heterogeneity in response to temperature. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:200. [PMID: 37316915 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05792-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mosquitoes in the genus Culex are primary vectors in the US for West Nile virus (WNV) and other arboviruses. Climatic drivers such as temperature have differential effects on species-specific changes in mosquito range, distribution, and abundance, posing challenges for population modeling, disease forecasting, and subsequent public health decisions. Understanding these differences in underlying biological dynamics is crucial in the face of climate change. METHODS We collected empirical data on thermal response for immature development rate, egg viability, oviposition, survival to adulthood, and adult lifespan for Culex pipiens, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. tarsalis, and Cx. restuans from existing literature according to the PRISMA scoping review guidelines. RESULTS We observed linear relationships with temperature for development rate and lifespan, and nonlinear relationships for survival and egg viability, with underlying variation between species. Optimal ranges and critical minima and maxima also appeared varied. To illustrate how model output can change with experimental input data from individual Culex species, we applied a modified equation for temperature-dependent mosquito type reproduction number for endemic spread of WNV among mosquitoes and observed different effects. CONCLUSIONS Current models often input theoretical parameters estimated from a single vector species; we show the need to implement the real-world heterogeneity in thermal response between species and present a useful data resource for researchers working toward that goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Kane Moser
- Genomics and Bioanalytics (B-GEN), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
| | - Martha Barnard
- Information Systems and Modeling (A-1), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Rachel M Frantz
- Information Systems and Modeling (A-1), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Julie A Spencer
- Information Systems and Modeling (A-1), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Katie A Rodarte
- Genomics and Bioanalytics (B-GEN), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Isabel K Crooker
- Information Systems and Modeling (A-1), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
- Department of Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Andrew W Bartlow
- Genomics and Bioanalytics (B-GEN), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Ethan Romero-Severson
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics (T-6), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Carrie A Manore
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics (T-6), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
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17
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Romero-Alvarez D, Escobar LE, Auguste AJ, Del Valle SY, Manore CA. Transmission risk of Oropouche fever across the Americas. Infect Dis Poverty 2023; 12:47. [PMID: 37149619 PMCID: PMC10163756 DOI: 10.1186/s40249-023-01091-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) are important contributors to the global burden of infectious diseases due to their epidemic potential, which can result in significant population and economic impacts. Oropouche fever, caused by Oropouche virus (OROV), is an understudied zoonotic VBD febrile illness reported in Central and South America. The epidemic potential and areas of likely OROV spread remain unexplored, limiting capacities to improve epidemiological surveillance. METHODS To better understand the capacity for spread of OROV, we developed spatial epidemiology models using human outbreaks as OROV transmission-locality data, coupled with high-resolution satellite-derived vegetation phenology. Data were integrated using hypervolume modeling to infer likely areas of OROV transmission and emergence across the Americas. RESULTS Models based on one-support vector machine hypervolumes consistently predicted risk areas for OROV transmission across the tropics of Latin America despite the inclusion of different parameters such as different study areas and environmental predictors. Models estimate that up to 5 million people are at risk of exposure to OROV. Nevertheless, the limited epidemiological data available generates uncertainty in projections. For example, some outbreaks have occurred under climatic conditions outside those where most transmission events occur. The distribution models also revealed that landscape variation, expressed as vegetation loss, is linked to OROV outbreaks. CONCLUSIONS Hotspots of OROV transmission risk were detected along the tropics of South America. Vegetation loss might be a driver of Oropouche fever emergence. Modeling based on hypervolumes in spatial epidemiology might be considered an exploratory tool for analyzing data-limited emerging infectious diseases for which little understanding exists on their sylvatic cycles. OROV transmission risk maps can be used to improve surveillance, investigate OROV ecology and epidemiology, and inform early detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Romero-Alvarez
- Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA.
- Information Systems and Modeling (A-1), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
- OneHealth Research Group, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Ecuador.
| | - Luis E Escobar
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Albert J Auguste
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
- Department of Entomology, Fralin Life Science Institute, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Sara Y Del Valle
- Information Systems and Modeling (A-1), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Carrie A Manore
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics (T-6), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
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18
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Gorris ME, Randerson JT, Coffield SR, Treseder KK, Zender CS, Xu C, Manore CA. Assessing the Influence of Climate on the Spatial Pattern of West Nile Virus Incidence in the United States. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:47016. [PMID: 37104243 PMCID: PMC10137712 DOI: 10.1289/ehp10986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND West Nile virus (WNV) is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in humans in the United States. Since the introduction of the disease in 1999, incidence levels have stabilized in many regions, allowing for analysis of climate conditions that shape the spatial structure of disease incidence. OBJECTIVES Our goal was to identify the seasonal climate variables that influence the spatial extent and magnitude of WNV incidence in humans. METHODS We developed a predictive model of contemporary mean annual WNV incidence using U.S. county-level case reports from 2005 to 2019 and seasonally averaged climate variables. We used a random forest model that had an out-of-sample model performance of R2=0.61. RESULTS Our model accurately captured the V-shaped area of higher WNV incidence that extends from states on the Canadian border south through the middle of the Great Plains. It also captured a region of moderate WNV incidence in the southern Mississippi Valley. The highest levels of WNV incidence were in regions with dry and cold winters and wet and mild summers. The random forest model classified counties with average winter precipitation levels <23.3mm/month as having incidence levels over 11 times greater than those of counties that are wetter. Among the climate predictors, winter precipitation, fall precipitation, and winter temperature were the three most important predictive variables. DISCUSSION We consider which aspects of the WNV transmission cycle climate conditions may benefit the most and argued that dry and cold winters are climate conditions optimal for the mosquito species key to amplifying WNV transmission. Our statistical model may be useful in projecting shifts in WNV risk in response to climate change. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10986.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan E. Gorris
- Information Systems and Modeling, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
- Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
| | - James T. Randerson
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Shane R. Coffield
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Kathleen K. Treseder
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Charles S. Zender
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Chonggang Xu
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
| | - Carrie A. Manore
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
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19
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Cuervo PF, Artigas P, Lorenzo-Morales J, Bargues MD, Mas-Coma S. Ecological Niche Modelling Approaches: Challenges and Applications in Vector-Borne Diseases. Trop Med Infect Dis 2023; 8:tropicalmed8040187. [PMID: 37104313 PMCID: PMC10141209 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed8040187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) pose a major threat to human and animal health, with more than 80% of the global population being at risk of acquiring at least one major VBD. Being profoundly affected by the ongoing climate change and anthropogenic disturbances, modelling approaches become an essential tool to assess and compare multiple scenarios (past, present and future), and further the geographic risk of transmission of VBDs. Ecological niche modelling (ENM) is rapidly becoming the gold-standard method for this task. The purpose of this overview is to provide an insight of the use of ENM to assess the geographic risk of transmission of VBDs. We have summarised some fundamental concepts and common approaches to ENM of VBDS, and then focused with a critical view on a number of crucial issues which are often disregarded when modelling the niches of VBDs. Furthermore, we have briefly presented what we consider the most relevant uses of ENM when dealing with VBDs. Niche modelling of VBDs is far from being simple, and there is still a long way to improve. Therefore, this overview is expected to be a useful benchmark for niche modelling of VBDs in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Fernando Cuervo
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Vicent Andres Estelles s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos IIII, C/Monforte de Lemos 3-5. Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029 Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence:
| | - Patricio Artigas
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Vicent Andres Estelles s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos IIII, C/Monforte de Lemos 3-5. Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029 Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jacob Lorenzo-Morales
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos IIII, C/Monforte de Lemos 3-5. Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029 Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, Av. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez s/n, 38203 La Laguna, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - María Dolores Bargues
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Vicent Andres Estelles s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos IIII, C/Monforte de Lemos 3-5. Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029 Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Santiago Mas-Coma
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Vicent Andres Estelles s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos IIII, C/Monforte de Lemos 3-5. Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029 Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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20
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Identification of Neotropical Culex Mosquitoes by MALDI-TOF MS Profiling. Trop Med Infect Dis 2023; 8:tropicalmed8030168. [PMID: 36977169 PMCID: PMC10055718 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed8030168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) fauna of French Guiana encompasses 242 species, of which nearly half of them belong to the genus Culex. Whereas several species of Culex are important vectors of arboviruses, only a limited number of studies focus on them due to the difficulties to morphologically identify field-caught females. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been reported as a promising method for the identification of mosquitoes. Culex females collected in French Guiana were morphologically identified and dissected. Abdomens were used for molecular identification using the COI (cytochrome oxidase 1) gene. Legs and thorax of 169 specimens belonging to 13 Culex species, (i.e., Cx. declarator, Cx. nigripalpus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. usquatus, Cx. adamesi, Cx. dunni, Cx. eastor, Cx. idottus, Cx. pedroi, Cx. phlogistus, Cx. portesi, Cx. rabanicolus and Cx. spissipes) were then submitted to MALDI-TOF MS analysis. A high intra-species reproducibility and inter-species specificity of MS spectra for each mosquito body part tested were obtained. A corroboration of the specimen identification was revealed between MALDI-TOF MS, morphological and molecular results. MALDI-TOF MS protein profiling proves to be a suitable tool for identification of neotropical Culex species and will permit the enhancement of knowledge on this highly diverse genus.
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21
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Asad S, Mehdi AM, Pujhari S, Rückert C, Ebel GD, Rasgon JL. Identification of MicroRNAs in the West Nile Virus Vector Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae). JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 60:182-293. [PMID: 36477983 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjac182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression during important biological processes including development and pathogen defense in most living organisms. Presently, no miRNAs have been identified in the mosquito Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae), one of the most important vectors of West Nile virus (WNV) in North America. We used small RNA sequencing data and in vitro and in vivo experiments to identify and validate a repertoire of miRNAs in Cx. tarsalis mosquitoes. Using bioinformatic approaches we analyzed small RNA sequences from the Cx. tarsalis CT embryonic cell line to discover orthologs for 86 miRNAs. Consistent with other mosquitoes such as Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus, miR-184 was found to be the most abundant miRNA in Cx. tarsalis. We also identified 20 novel miRNAs from the recently sequenced Cx. tarsalis genome, for a total of 106 miRNAs identified in this study. The presence of selected miRNAs was biologically validated in both the CT cell line and in adult Cx. tarsalis mosquitoes using RT-qPCR and sequencing. These results will open new avenues of research into the role of miRNAs in Cx. tarsalis biology, including development, metabolism, immunity, and pathogen infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sultan Asad
- Department of Entomology, The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Ahmed M Mehdi
- The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia Diamantina Institute, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Sujit Pujhari
- Department of Entomology, The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Pharmacology Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Claudia Rückert
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USAand
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USAand
| | - Jason L Rasgon
- Department of Entomology, The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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22
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Trammell CE, Rowe EH, Jones BJ, Char AB, Fawcett S, Ahlers LR, Goodman AG. Insulin-mediated endothelin signaling is antiviral during West Nile virus infection. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.17.524426. [PMID: 36712090 PMCID: PMC9882177 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.17.524426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV) is the most prevalent mosquito-borne virus in the United States with approximately 2,000 cases each year. There are currently no approved human vaccines and a lack of prophylactic and therapeutic treatments. Understanding host responses to infection may reveal potential intervention targets to reduce virus replication and disease progression. The use of Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism to understand innate immunity and host antiviral responses is well established. Previous studies revealed that insulin-mediated signaling regulates WNV infection in invertebrates by regulating canonical antiviral pathways. Because insulin signaling is well-conserved across insect and mammalian species, we sought to determine if results using D. melanogaster can be extrapolated for the analysis of orthologous pathways in humans. Here, we identify insulin-mediated endothelin signaling using the D. melanogaster model and evaluate an orthologous pathway in human cells during WNV infection. We demonstrate that endothelin signaling reduces WNV replication through the activation of canonical antiviral signaling. Taken together, our findings show that endothelin-mediated antiviral immunity is broadly conserved across species and reduces replication of viruses that can cause severe human disease. IMPORTANCE Arboviruses, particularly those transmitted by mosquitoes, pose a significant threat to humans and are an increasing concern because of climate change, human activity, and expanding vector-competent populations. West Nile virus is of significant concern as the most frequent mosquito-borne disease transmitted annually within the continental United States. Here, we identify a previously uncharacterized signaling pathway that impacts West Nile virus infection, namely endothelin signaling. Additionally, we demonstrate that we can successfully translate results obtained from D. melanogaster into the more relevant human system. Our results add to the growing field of insulin-mediated antiviral immunity and identifies potential biomarkers or intervention targets to better address West Nile virus infection and severe disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chasity E. Trammell
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Evelyn H. Rowe
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Brianne J. Jones
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Aditya B. Char
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Stephen Fawcett
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Laura R.H. Ahlers
- RNA Viruses Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Alan G. Goodman
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
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23
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Holcomb KM, Mathis S, Staples JE, Fischer M, Barker CM, Beard CB, Nett RJ, Keyel AC, Marcantonio M, Childs ML, Gorris ME, Rochlin I, Hamins-Puértolas M, Ray EL, Uelmen JA, DeFelice N, Freedman AS, Hollingsworth BD, Das P, Osthus D, Humphreys JM, Nova N, Mordecai EA, Cohnstaedt LW, Kirk D, Kramer LD, Harris MJ, Kain MP, Reed EMX, Johansson MA. Evaluation of an open forecasting challenge to assess skill of West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease prediction. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:11. [PMID: 36635782 PMCID: PMC9834680 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05630-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND West Nile virus (WNV) is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the continental USA. WNV occurrence has high spatiotemporal variation, and current approaches to targeted control of the virus are limited, making forecasting a public health priority. However, little research has been done to compare strengths and weaknesses of WNV disease forecasting approaches on the national scale. We used forecasts submitted to the 2020 WNV Forecasting Challenge, an open challenge organized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to assess the status of WNV neuroinvasive disease (WNND) prediction and identify avenues for improvement. METHODS We performed a multi-model comparative assessment of probabilistic forecasts submitted by 15 teams for annual WNND cases in US counties for 2020 and assessed forecast accuracy, calibration, and discriminatory power. In the evaluation, we included forecasts produced by comparison models of varying complexity as benchmarks of forecast performance. We also used regression analysis to identify modeling approaches and contextual factors that were associated with forecast skill. RESULTS Simple models based on historical WNND cases generally scored better than more complex models and combined higher discriminatory power with better calibration of uncertainty. Forecast skill improved across updated forecast submissions submitted during the 2020 season. Among models using additional data, inclusion of climate or human demographic data was associated with higher skill, while inclusion of mosquito or land use data was associated with lower skill. We also identified population size, extreme minimum winter temperature, and interannual variation in WNND cases as county-level characteristics associated with variation in forecast skill. CONCLUSIONS Historical WNND cases were strong predictors of future cases with minimal increase in skill achieved by models that included other factors. Although opportunities might exist to specifically improve predictions for areas with large populations and low or high winter temperatures, areas with high case-count variability are intrinsically more difficult to predict. Also, the prediction of outbreaks, which are outliers relative to typical case numbers, remains difficult. Further improvements to prediction could be obtained with improved calibration of forecast uncertainty and access to real-time data streams (e.g. current weather and preliminary human cases).
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M. Holcomb
- Global Systems Laboratory, National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, Boulder, CO USA
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO USA
| | - Sarabeth Mathis
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO USA
| | - J. Erin Staples
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO USA
| | - Marc Fischer
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO USA
| | - Christopher M. Barker
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA USA
| | - Charles B. Beard
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO USA
| | - Randall J. Nett
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO USA
| | - Alexander C. Keyel
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY USA
- Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, NY USA
| | - Matteo Marcantonio
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA USA
- Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics Group, Earth & Life Institute-UCLouvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Marissa L. Childs
- Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Morgan E. Gorris
- Information Systems and Modeling, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM USA
| | - Ilia Rochlin
- Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ USA
| | | | - Evan L. Ray
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA USA
| | - Johnny A. Uelmen
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL USA
| | - Nicholas DeFelice
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
- Department of Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - Andrew S. Freedman
- Biomathematics Graduate Program, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC USA
| | | | - Praachi Das
- Biomathematics Graduate Program, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC USA
| | - Dave Osthus
- Statistical Sciences Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM USA
| | - John M. Humphreys
- Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Sidney, MT USA
| | - Nicole Nova
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | | | - Lee W. Cohnstaedt
- National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS USA
| | - Devin Kirk
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Laura D. Kramer
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY USA
| | | | - Morgan P. Kain
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Emily M. X. Reed
- Invasive Species Working Group, Global Change Center, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, NC USA
| | - Michael A. Johansson
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, San Juan, PR USA
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24
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Albrecht L, Kaufeld KA. Investigating the impact of environmental factors on West Nile virus human case prediction in Ontario, Canada. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1100543. [PMID: 36875397 PMCID: PMC9981635 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1100543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
West Nile virus is the most common mosquito borne disease in North America and the leading cause of viral encephalitis. West Nile virus is primarily transmitted between birds and mosquitoes while humans are incidental, dead-end hosts. Climate change may increase the risk of human infections as climatic variables have been shown to affect the mosquito life cycle, biting rate, incubation period of the disease in mosquitoes, and bird migration patterns. We develop a zero-inflated Poisson model to investigate how human West Nile virus case counts vary with respect to mosquito abundance and infection rates, bird abundance, and other environmental covariates. We use a Bayesian paradigm to fit our model to data from 2010-2019 in Ontario, Canada. Our results show mosquito infection rate, temperature, precipitation, and crow abundance are positively correlated with human cases while NDVI and robin abundance are negatively correlated with human cases. We find the inclusion of spatial random effects allows for more accurate predictions, particularly in years where cases are higher. Our model is able to accurately predict the magnitude and timing of yearly West Nile virus outbreaks and could be a valuable tool for public health officials to implement prevention strategies to mitigate these outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Albrecht
- Statistical Sciences Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, United States.,Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
| | - Kimberly A Kaufeld
- Statistical Sciences Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, United States
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25
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Furlong M, Adamu A, Hickson RI, Horwood P, Golchin M, Hoskins A, Russell T. Estimating the Distribution of Japanese Encephalitis Vectors in Australia Using Ecological Niche Modelling. Trop Med Infect Dis 2022; 7:tropicalmed7120393. [PMID: 36548648 PMCID: PMC9782987 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed7120393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) outbreaks in southeastern Australia have sparked interest into epidemiological factors surrounding the virus' novel emergence in this region. Here, the geographic distribution of mosquito species known to be competent JEV vectors in the country was estimated by combining known mosquito occurrences and ecological drivers of distribution to reveal insights into communities at highest risk of infectious disease transmission. Species distribution models predicted that Culex annulirostris and Culex sitiens presence was mostly likely along Australia's eastern and northern coastline, while Culex quinquefasciatus presence was estimated to be most likely near inland regions of southern Australia as well as coastal regions of Western Australia. While Culex annulirostris is considered the dominant JEV vector in Australia, our ecological niche models emphasise the need for further entomological surveillance and JEV research within Australia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Furlong
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
- Correspondence: (M.F.); (P.H.)
| | - Andrew Adamu
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Roslyn I. Hickson
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
- Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Paul Horwood
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
- Correspondence: (M.F.); (P.H.)
| | - Maryam Golchin
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
- Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Andrew Hoskins
- Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Tanya Russell
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
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26
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Abstract
Purpose of Review West Nile virus (WNV) is an arbovirus transmitted by mosquitos of the genus Culex. Manifestations of WNV infection range from asymptomatic to devastating neuroinvasive disease leading to flaccid paralysis and death. This review examines WNV epidemiology and ecology, with an emphasis on travel-associated infection. Recent Findings WNV is widespread, including North America and Europe, where its range has expanded in the past decade. Rising temperatures in temperate regions are predicted to lead to an increased abundance of Culex mosquitoes and an increase in their ability to transmit WNV. Although the epidemiologic patterns of WNV appear variable, its geographic distribution most certainly will continue to increase. Travelers are at risk for WNV infection and its complications. Literature review identified 39 cases of documented travel-related WNV disease, the majority of which resulted in adverse outcomes, such as neuroinvasive disease, prolonged recovery period, or death. Summary The prediction of WNV risk is challenging due to the complex interactions of vector, pathogen, host, and environment. Travelers planning to visit endemic areas should be advised regarding WNV risk and mosquito bite prevention. Evaluation of ill travelers with compatible symptoms should consider the diagnosis of WNV for those visiting in endemic areas as well as for those returning from destinations with known WNV circulation.
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27
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Bartlow AW, Giermakowski JT, Painter CW, Neville P, Schultz-Fellenz ES, Crawford BM, Lavadie-Bulnes AF, Thompson BE, Hathcock CD. Modeling the distribution of the endangered Jemez Mountains salamander ( Plethodon neomexicanus) in relation to geology, topography, and climate. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9161. [PMID: 36035267 PMCID: PMC9399451 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Jemez Mountains salamander (Plethodon neomexicanus; hereafter JMS) is an endangered salamander restricted to the Jemez Mountains in north‐central New Mexico, United States. This strictly terrestrial and lungless species requires moist surface conditions for activities such as mating and foraging. Threats to its current habitat include fire suppression and ensuing severe fires, changes in forest composition, habitat fragmentation, and climate change. Forest composition changes resulting from reduced fire frequency and increased tree density suggest that its current aboveground habitat does not mirror its historically successful habitat regime. However, because of its limited habitat area and underground behavior, we hypothesized that geology and topography might play a significant role in the current distribution of the salamander. We modeled the distribution of the JMS using a machine learning algorithm to assess how geology, topography, and climate variables influence its distribution. The best habitat suitability model indicates that geology type and maximum winter temperature (November to March) were most important in predicting the distribution of the salamander (23.5% and 50.3% permutation importance, respectively). Minimum winter temperature was also an important variable (21.4%), suggesting this also plays a role in salamander habitat. Our habitat suitability map reveals low uncertainty in model predictions, and we found slight discrepancies between the designated critical habitat and the most suitable areas for the JMS. Because geological features are important to its distribution, we recommend that geological and topographical data are considered, both during survey design and in the description of localities of JMS records once detected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W Bartlow
- Biosecurity & Public Health Group Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico USA
| | - J Tomasz Giermakowski
- Museum of Southwestern Biology 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico USA.,Earth Data Analysis Center 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico USA
| | - Charles W Painter
- Endangered Species Program, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Santa Fe New Mexico USA
| | - Paul Neville
- Earth Data Analysis Center 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico USA
| | - Emily S Schultz-Fellenz
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico USA
| | - Brandon M Crawford
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico USA
| | - Anita F Lavadie-Bulnes
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico USA
| | - Brent E Thompson
- Environmental Stewardship Group Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico USA
| | - Charles D Hathcock
- Environmental Stewardship Group Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico USA
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28
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Tokash-Peters AG, Jabon JD, Fung ME, Peters JA, Lopez SG, Woodhams DC. Trans-Generational Symbiont Transmission Reduced at High Temperatures in a West Nile Virus Vector Mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus. FRONTIERS IN TROPICAL DISEASES 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2022.762132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The influence of environmental factors on the efficacy of the endosymbiont Wolbachia used in mosquito and pathogen control are poorly characterized and may be critical for disease control. We studied the vector mosquito Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus (Say) to determine the effect of temperature on the composition of the relative abundance of Wolbachia spp. and the microbiome, as well as key immune genes of interest in the Toll and IMD pathways. 16S barcode sequencing was used to determine the microbiome composition and qPCR was used to determine the relative abundance of Wolbachia spp. based on the highly utilized marker Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) gene. We found no effect of temperature within a single generation on the relative abundance of Wolbachia or immune gene expression, nor on the alpha or beta diversity of the microbiome. However, there was a significant difference in the abundance of Wolbachia between generations at high temperatures (≥ 28°C), but not at lower temperatures (≤ 23°C). These results support the idea that Wolbachia are reduced at higher temperatures between generations, which has an influence on the establishment of pathogens including West Nile Virus (WNV). Modulation of the Toll or IMD mosquito immune pathways was not indicated. Wolbachia endosymbiosis and trans-generation transmission appears especially sensitive to high temperatures, which may have implications for Wolbachia-based vector control strategies under climate change scenarios.
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