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Goldberg AR, Langwig KE, Brown KL, Marano JM, Rai P, King KM, Sharp AK, Ceci A, Kailing CD, Kailing MJ, Briggs R, Urbano MG, Roby C, Brown AM, Weger-Lucarelli J, Finkielstein CV, Hoyt JR. Widespread exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife communities. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6210. [PMID: 39075057 PMCID: PMC11286844 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49891-w] [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: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Pervasive SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans have led to multiple transmission events to animals. While SARS-CoV-2 has a potential broad wildlife host range, most documented infections have been in captive animals and a single wildlife species, the white-tailed deer. The full extent of SARS-CoV-2 exposure among wildlife communities and the factors that influence wildlife transmission risk remain unknown. We sampled 23 species of wildlife for SARS-CoV-2 and examined the effects of urbanization and human use on seropositivity. Here, we document positive detections of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in six species, including the deer mouse, Virginia opossum, raccoon, groundhog, Eastern cottontail, and Eastern red bat between May 2022-September 2023 across Virginia and Washington, D.C., USA. In addition, we found that sites with high human activity had three times higher seroprevalence than low human-use areas. We obtained SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences from nine individuals of six species which were assigned to seven Pango lineages of the Omicron variant. The close match to variants circulating in humans at the time suggests at least seven recent human-to-animal transmission events. Our data support that exposure to SARS-CoV-2 has been widespread in wildlife communities and suggests that areas with high human activity may serve as points of contact for cross-species transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R Goldberg
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Kate E Langwig
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Katherine L Brown
- Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Marano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA
| | - Pallavi Rai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Kelsie M King
- Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Amanda K Sharp
- Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Alessandro Ceci
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA
| | | | - Macy J Kailing
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Russell Briggs
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA
| | - Matthew G Urbano
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA
| | - Clinton Roby
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA
| | - Anne M Brown
- Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Data Services, University Libraries, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Academy of Integrated Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Carla V Finkielstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA.
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA.
- Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Academy of Integrated Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
| | - Joseph R Hoyt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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Wang HR, Liu T, Gao X, Wang HB, Xiao JH. Impact of climate change on the global circulation of West Nile virus and adaptation responses: a scoping review. Infect Dis Poverty 2024; 13:38. [PMID: 38790027 PMCID: PMC11127377 DOI: 10.1186/s40249-024-01207-2] [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: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND West Nile virus (WNV), the most widely distributed flavivirus causing encephalitis globally, is a vector-borne pathogen of global importance. The changing climate is poised to reshape the landscape of various infectious diseases, particularly vector-borne ones like WNV. Understanding the anticipated geographical and range shifts in disease transmission due to climate change, alongside effective adaptation strategies, is critical for mitigating future public health impacts. This scoping review aims to consolidate evidence on the impact of climate change on WNV and to identify a spectrum of applicable adaptation strategies. MAIN BODY We systematically analyzed research articles from PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost. Our criteria included English-language research articles published between 2007 and 2023, focusing on the impacts of climate change on WNV and related adaptation strategies. We extracted data concerning study objectives, populations, geographical focus, and specific findings. Literature was categorized into two primary themes: 1) climate-WNV associations, and 2) climate change impacts on WNV transmission, providing a clear understanding. Out of 2168 articles reviewed, 120 met our criteria. Most evidence originated from North America (59.2%) and Europe (28.3%), with a primary focus on human cases (31.7%). Studies on climate-WNV correlations (n = 83) highlighted temperature (67.5%) as a pivotal climate factor. In the analysis of climate change impacts on WNV (n = 37), most evidence suggested that climate change may affect the transmission and distribution of WNV, with the extent of the impact depending on local and regional conditions. Although few studies directly addressed the implementation of adaptation strategies for climate-induced disease transmission, the proposed strategies (n = 49) fell into six categories: 1) surveillance and monitoring (38.8%), 2) predictive modeling (18.4%), 3) cross-disciplinary collaboration (16.3%), 4) environmental management (12.2%), 5) public education (8.2%), and 6) health system readiness (6.1%). Additionally, we developed an accessible online platform to summarize the evidence on climate change impacts on WNV transmission ( https://2xzl2o-neaop.shinyapps.io/WNVScopingReview/ ). CONCLUSIONS This review reveals that climate change may affect the transmission and distribution of WNV, but the literature reflects only a small share of the global WNV dynamics. There is an urgent need for adaptive responses to anticipate and respond to the climate-driven spread of WNV. Nevertheless, studies focusing on these adaptation responses are sparse compared to those examining the impacts of climate change. Further research on the impacts of climate change and adaptation strategies for vector-borne diseases, along with more comprehensive evidence synthesis, is needed to inform effective policy responses tailored to local contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Ran Wang
- Department of Veterinary Surgery, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
- Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Liu
- Department of Veterinary Surgery, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
- Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang Gao
- Department of Veterinary Surgery, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
- Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong-Bin Wang
- Department of Veterinary Surgery, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
- Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian-Hua Xiao
- Department of Veterinary Surgery, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China.
- Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China.
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3
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Mendoza H, López-Pérez AM, Rubio AV, Barrón-Rodríguez JJ, Mazari-Hiriart M, Pontifes PA, Dirzo R, Suzán G. Association between anthropization and rodent reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens in Northwestern Mexico. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298976. [PMID: 38386681 PMCID: PMC10883555 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298976] [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: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The world is facing a major pulse of ecological and social changes that may favor the risk of zoonotic outbreaks. Such risk facilitation may occur through the modification of the host's community diversity and structure, leading to an increase in pathogen reservoirs and the contact rate between these reservoirs and humans. Here, we examined whether anthropization alters the relative abundance and richness of zoonotic reservoir and non-reservoir rodents in three Socio-Ecological Systems. We hypothesized that anthropization increases the relative abundance and richness of rodent reservoirs while decreasing non-reservoir species. We first developed an Anthropization index based on 15 quantitative socio-ecological variables classified into five groups: 1) Vegetation type, 2) Urbanization degree, 3) Water quality, 4) Potential contaminant sources, and 5) Others. We then monitored rodent communities in three regions of Northwestern Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, and Sonora). A total of 683 rodents of 14 genera and 27 species were captured, nine of which have been identified as reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens (359 individuals, 53%). In all regions, we found that as anthropization increased, the relative abundance of reservoir rodents increased; in contrast, the relative abundance of non-reservoir rodents decreased. In Sonora, reservoir richness increased with increasing anthropization, while in Baja California and Chihuahua non-reservoir richness decreased as anthropization increased. We also found a significant positive relationship between the anthropization degree and the abundance of house mice (Mus musculus) and deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), the most abundant reservoir species in the study. These findings support the hypothesis that reservoir species of zoonotic pathogens increase their abundance in disturbed environments, which may increase the risk of pathogen exposure to humans, while anthropization creates an environmental filtering that promotes the local extinction of non-reservoir species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Mendoza
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades y Una Salud, Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
- Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Andrés M. López-Pérez
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America
- Red de Biología y Conservación de Vertebrados, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, México
| | - André V. Rubio
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Julio J. Barrón-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades y Una Salud, Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Marisa Mazari-Hiriart
- Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Paulina A. Pontifes
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades y Una Salud, Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
- MIVEGEC Unit, IRD, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Rodolfo Dirzo
- Departments of Biology and Earth Systems Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Gerardo Suzán
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades y Una Salud, Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
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4
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Cardia Caserta L, Mansano do Nascimento G, Joshi LR, Mausbach Simão R, Miller ME, Nunes Felippe PA, Diel DG, Weis Arns C. Bacterial and Viral Diversity of Didelphid Opossums from Brazil. ECOHEALTH 2023; 20:362-369. [PMID: 38091183 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-023-01667-2] [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: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Marsupials belonging to the Didelphis genus are widely distributed in the American Continent, and Didelphis albiventris and Didelphis aurita, are common in all of their areas of distribution in Brazil. Here we describe the bacterial and viral diversity of samples from opossums captured in three forest fragments in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Microbiomes from the same body site were more similar across species and sampling sites while oral swabs presented higher bacterial diversity than rectal swabs. We also identified sequences related to bacterial species involved in zoonotic diseases. The detection of pathogens in such abundant mammal species warns for the possibility of emergence in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Cardia Caserta
- Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, Brazil.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, 240 Farrier Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
| | - Gabriela Mansano do Nascimento
- Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, Brazil
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, 240 Farrier Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Lok Raj Joshi
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, 240 Farrier Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Raphael Mausbach Simão
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia Experimental Aplicada às Zoonoses, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ-USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Michael E Miller
- Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Paulo A Nunes Felippe
- Departamento de Proteção e Bem-Estar Animal - Prefeitura de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Diego G Diel
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, 240 Farrier Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Clarice Weis Arns
- Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, Brazil
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García-Romero C, Carrillo Bilbao GA, Navarro JC, Martin-Solano S, Saegerman C. Arboviruses in Mammals in the Neotropics: A Systematic Review to Strengthen Epidemiological Monitoring Strategies and Conservation Medicine. Viruses 2023; 15:417. [PMID: 36851630 PMCID: PMC9962704 DOI: 10.3390/v15020417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are a diverse group of ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses, with the exception of African swine fever virus, that are transmitted by hematophagous arthropods to a vertebrate host. They are the important cause of many diseases due to their ability to spread in different environments and their diversity of vectors. Currently, there is no information on the geographical distribution of the diseases because the routes of transmission and the mammals (wild or domestic) that act as potential hosts are poorly documented or unknown. We conducted a systematic review from 1967 to 2021 to identify the diversity of arboviruses, the areas, and taxonomic groups that have been monitored, the prevalence of positive records, and the associated risk factors. We identified forty-three arboviruses in nine mammalian orders distributed in eleven countries. In Brazil, the order primates harbor the highest number of arbovirus records. The three most recorded arboviruses were Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Saint Louis encephalitis and West Nile virus. Serum is the most used sample to obtain arbovirus records. Deforestation is identified as the main risk factor for arbovirus transmission between different species and environments (an odds ratio of 1.46 with a 95% confidence interval: 1.34-1.59). The results show an increase in the sampling effort over the years in the neotropical region. Despite the importance of arboviruses for public health, little is known about the interaction of arboviruses, their hosts, and vectors, as some countries and mammalian orders have not yet been monitored. Long-term and constant monitoring allows focusing research on the analysis of the interrelationships and characteristics of each component animal, human, and their environment to understand the dynamics of the diseases and guide epidemiological surveillance and vector control programs. The biodiversity of the Neotropics should be considered to support epidemiological monitoring strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinthya García-Romero
- Maestría en Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático, Facultad de Ciencias del Medio Ambiente, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito 170521, Ecuador
- Instituto de Investigación en Zoonosis (CIZ), Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170521, Ecuador
| | - Gabriel Alberto Carrillo Bilbao
- Instituto de Investigación en Zoonosis (CIZ), Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170521, Ecuador
- Research Unit of Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Applied to Veterinary Sciences (UREAR-ULiege), Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health (FARAH) Center, Department of Infections and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
- Facultad de Filosofía, Letras y Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170521, Ecuador
| | - Juan-Carlos Navarro
- Grupo de Investigación en Enfermedades Emergentes, Ecoepidemiología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Internacional SEK, Quito 170521, Ecuador
| | - Sarah Martin-Solano
- Instituto de Investigación en Zoonosis (CIZ), Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170521, Ecuador
- Grupo de Investigación en Sanidad Animal y Humana (GISAH), Carrera Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida y la Agricultura, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas—ESPE, P.O. Box 171-5-231B, Sangolquí 171103, Ecuador
| | - Claude Saegerman
- Research Unit of Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Applied to Veterinary Sciences (UREAR-ULiege), Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health (FARAH) Center, Department of Infections and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
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Serologic Survey for West Nile Virus in Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) in Poland. J Wildl Dis 2021; 57:168-171. [PMID: 33635970 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-19-00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Serum samples obtained from 474 wild boars (Sus scrofa) were collected from June 2017 to September 2018 from various areas of northern and southern Poland. Serum samples were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. However, West Nile virus (WNV) antibodies were not detected. Previous studies on WNV in Poland have focused on experimental evidence and the presence of WNV antibodies in wild birds, horses, and humans, indicating a need for more surveys of domestic and wild mammals in Poland.
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Kernbach ME, Martin LB, Unnasch TR, Hall RJ, Jiang RHY, Francis CD. Light pollution affects West Nile virus exposure risk across Florida. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210253. [PMID: 33757351 PMCID: PMC8059973 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) present global health threats, and their emergences are often linked to anthropogenic change. Artificial light at night (ALAN) is one form of anthropogenic change that spans beyond urban boundaries and may be relevant to EIDs through its influence on the behaviour and physiology of hosts and/or vectors. Although West Nile virus (WNV) emergence has been described as peri-urban, we hypothesized that exposure risk could also be influenced by ALAN in particular, which is testable by comparing the effects of ALAN on prevalence while controlling for other aspects of urbanization. By modelling WNV exposure among sentinel chickens in Florida, we found strong support for a nonlinear relationship between ALAN and WNV exposure risk in chickens with peak WNV risk occurring at low ALAN levels. Although our goal was not to discern how ALAN affected WNV relative to other factors, effects of ALAN on WNV exposure were stronger than other known drivers of risk (i.e. impervious surface, human population density). Ambient temperature in the month prior to sampling, but no other considered variables, strongly influenced WNV risk. These results indicate that ALAN may contribute to spatio-temporal changes in WNV risk, justifying future investigations of ALAN on other vector-borne parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith E. Kernbach
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Lynn B. Martin
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Thomas R. Unnasch
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Richard J. Hall
- Odum School of Ecology and Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D.W. Brooks Dr., Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Rays H. Y. Jiang
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Clinton D. Francis
- Department of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
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Jahan NA, Lindsey LL, Larsen PA. The Role of Peridomestic Rodents as Reservoirs for Zoonotic Foodborne Pathogens. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2021; 21:133-148. [PMID: 33351736 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Although rodents are well-known reservoirs and vectors for a number of zoonoses, the functional role that peridomestic rodents serve in the amplification and transmission of foodborne pathogens is likely underappreciated. Clear links have been identified between commensal rodents and outbreaks of foodborne pathogens throughout Europe and Asia; however, comparatively little research has been devoted to studying this relationship in the United States. In particular, regional studies focused on specific rodent species and their foodborne pathogen reservoir status across the diverse agricultural landscapes of the United States are lacking. We posit that both native and invasive species of rodents associated with food-production pipelines are likely sources of seasonal outbreaks of foodborne pathogens throughout the United States. In this study, we review the evidence that identifies peridomestic rodents as reservoirs for foodborne pathogens, and we call for novel research focused on the metagenomic communities residing at the rodent-agriculture interface. Such data will likely result in the identification of new reservoirs for foodborne pathogens and species-specific demographic traits that might underlie seasonal enteric disease outbreaks. Moreover, we anticipate that a One Health metagenomic research approach will result in the discovery of new strains of zoonotic pathogens circulating in peridomestic rodents. Data resulting from such research efforts would directly inform and improve upon biosecurity efforts, ultimately serving to protect our food supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nusrat A Jahan
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Laramie L Lindsey
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Peter A Larsen
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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9
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Ong OTW, Skinner EB, Johnson BJ, Old JM. Mosquito-Borne Viruses and Non-Human Vertebrates in Australia: A Review. Viruses 2021; 13:265. [PMID: 33572234 PMCID: PMC7915788 DOI: 10.3390/v13020265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mosquito-borne viruses are well recognized as a global public health burden amongst humans, but the effects on non-human vertebrates is rarely reported. Australia, houses a number of endemic mosquito-borne viruses, such as Ross River virus, Barmah Forest virus, and Murray Valley encephalitis virus. In this review, we synthesize the current state of mosquito-borne viruses impacting non-human vertebrates in Australia, including diseases that could be introduced due to local mosquito distribution. Given the unique island biogeography of Australia and the endemism of vertebrate species (including macropods and monotremes), Australia is highly susceptible to foreign mosquito species becoming established, and mosquito-borne viruses becoming endemic alongside novel reservoirs. For each virus, we summarize the known geographic distribution, mosquito vectors, vertebrate hosts, clinical signs and treatments, and highlight the importance of including non-human vertebrates in the assessment of future disease outbreaks. The mosquito-borne viruses discussed can impact wildlife, livestock, and companion animals, causing significant changes to Australian ecology and economy. The complex nature of mosquito-borne disease, and challenges in assessing the impacts to non-human vertebrate species, makes this an important topic to periodically review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oselyne T. W. Ong
- Children’s Medical Research Institute, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia;
- Mosquito Control Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia;
| | - Eloise B. Skinner
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4222, Australia;
- Biology Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Brian J. Johnson
- Mosquito Control Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia;
| | - Julie M. Old
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury, Locked bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
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10
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Murphy AK, Clennon JA, Vazquez-Prokopec G, Jansen CC, Frentiu FD, Hafner LM, Hu W, Devine GJ. Spatial and temporal patterns of Ross River virus in south east Queensland, Australia: identification of hot spots at the rural-urban interface. BMC Infect Dis 2020; 20:722. [PMID: 33008314 PMCID: PMC7530966 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-020-05411-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ross River virus (RRV) is responsible for the most common vector-borne disease of humans reported in Australia. The virus circulates in enzootic cycles between multiple species of mosquitoes, wildlife reservoir hosts and humans. Public health concern about RRV is increasing due to rising incidence rates in Australian urban centres, along with increased circulation in Pacific Island countries. Australia experienced its largest recorded outbreak of 9544 cases in 2015, with the majority reported from south east Queensland (SEQ). This study examined potential links between disease patterns and transmission pathways of RRV. Methods The spatial and temporal distribution of notified RRV cases, and associated epidemiological features in SEQ, were analysed for the period 2001–2016. This included fine-scale analysis of disease patterns across the suburbs of the capital city of Brisbane, and those of 8 adjacent Local Government Areas, and host spot analyses to identify locations with significantly high incidence. Results The mean annual incidence rate for the region was 41/100,000 with a consistent seasonal peak in cases between February and May. The highest RRV incidence was in adults aged from 30 to 64 years (mean incidence rate: 59/100,000), and females had higher incidence rates than males (mean incidence rates: 44/100,000 and 34/100,000, respectively). Spatial patterns of disease were heterogeneous between years, and there was a wide distribution of disease across both urban and rural areas of SEQ. Overall, the highest incidence rates were reported from predominantly rural suburbs to the north of Brisbane City, with significant hot spots located in peri-urban suburbs where residential, agricultural and conserved natural land use types intersect. Conclusions Although RRV is endemic across all of SEQ, transmission is most concentrated in areas where urban and peri-urban environments intersect. The drivers of RRV transmission across rural-urban landscapes should be prioritised for further investigation, including identification of specific vectors and hosts that mediate human spillover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda K Murphy
- Mosquito Control Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia. .,School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, and Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
| | - Julie A Clennon
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, USA
| | | | - Cassie C Jansen
- Communicable Diseases Branch, Queensland Health, Herston, Australia
| | - Francesca D Frentiu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, and Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Louise M Hafner
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, and Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Wenbiao Hu
- School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Gregor J Devine
- Mosquito Control Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
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11
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Gangoso L, Aragonés D, Martínez-de la Puente J, Lucientes J, Delacour-Estrella S, Estrada Peña R, Montalvo T, Bueno-Marí R, Bravo-Barriga D, Frontera E, Marqués E, Ruiz-Arrondo I, Muñoz A, Oteo JA, Miranda MA, Barceló C, Arias Vázquez MS, Silva-Torres MI, Ferraguti M, Magallanes S, Muriel J, Marzal A, Aranda C, Ruiz S, González MA, Morchón R, Gómez-Barroso D, Figuerola J. Determinants of the current and future distribution of the West Nile virus mosquito vector Culex pipiens in Spain. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 188:109837. [PMID: 32798954 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Changes in environmental conditions, whether related or not to human activities, are continuously modifying the geographic distribution of vectors, which in turn affects the dynamics and distribution of vector-borne infectious diseases. Determining the main ecological drivers of vector distribution and how predicted changes in these drivers may alter their future distributions is therefore of major importance. However, the drivers of vector populations are largely specific to each vector species and region. Here, we identify the most important human-activity-related and bioclimatic predictors affecting the current distribution and habitat suitability of the mosquito Culex pipiens and potential future changes in its distribution in Spain. We determined the niche of occurrence (NOO) of the species, which considers only those areas lying within the range of suitable environmental conditions using presence data. Although almost ubiquitous, the distribution of Cx. pipiens is mostly explained by elevation and the degree of urbanization but also, to a lesser extent, by mean temperatures during the wettest season and temperature seasonality. The combination of these predictors highlights the existence of a heterogeneous pattern of habitat suitability, with most suitable areas located in the southern and northeastern coastal areas of Spain, and unsuitable areas located at higher altitude and in colder regions. Future climatic predictions indicate a net decrease in distribution of up to 29.55%, probably due to warming and greater temperature oscillations. Despite these predicted changes in vector distribution, their effects on the incidence of infectious diseases are, however, difficult to forecast since different processes such as local adaptation to temperature, vector-pathogen interactions, and human-derived changes in landscape may play important roles in shaping the future dynamics of pathogen transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Gangoso
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, C/ Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain.
| | - D Aragonés
- Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Laboratory (LAST-EBD), Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, C/ Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - J Martínez-de la Puente
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, C/ Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain; CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), C/ Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellón 11, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - J Lucientes
- Animal Health Department, The AgriFood Institute of Aragon (IA2), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, C/ Miguel Servet 177, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - S Delacour-Estrella
- Animal Health Department, The AgriFood Institute of Aragon (IA2), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, C/ Miguel Servet 177, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - R Estrada Peña
- Animal Health Department, The AgriFood Institute of Aragon (IA2), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, C/ Miguel Servet 177, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - T Montalvo
- Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Consorci Sanitari de Barcelona, Plaça Lesseps 8, 08023, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), C/ Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellón 11, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - R Bueno-Marí
- Departamento de Investigación y Desarrollo (I+D), Laboratorios Lokímica, Polígono Industrial El Bony, C/42, n°4, 46470, Catarroja, Valencia, Spain
| | - D Bravo-Barriga
- Department of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, University of Extremadura, Av. de la Universidad s/n, 10003, Cáceres, Spain
| | - E Frontera
- Department of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, University of Extremadura, Av. de la Universidad s/n, 10003, Cáceres, Spain
| | - E Marqués
- Service of Mosquito Control (Badia de Roses i del Baix Ter), Plaça del Bruel 1, Castelló d'Empúries, 17486, Empuriabrava, Girona, Spain
| | - I Ruiz-Arrondo
- Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases, Hospital Universitario San Pedro-CIBIR, C/ Piqueras 98, 26006, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
| | - A Muñoz
- Quimera Biological Systems S.L., Pol. Malpica-Alfindén, C/ Olivo 14, Nave 6, 50171, La Puebla de Alfindén, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - J A Oteo
- Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases, Hospital Universitario San Pedro-CIBIR, C/ Piqueras 98, 26006, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
| | - M A Miranda
- Applied Zoology and Animal Conservation group, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Ctra. de Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - C Barceló
- Applied Zoology and Animal Conservation group, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Ctra. de Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - M S Arias Vázquez
- Zoonoses and Public Health. COPAR Research Group, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Santiago de Compostela, Av. Carvallo Calero, 27002, Lugo, Spain
| | - M I Silva-Torres
- Zoonoses and Public Health. COPAR Research Group, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Santiago de Compostela, Av. Carvallo Calero, 27002, Lugo, Spain
| | - M Ferraguti
- Department of Anatomy, Cellular Biology and Zoology, University of Extremadura, Av. de Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz, Spain
| | - S Magallanes
- Department of Anatomy, Cellular Biology and Zoology, University of Extremadura, Av. de Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz, Spain
| | - J Muriel
- Department of Anatomy, Cellular Biology and Zoology, University of Extremadura, Av. de Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz, Spain; Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, IPE (CSIC), Av. Nuestra Señora de la Victoria 16, 22700, Jaca, Spain
| | - A Marzal
- Department of Anatomy, Cellular Biology and Zoology, University of Extremadura, Av. de Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz, Spain
| | - C Aranda
- Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA, IRTA-UAB), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Servei de Control de Mosquits, Consell Comarcal del Baix Llobregat, N-340, 08980, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Ruiz
- Service of Mosquito Control de la Diputación Provincial de Huelva, Ctra. Hospital Infanta Elena s/n, 21007, Huelva, Spain
| | - M A González
- Department of Animal Health, NEIKER-Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Berreaga 1, 48160, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - R Morchón
- Group of Animal and Human dirofilariosis. University of Salamanca, Faculty of Pharmacy, Campus Miguel Unamuno, C/ Lic. Méndez Nieto, s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain
| | - D Gómez-Barroso
- Centro Nacional de Epidemiologia. Instituto de Salud Carlos III, C/ Monforte de Lemos 5, 28029, Madrid. Spain; CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), C/ Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellón 11, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - J Figuerola
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, C/ Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain; CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), C/ Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellón 11, 28029, Madrid, Spain
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12
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Abstract
Rates of urbanization are increasing globally, with consequences for the dynamics of parasites and their wildlife hosts. A small subset of mammal species have the dietary and behavioural flexibility to survive in urban settings. The changes that characterize urban ecology—including landscape transformation, modified diets and shifts in community composition—can either increase or decrease susceptibility and exposure to parasites. We used a meta-analytic approach to systematically assess differences in endoparasitism between mammals in urban and non-urban habitats. Parasite prevalence estimates in matched urban and non-urban mammal populations from 33 species were compiled from 46 published studies, and an overall effect of urban habitation on parasitism was derived after controlling for study and parasite genus. Parasite life cycle type and host order were investigated as moderators of the effect sizes. We found that parasites with complex life cycles were less prevalent in urban carnivore and primate populations than in non-urban populations. However, we found no difference in urban and non-urban prevalence for parasites in rodent and marsupial hosts, or differences in prevalence for parasites with simple life cycles in any host taxa. Our findings therefore suggest the disruption of some parasite transmission cycles in the urban ecological community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney S Werner
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Charles L Nunn
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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13
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Petruccelli A, Zottola T, Ferrara G, Iovane V, Di Russo C, Pagnini U, Montagnaro S. West Nile Virus and Related Flavivirus in European Wild Boar ( Sus scrofa), Latium Region, Italy: A Retrospective Study. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10030494. [PMID: 32188017 PMCID: PMC7143470 DOI: 10.3390/ani10030494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A retrospective sero-survey for evidence of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in European wild boar (Sus scorfa) was conducted in the Latium region, Italy, on stored serum samples of the period November 2011 to January 2012. METHODS Sera were collected from 168 European wild boars and screened for antibodies to WNV and other Flaviviruses by competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). All sera positive for Flavivirus antibodies by cELISA were further examined by virus neutralization test (VNT). To test the presence of Flavivirus RNA in samples, an RT-PCR was performed using a pan-Flavivirus primers pair. RESULTS Thirteen wild boars (7.73%) were seropositive for Flaviviruses. The hemolysis of serum samples limited the interpretation of the VNT for 7 samples, confirming the presence of specific antibody against WNV in a single European wild boar serum sample. The presence of ELISA positive/VNT negative samples suggests the occurrence of non-neutralizing antibodies against WNV or other antigen-related Flaviviruses. No samples resulted positive for Flavivirus by RT-PCR assay. CONCLUSION Although a moderately high percentage of animals with specific antibody for WNV has been detected in wild boar in other surveillance studies in Europe, this has not been reported previously in Italy. Together, these data indicate that European wild boar are exposed to WNV and/or other related-Flavivirus in central Italy and confirm the usefulness of wild ungulates, as suitable Flavivirus sentinels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Petruccelli
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, 80137 Naples, Italy; (A.P.); (G.F.); (U.P.)
| | - Tiziana Zottola
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lazio e Toscana Regions, Section of Latina, 04100 Latina, Italy; (T.Z.); (C.D.R.)
| | - Gianmarco Ferrara
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, 80137 Naples, Italy; (A.P.); (G.F.); (U.P.)
| | - Valentina Iovane
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy;
| | - Cristina Di Russo
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lazio e Toscana Regions, Section of Latina, 04100 Latina, Italy; (T.Z.); (C.D.R.)
| | - Ugo Pagnini
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, 80137 Naples, Italy; (A.P.); (G.F.); (U.P.)
| | - Serena Montagnaro
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples, 80137 Naples, Italy; (A.P.); (G.F.); (U.P.)
- Correspondence: com; Tel.: +39-081-253-6178
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14
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Kramer LD, Ciota AT, Kilpatrick AM. Introduction, Spread, and Establishment of West Nile Virus in the Americas. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 56:1448-1455. [PMID: 31549719 PMCID: PMC7182919 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The introduction of West Nile virus (WNV) to North America in 1999 and its subsequent rapid spread across the Americas demonstrated the potential impact of arboviral introductions to new regions, and this was reinforced by the subsequent introductions of chikungunya and Zika viruses. Extensive studies of host-pathogen-vector-environment interactions over the past two decades have illuminated many aspects of the ecology and evolution of WNV and other arboviruses, including the potential for pathogen adaptation to hosts and vectors, the influence of climate, land use and host immunity on transmission ecology, and the difficulty in preventing the establishment of a zoonotic pathogen with abundant wildlife reservoirs. Here, we focus on outstanding questions concerning the introduction, spread, and establishment of WNV in the Americas, and what it can teach us about the future of arboviral introductions. Key gaps in our knowledge include the following: viral adaptation and coevolution of hosts, vectors and the virus; the mechanisms and species involved in the large-scale spatial spread of WNV; how weather modulates WNV transmission; the drivers of large-scale variation in enzootic transmission; the ecology of WNV transmission in Latin America; and the relative roles of each component of host-virus-vector interactions in spatial and temporal variation in WNV transmission. Integrative studies that examine multiple factors and mechanisms simultaneously are needed to advance our knowledge of mechanisms driving transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura D Kramer
- The Arbovirus Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Slingerlands, NY
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Albany School of Public Health, Albany, NY
- Corresponding author, e-mail:
| | - Alexander T Ciota
- The Arbovirus Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Slingerlands, NY
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Albany School of Public Health, Albany, NY
| | - A Marm Kilpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA
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15
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Kilpatrick AM, Wheeler SS. Impact of West Nile Virus on Bird Populations: Limited Lasting Effects, Evidence for Recovery, and Gaps in Our Understanding of Impacts on Ecosystems. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 56:1491-1497. [PMID: 31549723 PMCID: PMC6821264 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The introduction of West Nile virus to North America in 1999 had profound impacts on human and wildlife health. Here, we review studies of WNV impacts on bird populations and find that overall impacts have been less than initially anticipated, with few species showing sustained changes in population size or demographic rates across multiple regions. This raises four questions: 1) What is the evidence for WNV impact on bird populations and how can we strengthen future analyses? We argue that future studies of WNV impacts should explicitly incorporate temporal variation in WNV transmission intensity, integrate field data with laboratory experimental infection studies, and correct for multiple comparisons. 2) What mechanisms might explain the relatively modest impact of WNV on most bird populations? We suggest that spatial and temporal variation in WNV transmission moderates WNV impacts on species that occur in multiple habitats, some of which provide refugia from infection. 3) Have species recovered from the initial invasion of WNV? We find evidence that many species and populations have recovered from initial WNV impact, but a few have not. 4) Did WNV cause cascading effects on other species and ecosystems? Unfortunately, few studies have examined the cascading effects of WNV population declines, but evidence suggests that some species may have been released from predation or competition. We close by discussing potentially overlooked groups of birds that may have been affected by WNV, and one highlight species, the yellow-billed magpie (Pica nutalli Audubon, 1837 [Passeriformes: Corvidae]), that appears to have suffered the largest range-wide impact from WNV.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Marm Kilpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA
| | - Sarah S Wheeler
- Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, Elk Grove, CA
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16
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Paiva MHS, Barbosa RMR, Santos SA, Silva NM, Paula MB, Ayres CFJ, Leal WS. An unsettling explanation for the failure of skatole-baited ovitraps to capture Culex mosquitoes. INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 26:873-880. [PMID: 29442435 PMCID: PMC6488435 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Culex mosquitoes are primarily found in temperate and tropical regions worldwide where they play a crucial role as main vectors of filarial worms and arboviruses. In Recife, a northeast city in Brazil, high densities of Culex quinquefasciatus are often found in association with human populated areas. In marked contrast to another part of the city, field tests conducted in the neighborhood of Sítio dos Pintos showed that trapping of mosquitoes in skatole-baited ovitraps did not differ significantly from captures in control (water) traps. Thus, classical and molecular taxonomic approaches were used to analyze the Culex species circulating in Sítio dos Pintos. Results obtained from both approaches agreed on the cocirculation of Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex nigripalpus in three different areas of this neighborhood. What was initially considered as an unexpected failure of this lure turned out to be a more unsettling problem, that is, the first report in Recife of Culex nigripalpus, a vector of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus and West Nile virus. Unplanned urbanization processes close to remnants of the Atlantic forest, such as observed in Sítio dos Pintos, may have contributed to the introduction of Cx. nigripalpus in urban areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo H. S. Paiva
- Departamento de Entomologia, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Professor Moraes Rego, s/n - Campus da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, 50.740-465 Brazil
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro Acadêmico do Agreste, Rodovia BR-104, km 59/Nova Caruaru, Caruaru, PE, 55.002-970 Brazil
| | - Rosângela M. R. Barbosa
- Departamento de Entomologia, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Professor Moraes Rego, s/n - Campus da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, 50.740-465 Brazil
| | - Suzane A. Santos
- Departamento de Entomologia, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Professor Moraes Rego, s/n - Campus da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, 50.740-465 Brazil
| | - Norma M. Silva
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Embriologia e Genética, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Florianópolis, SC, 88.040-900 Brazil
| | - Marcia B. Paula
- Departamento de Epidemiologia, Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 715, São Paulo, SP, 01246-904 Brazil
| | - Constância F. J. Ayres
- Departamento de Entomologia, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Professor Moraes Rego, s/n - Campus da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, 50.740-465 Brazil
| | - Walter S. Leal
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
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17
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Root JJ, Bosco-Lauth AM. West Nile Virus Associations in Wild Mammals: An Update. Viruses 2019; 11:v11050459. [PMID: 31117189 PMCID: PMC6563505 DOI: 10.3390/v11050459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Although West Nile virus (WNV) is generally thought to circulate among mosquitoes and birds, several historic and recent works providing evidence of WNV activity in wild mammals have been published. Indeed, a previous review tabulated evidence of WNV exposure in at least 100 mammalian species. Herein, we provide an update on WNV activity in wild and select other mammals that have been reported since the last major review article on this subject was published in early 2013. Of interest, new species, such as Hoffman’s two-toed sloths (Choloepus hoffmanni), are now included in the growing list of wild mammals that have been naturally exposed to WNV. Furthermore, new instances of WNV viremia as well as severe disease presumably caused by this virus have been reported in wild mammals (e.g., the Virginia opossum [Didelphis virginiana]) from natural and semi-captive (e.g., zoological institution) settings. Regrettably, few recent challenge studies have been conducted on wild mammals, which would provide key information as to their potential role(s) in WNV cycles. Largely based on these recent findings, important future lines of research are recommended to assess which mammalian species are commonly exposed to WNV, which mammal species develop viremias sufficient for infecting mosquitoes, and which mammal species might be negatively affected by WNV infection at the species or population level.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Jeffrey Root
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA.
| | - Angela M Bosco-Lauth
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
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18
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Kovach TJ, Kilpatrick AM. Increased Human Incidence of West Nile Virus Disease near Rice Fields in California but Not in Southern United States. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2018; 99:222-228. [PMID: 29714160 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.18-0120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic land use change, including agriculture, can alter mosquito larval habitat quality, increase mosquito abundance, and increase incidence of vector-borne disease. Rice is a staple food crop for more than half of the world's population, with ∼1% of global production occurring within the United States (US). Flooded rice fields provide enormous areas of larval habitat for mosquito species and may be hotspots for mosquito-borne pathogens, including West Nile virus (WNV). West Nile virus was introduced into the Americas in 1999 and causes yearly epidemics in the US with an average of approximately 1,400 neuroinvasive cases and 130 deaths per year. We examined correlations between rice cultivation and WNV disease incidence in rice-growing regions within the US. Incidence of WNV disease increased with the fraction of each county under rice cultivation in California but not in the southern US. We show that this is likely due to regional variation in the mosquitoes transmitting WNV. Culex tarsalis was an important vector of WNV in California, and its abundance increased with rice cultivation, whereas in rice-growing areas of the southern US, the dominant WNV vector was Culex quinquefasciatus, which rarely breeds in rice fields. These results illustrate how cultivation of particular crops can increase disease risk and how spatial variation in vector ecology can alter the relationship between land cover and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony J Kovach
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California
| | - A Marm Kilpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California
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19
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Bisanzio D, McMillan JR, Barreto JG, Blitvich BJ, Mead DG, O'Connor J, Kitron U. Evidence for West Nile virus spillover into the squirrel population in Atlanta, Georgia. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2017; 15:303-10. [PMID: 25988439 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2014.1734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the United States, spillover of West Nile virus (WNV) into wild mammal populations has been reported since the introduction of the virus into the New World in 1999. Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) exhibit a high seroprevalence for WNV in urban settings where high virus circulation and human spillover have been reported. In Atlanta, Georgia, human cases of WNV are uncommon despite high infection rates in birds and mosquitoes. In this study, we evaluated WNV exposure of eastern gray squirrels in a WNV hot spot in Atlanta. MATERIALS AND METHODS Gray squirrels were live-trapped in Grant Park, Atlanta, during July-October, 2012, and a census was conducted to estimate squirrel density in the study site. Sera from trapped animals were tested for circulating virus-by-virus isolation in cell culture and for WNV-specific antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and plaque reduction neutralization test. Mosquitoes were collected at the same location and tested for virus isolation. RESULTS Among the 69 collected squirrels, 25 (36.2%) tested positive for WNV antibodies, although none were viremic. Seroprevalence was lower in juveniles (18.8%) than in adults (37.5%), but this difference was not statistically significant. Gender and squirrel density had no effect on seroprevalence. Seasonality of squirrel seroprevalence and of mosquito infection were significantly associated, both peaking in August. No difference in squirrel exposure was detected across the collection sites. CONCLUSIONS We report a high degree of WNV exposure in squirrels in Grant Park that was correlated with seasonality of mosquito infection. The detection of antibodies in juveniles suggests that circulation of WNV in the surveyed population is ongoing. Eastern gray squirrels may be suitable indicators for virus amplification and for risk of human spillover on a local scale in urban settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donal Bisanzio
- 1Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Joseph R McMillan
- 1Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Josafá Gonçalves Barreto
- 2Laboratório de Dermato-Imunologia UEPA/UFPA/Marcello Candia, Marituba, Pará, Brasil.,3Universidade Federal do Pará, Campus Castanhal, Pará, Brasil
| | - Bradley J Blitvich
- 4Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
| | - Daniel G Mead
- 5University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine, Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Athens, Georgia
| | - Josh O'Connor
- 6Fire Management Division, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Uriel Kitron
- 1Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
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Soto-Calderón ID, Acevedo-Garcés YA, Álvarez-Cardona J, Hernández-Castro C, García-Montoya GM. Physiological and parasitological implications of living in a city: the case of the white-footed tamarin (Saguinus leucopus). Am J Primatol 2016; 78:1272-1281. [PMID: 27404890 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Revised: 06/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Among primates, the Neotropical Callitrichid monkeys (tamarins and marmosets) exhibit a particular ability to adapt to disturbed and urbanized environments. However, little is known about physiological and health status in contrasting ecological contexts. An example of adaptation to urban environments is the white-footed tamarin (Saguinus leucopus), an endangered species endemic to the central Andes in North West Colombia. This species was used as a model to contrast physical condition, physiological parameters and the parasite community of wild populations in rural and urban settings. Overall, the tamarins seemed to be in good body condition in both environments; however, urban tamarins exhibited overweight, elevated body mass, and higher cholesterol levels, while rural tamarins showed larger diversity and prevalence of parasites. Variation in several hematological parameters associated with altitude was also observed. Our data provide preliminary evidence of differential physiological responses to urban and rural environments in tamarins. These results may be attributed to nutritional factors, physical activity, and specific parasite-host ecological interactions in these two environments. Also, abundance and diversity of the parasite community in urban environments may be potentially constrained by habitat fragmentation and relatively fewer reservoirs. Finally, significant physiological and ecological disparities between white-footed tamarins occurring in urban and rural habitats as well as physiological response to hypoxia at higher altitudes were evidenced here. This study provides important preliminary information that will be useful to determine the ability of New World primate populations to cope with urban development and rapidly changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iván Darío Soto-Calderón
- Grupo de Genética y Mejoramiento Animal (GaMMA), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia. .,Laboratorio de Genética Molecular (GENMOL), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia.
| | - Yuliet Andrea Acevedo-Garcés
- Grupo de Genética y Mejoramiento Animal (GaMMA), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia.,Laboratorio de Genética Molecular (GENMOL), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia
| | - Jóhnatan Álvarez-Cardona
- Grupo de Genética y Mejoramiento Animal (GaMMA), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia
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Marcantonio M, Rizzoli A, Metz M, Rosà R, Marini G, Chadwick E, Neteler M. Identifying the environmental conditions favouring West Nile Virus outbreaks in Europe. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0121158. [PMID: 25803814 PMCID: PMC4372576 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2014] [Accepted: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
West Nile Virus (WNV) is a globally important mosquito borne virus, with significant implications for human and animal health. The emergence and spread of new lineages, and increased pathogenicity, is the cause of escalating public health concern. Pinpointing the environmental conditions that favour WNV circulation and transmission to humans is challenging, due both to the complexity of its biological cycle, and the under-diagnosis and reporting of epidemiological data. Here, we used remote sensing and GIS to enable collation of multiple types of environmental data over a continental spatial scale, in order to model annual West Nile Fever (WNF) incidence across Europe and neighbouring countries. Multi-model selection and inference were used to gain a consensus from multiple linear mixed models. Climate and landscape were key predictors of WNF outbreaks (specifically, high precipitation in late winter/early spring, high summer temperatures, summer drought, occurrence of irrigated croplands and highly fragmented forests). Identification of the environmental conditions associated with WNF outbreaks is key to enabling public health bodies to properly focus surveillance and mitigation of West Nile virus impact, but more work needs to be done to enable accurate predictions of WNF risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Marcantonio
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all’Adige, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Annapaola Rizzoli
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all’Adige, Italy
| | - Markus Metz
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all’Adige, Italy
| | - Roberto Rosà
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all’Adige, Italy
| | - Giovanni Marini
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all’Adige, Italy
| | - Elizabeth Chadwick
- School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Markus Neteler
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all’Adige, Italy
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22
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Differential influence of urbanisation on Coccidian infection in two passerine birds. Parasitol Res 2015; 114:2231-5. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-015-4414-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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23
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Berxholi K, Ziegler U, Rexhepi A, Schmidt K, Mertens M, Korro K, Cuko A, Angenvoort J, Groschup MH. Indigenous West Nile virus infections in horses in Albania. Transbound Emerg Dis 2014; 60 Suppl 2:45-50. [PMID: 24589101 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Serum samples collected from 167 equines of 12 districts in Albania were tested for West Nile virus-specific antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and virus neutralization assay, using WNV lineage 1 and 2. In addition, 95 bird serum samples from Albania and 29 horse samples from Kosovo were tested in ELISA. An overall seroprevalence rate of 22% was found in horses from Albania, whereas no specific antibodies were found in the equine samples from Kosovo and the bird samples. This is the first report indicating WNV infections in animals in Albania, and the first reported seroprevalence study conducted for Kosovo. These results provide evidence for widespread infections of WNV in Albania.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Berxholi
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Tirana, Tirana, Albania
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24
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Mlera L, Melik W, Bloom ME. The role of viral persistence in flavivirus biology. Pathog Dis 2014; 71:137-63. [PMID: 24737600 PMCID: PMC4154581 DOI: 10.1111/2049-632x.12178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2014] [Revised: 04/08/2014] [Accepted: 04/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In nature, vector borne flaviviruses are persistently cycled between either the tick or mosquito vector and small mammals such as rodents, skunks, and swine. These viruses account for considerable human morbidity and mortality worldwide. Increasing and substantial evidence of viral persistence in humans, which includes the isolation of RNA by RT PCR and infectious virus by culture, continues to be reported. Viral persistence can also be established in vitro in various human, animal, arachnid, and insect cell lines in culture. Although some research has focused on the potential roles of defective virus particles, evasion of the immune response through the manipulation of autophagy and/or apoptosis, the precise mechanism of flavivirus persistence is still not well understood. We propose additional research for further understanding of how viral persistence is established in different systems. Avenues for additional studies include determining whether the multifunctional flavivirus protein NS5 has a role in viral persistence, the development of relevant animal models of viral persistence, and investigating the host responses that allow vector borne flavivirus replication without detrimental effects on infected cells. Such studies might shed more light on the viral–host relationships and could be used to unravel the mechanisms for establishment of persistence. Persistent infections by vector borne flaviviruses are an important, but inadequately studied topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luwanika Mlera
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Laboratory of Virology, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
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25
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Vector-virus interactions and transmission dynamics of West Nile virus. Viruses 2013; 5:3021-47. [PMID: 24351794 PMCID: PMC3967159 DOI: 10.3390/v5123021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2013] [Revised: 11/04/2013] [Accepted: 11/06/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV; Flavivirus; Flaviviridae) is the cause of the most widespread arthropod-borne viral disease in the world and the largest outbreak of neuroinvasive disease ever observed. Mosquito-borne outbreaks are influenced by intrinsic (e.g., vector and viral genetics, vector and host competence, vector life-history traits) and extrinsic (e.g., temperature, rainfall, human land use) factors that affect virus activity and mosquito biology in complex ways. The concept of vectorial capacity integrates these factors to address interactions of the virus with the arthropod host, leading to a clearer understanding of their complex interrelationships, how they affect transmission of vector-borne disease, and how they impact human health. Vertebrate factors including host competence, population dynamics, and immune status also affect transmission dynamics. The complexity of these interactions are further exacerbated by the fact that not only can divergent hosts differentially alter the virus, but the virus also can affect both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts in ways that significantly alter patterns of virus transmission. This chapter concentrates on selected components of the virus-vector-vertebrate interrelationship, focusing specifically on how interactions between vector, virus, and environment shape the patterns and intensity of WNV transmission.
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Kilpatrick AM, Pape WJ. Predicting human West Nile virus infections with mosquito surveillance data. Am J Epidemiol 2013; 178:829-35. [PMID: 23825164 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwt046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV) has become established across the Americas with recent heightened activity causing significant human illness. Surveillance methods to predict the risk of human infection are urgently needed to initiate timely preventative measures and justify the expense of implementing costly or unpopular control measures, such as aerial spraying or curfews. We quantified the links between mosquito surveillance data and the spatiotemporal patterns of 3,827 human WNV cases reported over 5 years in Colorado from 2003 to 2007. Mosquito data were strongly predictive of variation in the number of human WNV infections several weeks in advance in both a spatiotemporal statewide analysis and temporal variation within counties with substantial numbers of human cases. We outline several ways to further improve the predictive power of these data and we quantify the loss of information if no funds are available for testing mosquitoes for WNV. These results demonstrate that mosquito surveillance provides a valuable public health tool for assessing the risk of human arboviral infections, allocating limited public health resources, and justifying emergency control actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Marm Kilpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 1156 High Street, University of California-Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
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27
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Gómez A, Balsari S, Nusbaum J, Heerboth A, Lemery J. Perspective: Environment, biodiversity, and the education of the physician of the future. ACADEMIC MEDICINE : JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGES 2013; 88:168-172. [PMID: 23269293 DOI: 10.1097/acm.0b013e31827bfbeb] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Ours is an age of unprecedented levels of environmental alteration and biodiversity loss. Beyond the exposure to environmental hazards, conditions such as environmental degradation, biotic impoverishment, climate change, and the loss of ecosystem services create important health threats by changing the ecology of many pathogens and increasing the incidence and/or severity of certain noncommunicable conditions. They also threaten health in the future by weakening the Earth's life support systems.Although physicians remain one of the most often accessed and most trusted sources of information about the environment, there is currently little emphasis on educating medical professionals about these environmental issues. This lack of training reduces the ability of most physicians to be efficient science-public interfaces and makes them ineffective at contributing to address the fundamental causes of environmental problems or participate in substantive environmental policy discussions. This is an important challenge facing medical education today.To turn medical students into effective physician-citizens, an already-overwhelmed medical school curriculum must make way for a thoughtful exploration of environmental stressors and their impacts on human health. The overarching question before medical educators is how to develop the competencies, standards, and curricula for this educational endeavor. To this end, the authors highlight some of the critical linkages between health and the environment and suggest a subset of key practical issues that need to be addressed in order to create environmental education standards for the physician of the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Gómez
- Wildlife Health Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
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28
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Jeffrey Root J. West Nile virus associations in wild mammals: a synthesis. Arch Virol 2012; 158:735-52. [DOI: 10.1007/s00705-012-1516-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2012] [Accepted: 09/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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29
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Gutiérrez-Guzmán AV, Vicente J, Sobrino R, Perez-Ramírez E, Llorente F, Höfle U. Antibodies to West Nile virus and related flaviviruses in wild boar, red foxes and other mesomammals from Spain. Vet Microbiol 2012; 159:291-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2012] [Revised: 04/11/2012] [Accepted: 04/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Skelsey P, With KA, Garrett KA. Why dispersal should be maximized at intermediate scales of heterogeneity. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2012; 6:203-211. [PMID: 25540676 PMCID: PMC4270430 DOI: 10.1007/s12080-012-0171-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2012] [Accepted: 09/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Dispersal is a fundamental biological process that results in the redistribution of organisms due to the interplay between the mode of dispersal, the range of scales over which movement occurs, and the scale of spatial heterogeneity, in which patchiness may occur across a broad range of scales. Despite the diversity of dispersal mechanisms and dispersal length scales in nature, we posit that a fundamental scaling relationship should exist between dispersal and spatial heterogeneity. We present both a conceptual model and mathematical formalization of this expected relationship between the scale of dispersal and the scale of patchiness, which predicts that the magnitude of dispersal (number of individuals) among patches should be maximized when the scale of spatial heterogeneity (defined in terms of patch size and isolation) is neither too fine nor too coarse relative to the gap-crossing abilities of a species. We call this the “dispersal scaling hypothesis” (DSH). We demonstrate congruence in the functional form of this relationship under fundamentally different dispersal assumptions, using well-documented isotropic dispersal kernels and empirically derived dispersal parameters from diverse species, in order to explore the generality of this finding. The DSH generates testable hypotheses as to when and under what landscape scenarios dispersal is most likely to be successful. This provides insights into what management scenarios might be necessary to either restore landscape connectivity, as in certain conservation applications, or disrupt connectivity, as when attempting to manage landscapes to impede the spread of an invasive species, pest, or pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Skelsey
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506 USA
| | - Kimberly A. With
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506 USA
| | - Karen A. Garrett
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506 USA
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Owen JC, Nakamura A, Coon CA, Martin LB. The effect of exogenous corticosterone on West Nile virus infection in Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis). Vet Res 2012; 43:34. [PMID: 22520572 PMCID: PMC3372427 DOI: 10.1186/1297-9716-43-34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2012] [Accepted: 04/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between stress and disease is thought to be unambiguous: chronic stress induces immunosuppression, which likely increases the risk of infection. However, this link has not been firmly established in wild animals, particularly whether stress hormones affect host responses to zoonotic pathogens, which can be transmitted to domesticated animal, wildlife and human populations. Due to the dynamic effects of stress hormones on immune functions, stress hormones may make hosts better or poorer amplifying hosts for a pathogen contingent on context and the host species evaluated. Using an important zoonotic pathogen, West Nile virus (WNV) and a competent host, the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), we tested the effects of exogenous corticosterone on response to WNV infection. Corticosterone was administered at levels that individuals enduring chronic stressors (i.e., long-term inclement weather, food shortage, anthropogenic pollution) might experience in the wild. Corticosterone greatly impacted mortality: half of the corticosterone-implanted cardinals died between five - 11 days post-inoculation whereas only one of nine empty-implanted (control) birds died. No differences were found in viral titer between corticosterone- and empty-implanted birds. However, cardinals that survived infections had significantly higher average body temperatures during peak infection than individuals that died. In sum, this study indicates that elevated corticosterone could affect the survival of WNV-infected wild birds, suggesting that populations may be disproportionately at-risk to disease in stressful environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer C Owen
- 13 Natural Resources, Michigan State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, East Lansing, MI, USA.
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32
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Hamer SA, Lehrer E, Magle SB. Wild Birds as Sentinels for Multiple Zoonotic Pathogens Along an Urban to Rural Gradient in Greater Chicago, Illinois. Zoonoses Public Health 2012; 59:355-64. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2012.01462.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Boadella M, Díez-Delgado I, Gutiérrez-Guzmán AV, Höfle U, Gortázar C. Do wild ungulates allow improved monitoring of flavivirus circulation in Spain? Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2012; 12:490-5. [PMID: 22217171 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2011.0843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
As a response to the need for improved and cost-efficient West Nile virus (WNV) and other flavivirus surveillance tools, we tested 887 juvenile free-living red deer, 742 free-living juvenile wild boar, and 327 farmed deer, to detect temporal variability in exposure to these viruses. Thirty of 742 wild boar samples (4%; 95% CI 2.8,5.7) yielded a positive ELISA result. Antibody-positive individuals had been sampled between 2003 and 2011 in localities from central and southern Spain. No wild boar from the northern half of Spain (n=120) tested positive. Regarding juvenile wild red deer, only two out of 887 samples yielded a positive ELISA result (0.2%; 95% CI 0.1,0.8). These two samples came from the same site and sampling year. The likelihood of detecting contact with WNV or cross-reacting flaviviruses was 18 times higher among juvenile wild boar than among juvenile red deer. ELISA positivity among farmed deer increased 10-fold after local flavivirus outbreaks recorded in the summer and autumn of 2010. This survey demonstrated the potential usefulness of juvenile wild ungulates, particularly wild boar, as suitable flavivirus sentinels in southwestern Europe, and that systematic serum banking of samples from hunter-harvested wildlife or from individual farmed ungulates provides valuable material for retrospective epidemiological surveys and future disease monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Boadella
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, Ciudad Real, Spain.
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Farajollahi A, Fonseca DM, Kramer LD, Kilpatrick AM. "Bird biting" mosquitoes and human disease: a review of the role of Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes in epidemiology. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2011; 11:1577-85. [PMID: 21875691 PMCID: PMC3190018 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2011.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 371] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2011] [Revised: 08/15/2011] [Accepted: 08/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The transmission of vector-borne pathogens is greatly influenced by the ecology of their vector, which is in turn shaped by genetic ancestry, the environment, and the hosts that are fed on. One group of vectors, the mosquitoes in the Culex pipiens complex, play key roles in the transmission of a range of pathogens including several viruses such as West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis viruses, avian malaria (Plasmodium spp.), and filarial worms. The Cx. pipiens complex includes Culex pipiens pipiens with two forms, pipiens and molestus, Culex pipiens pallens, Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex australicus, and Culex globocoxitus. While several members of the complex have limited geographic distributions, Cx. pipienspipiens and Cx. quinquefasciatus are found in all known urban and sub-urban temperate and tropical regions, respectively, across the world, where they are often principal disease vectors. In addition, hybrids are common in areas of overlap. Although gaps in our knowledge still remain, the advent of genetic tools has greatly enhanced our understanding of the history of speciation, domestication, dispersal, and hybridization. We review the taxonomy, genetics, evolution, behavior, and ecology of members of the Cx. pipiens complex and their role in the transmission of medically important pathogens. The adaptation of Cx. pipiens complex mosquitoes to human-altered environments led to their global distribution through dispersal via humans and, combined with their mixed feeding patterns on birds and mammals (including humans), increased the transmission of several avian pathogens to humans. We highlight several unanswered questions that will increase our ability to control diseases transmitted by these mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ary Farajollahi
- Rutgers University, Center for Vector Biology, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Dina M. Fonseca
- Rutgers University, Center for Vector Biology, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Laura D. Kramer
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Slingerlands, New York, and State University of New York at Albany, Albany, New York
| | - A. Marm Kilpatrick
- Dept. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California
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Abstract
The raccoon ( Procyon lotor) is almost ubiquitous in North America. In recent times, it was introduced in many parts of the world where it has now become largely feral. Since the outbreak of raccoon rabies epizootic in eastern United States and Canada, most diagnostic laboratories have had increased numbers of raccoon carcasses or raccoon brain submissions for diagnosis of rabies. However, since a number of other diseases that affect the central nervous system and have similar clinical signs as rabies have been documented in this species, the current review attempts to bring together the published information on neurologic disorders of raccoons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir N. Hamir
- National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA
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Magori K, Bajwa WI, Bowden S, Drake JM. Decelerating spread of West Nile virus by percolation in a heterogeneous urban landscape. PLoS Comput Biol 2011; 7:e1002104. [PMID: 21829332 PMCID: PMC3145642 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2010] [Accepted: 05/12/2011] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases are emerging and re-emerging in urban environments throughout the world, presenting an increasing challenge to human health and a major obstacle to development. Currently, more than half of the global population is concentrated in urban environments, which are highly heterogeneous in the extent, degree, and distribution of environmental modifications. Because the prevalence of vector-borne pathogens is so closely coupled to the ecologies of vector and host species, this heterogeneity has the potential to significantly alter the dynamical systems through which pathogens propagate, and also thereby affect the epidemiological patterns of disease at multiple spatial scales. One such pattern is the speed of spread. Whereas standard models hold that pathogens spread as waves with constant or increasing speed, we hypothesized that heterogeneity in urban environments would cause decelerating travelling waves in incipient epidemics. To test this hypothesis, we analysed data on the spread of West Nile virus (WNV) in New York City (NYC), the 1999 epicentre of the North American pandemic, during annual epizootics from 2000–2008. These data show evidence of deceleration in all years studied, consistent with our hypothesis. To further explain these patterns, we developed a spatial model for vector-borne disease transmission in a heterogeneous environment. An emergent property of this model is that deceleration occurs only in the vicinity of a critical point. Geostatistical analysis suggests that NYC may be on the edge of this criticality. Together, these analyses provide the first evidence for the endogenous generation of decelerating travelling waves in an emerging infectious disease. Since the reported deceleration results from the heterogeneity of the environment through which the pathogen percolates, our findings suggest that targeting control at key sites could efficiently prevent pathogen spread to remote susceptible areas or even halt epidemics. Current theory of the spatial spread of pathogens predicts travelling waves at constant or increasing speed in homogeneous environments. However, in urban environments, increasing and often unregulated development produces a highly heterogeneous landscape. Such heterogeneity affects pathogens spread by insect vectors particularly, which typically have short dispersal distances. We hypothesized that high levels of heterogeneity can slow the spread of such pathogens, resulting in decelerating epidemic waves. We analysed the annual spread of West Nile virus (WNV) in New York City (NYC), using a dataset containing >1,000,000 records since the origin of the North American pandemic in 1999. Our analysis provides the first evidence of endogenous decelerating travelling waves in an emerging infectious disease. We found that WNV spread with decreasing speed in each season and rejected four alternative hypotheses to explain this deceleration. A mathematical model shows that high levels of heterogeneity can lead to such decelerating travelling waves. Interestingly, the level of heterogeneity in land-cover types associated with WNV-positive dead birds in NYC is of the order of magnitude required to produce decelerating travelling waves in the model. Consequently, we propose that control strategies targeting key sites may be effective at slowing WNV spread in NYC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krisztian Magori
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America.
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Vandegrift KJ, Wale N, Epstein JH. An ecological and conservation perspective on advances in the applied virology of zoonoses. Viruses 2011; 3:379-397. [PMID: 21994738 PMCID: PMC3185704 DOI: 10.3390/v3040379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2011] [Revised: 03/02/2011] [Accepted: 03/10/2011] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this manuscript is to describe how modern advances in our knowledge of viruses and viral evolution can be applied to the fields of disease ecology and conservation. We review recent progress in virology and provide examples of how it is informing both empirical research in field ecology and applied conservation. We include a discussion of needed breakthroughs and ways to bridge communication gaps between the field and the lab. In an effort to foster this interdisciplinary effort, we have also included a table that lists the definitions of key terms. The importance of understanding the dynamics of zoonotic pathogens in their reservoir hosts is emphasized as a tool to both assess risk factors for spillover and to test hypotheses related to treatment and/or intervention strategies. In conclusion, we highlight the need for smart surveillance, viral discovery efforts and predictive modeling. A shift towards a predictive approach is necessary in today's globalized society because, as the 2009 H1N1 pandemic demonstrated, identification post-emergence is often too late to prevent global spread. Integrating molecular virology and ecological techniques will allow for earlier recognition of potentially dangerous pathogens, ideally before they jump from wildlife reservoirs into human or livestock populations and cause serious public health or conservation issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt J. Vandegrift
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- EcoHealth Alliance, 460 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001, USA
| | - Nina Wale
- EcoHealth Alliance, 460 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001, USA
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Bowden SE, Magori K, Drake JM. Regional differences in the association between land cover and West Nile virus disease incidence in humans in the United States. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2011; 84:234-8. [PMID: 21292890 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2011.10-0134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV) is generally considered to be an urban pathogen in the United States, but studies associating land cover and disease incidence, seroprevalence, or infection rate in humans, birds, domesticated and wild mammals, and mosquitoes report varying and sometimes contradictory results at an array of spatial extents. Human infection can provide insight about basic transmission activity; therefore, we analyzed data on the incidence of WNV disease in humans to obtain a comprehensive picture of how human disease and land cover type are associated across the United States. Human WNV disease incidence in Northeastern regions was positively associated with urban land covers, whereas incidence in the Western United States was positively associated with agricultural land covers. We suggest that these regional associations are explained by the geographic distributions of prominent WNV vectors: Culex pipiens complex (including Cx. pipiens and Cx. quinquefasciatus) in the Northeast and Cx. tarsalis in the Western United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Bowden
- Eugene P. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
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Root JJ, Bentler KT, Nemeth NM, Gidlewski T, Spraker TR, Franklin AB. Experimental infection of raccoons (Procyon lotor) with West Nile virus. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2010; 83:803-7. [PMID: 20889868 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.10-0173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
To characterize the responses of raccoons to West Nile virus (WNV) infection, we subcutaneously exposed them to WNV. Moderately high viremia titers (≤ 10(4.6) plaque forming units [PFU]/mL of serum) were noted in select individuals; however, peak viremia titers were variable and viremia was detectable in some individuals as late as 10 days post-inoculation (DPI). In addition, fecal shedding was prolonged in some animals (e.g., between 6 and 13 DPI in one individual), with up to 10(5.0) PFU/fecal swab detected. West Nile virus was not detected in tissues collected on 10 or 16 DPI, and no histologic lesions attributable to WNV infection were observed. Overall, viremia profiles suggest that raccoons are unlikely to be important WNV amplifying hosts. However, this species may occasionally shed significant quantities of virus in feces. Considering their behavioral ecology, including repeated use of same-site latrines, high levels of fecal shedding could potentially lead to interspecies fecal-oral WNV transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Jeffrey Root
- United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA.
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Kilpatrick AM, Fonseca DM, Ebel GD, Reddy MR, Kramer LD. Spatial and temporal variation in vector competence of Culex pipiens and Cx. restuans mosquitoes for West Nile virus. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2010; 83:607-13. [PMID: 20810828 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.10-0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Vector competence, the probability that a vector will transmit a pathogen after feeding on an infected host, is known to vary among vector species, populations, days since feeding, and temperature during the extrinsic incubation period. However, the extent of spatio-temporal variability and consistency in vector competence of populations is not known. We examined vector competence of Culex pipiens Linnaeus and Cx. restuans Theobald mosquitoes for West Nile virus collected over 3 years from 17 sites to measure spatial and temporal scales of variation in vector competence. We found extreme variation with 0-52% of mosquitoes transmitting West Nile virus at a single site between different sampling periods, and similar variation across populations. However, we also found that within a smaller geographic range, vector competence varied somewhat synchronously, suggesting that environmental and population genetic factors might influence vector competence. These results highlight the spatio-temporal variability in vector competence and the role of local processes.
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LaDeau SL, Calder CA, Doran PJ, Marra PP. West Nile virus impacts in American crow populations are associated with human land use and climate. Ecol Res 2010; 26:909-916. [PMID: 32214652 PMCID: PMC7089484 DOI: 10.1007/s11284-010-0725-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2009] [Accepted: 04/05/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV) was first detected in the western hemisphere during the summer of 1999, reawakening US public awareness of the potential severity of vector-borne pathogens. Since its New World introduction, WNV has caused disease in human, avian, and mammalian communities across the continent. American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) are a highly susceptible WNV host and when modeled appropriately, changes in crow abundances can serve as a proxy for the spatio-temporal presence of WNV. We use the dramatic declines in abundance of this avian host to examine spatio-temporal heterogeneity in WNV intensity across the northeastern US, where WNV was first detected. Using data from the Breeding Bird Survey, we identify significant declines in crow abundance after WNV emergence that are associated with lower forest cover, more urban land use, and warmer winter temperatures. Importantly, we document continued declines as WNV was present in an area over consecutive years. Our findings support the urban-pathogen link that human WNV incidence studies have shown. For each 1% increase in urban land cover we expect an additional 5% decline in the log crow abundance beyond the decline attributed to WNV in undeveloped areas. We also demonstrate a significant relationship between above-average winter temperatures and WNV-related declines in crow abundance. The mechanisms behind these patterns remain uncertain and hypotheses requiring further research are suggested. In particular, a strong positive relationship between urban land cover and winter temperatures may confound mechanistic understanding, especially when a temperature-sensitive vector is involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon L. LaDeau
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY 12545 USA
- Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008 USA
| | | | | | - Peter P. Marra
- Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008 USA
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Ruiz MO, Chaves LF, Hamer GL, Sun T, Brown WM, Walker ED, Haramis L, Goldberg TL, Kitron UD. Local impact of temperature and precipitation on West Nile virus infection in Culex species mosquitoes in northeast Illinois, USA. Parasit Vectors 2010; 3:19. [PMID: 20302617 PMCID: PMC2856545 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-3-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2009] [Accepted: 03/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Models of the effects of environmental factors on West Nile virus disease risk have yielded conflicting outcomes. The role of precipitation has been especially difficult to discern from existing studies, due in part to habitat and behavior characteristics of specific vector species and because of differences in the temporal and spatial scales of the published studies. We used spatial and statistical modeling techniques to analyze and forecast fine scale spatial (2000 m grid) and temporal (weekly) patterns of West Nile virus mosquito infection relative to changing weather conditions in the urban landscape of the greater Chicago, Illinois, region for the years from 2004 to 2008. RESULTS Increased air temperature was the strongest temporal predictor of increased infection in Culex pipiens and Culex restuans mosquitoes, with cumulative high temperature differences being a key factor distinguishing years with higher mosquito infection and higher human illness rates from those with lower rates. Drier conditions in the spring followed by wetter conditions just prior to an increase in infection were factors in some but not all years. Overall, 80% of the weekly variation in mosquito infection was explained by prior weather conditions. Spatially, lower precipitation was the most important variable predicting stronger mosquito infection; precipitation and temperature alone could explain the pattern of spatial variability better than could other environmental variables (79% explained in the best model). Variables related to impervious surfaces and elevation differences were of modest importance in the spatial model. CONCLUSION Finely grained temporal and spatial patterns of precipitation and air temperature have a consistent and significant impact on the timing and location of increased mosquito infection in the northeastern Illinois study area. The use of local weather data at multiple monitoring locations and the integration of mosquito infection data from numerous sources across several years are important to the strength of the models presented. The other spatial environmental factors that tended to be important, including impervious surfaces and elevation measures, would mediate the effect of rainfall on soils and in urban catch basins. Changes in weather patterns with global climate change make it especially important to improve our ability to predict how inter-related local weather and environmental factors affect vectors and vector-borne disease risk.Local impact of temperature and precipitation on West Nile virus infection in Culex species mosquitoes in northeast Illinois, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilyn O Ruiz
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
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OHNO Y, SATO H, SUZUKI K, YOKOYAMA M, UNI S, SHIBASAKI T, SASHIKA M, INOKUMA H, KAI K, MAEDA K. Detection of Antibodies against Japanese Encephalitis Virus in Raccoons, Raccoon Dogs and Wild Boars in Japan. J Vet Med Sci 2009; 71:1035-9. [DOI: 10.1292/jvms.71.1035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshito OHNO
- Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University
| | - Hiroshi SATO
- Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University
| | | | | | - Shigehiko UNI
- Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University
| | - Takahiro SHIBASAKI
- Department of Animal Welfare and Livestock, Osaka Prefectural Government
| | - Mariko SASHIKA
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
| | - Hisashi INOKUMA
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
| | - Kazushige KAI
- Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University
| | - Ken MAEDA
- Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University
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Wimberly MC, Hildreth MB, Boyte SP, Lindquist E, Kightlinger L. Ecological niche of the 2003 west nile virus epidemic in the northern great plains of the United States. PLoS One 2008; 3:e3744. [PMID: 19057643 PMCID: PMC2586649 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2008] [Accepted: 11/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The incidence of West Nile virus (WNv) has remained high in the northern Great Plains compared to the rest of the United States. However, the reasons for the sustained high risk of WNv transmission in this region have not been determined. To assess the environmental drivers of WNv in the northern Great Plains, we analyzed the county-level spatial pattern of human cases during the 2003 epidemic across a seven-state region. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS County-level data on WNv cases were examined using spatial cluster analysis, and were used to fit statistical models with weather, climate, and land use variables as predictors. In 2003 there was a single large cluster of elevated WNv risk encompassing North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska along with portions of eastern Montana and Wyoming. The relative risk of WNv remained high within the boundaries of this cluster from 2004-2007. WNv incidence during the 2003 epidemic was found to have a stronger relationship with long-term climate patterns than with annual weather in either 2002 or 2003. WNv incidence increased with mean May-July temperature and had a unimodal relationship with total May-July precipitation. WNv incidence also increased with the percentage of irrigated cropland and with the percentage of the human population living in rural areas. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The spatial pattern of WNv cases during the 2003 epidemic in the northern Great Plains was associated with both climatic gradients and land use patterns. These results were interpreted as evidence that environmental conditions across much of the northern Great Plains create a favorable ecological niche for Culex tarsalis, a particularly efficient vector of WNv. Further research is needed to determine the proximal causes of sustained WNv transmission and to enhance strategies for disease prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C. Wimberly
- Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Michael B. Hildreth
- Department of Biology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Stephen P. Boyte
- Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Erik Lindquist
- Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Lon Kightlinger
- South Dakota Department of Health, Pierre, South Dakota, United States of America
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Johnson MF, Gómez A, Pinedo-Vasquez M. Land use and mosquito diversity in the Peruvian Amazon. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2008; 45:1023-1030. [PMID: 19058625 DOI: 10.1603/0022-2585(2008)45[1023:luamdi]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic environmental disturbance is a significant factor driving mosquito community composition. However, researchers subjectively define environmental change creating difficulties for cross-study comparison. To examine the relationship between terrestrial change and mosquito composition, we used remote sensing techniques to define spatially explicit land use categories along a gradient with low (rural), medium (peri-urban), and high (urban) anthropogenic influence in the Peruvian Amazon. We found significant differences in mosquito diversity among land use categories. Our results provide baseline data linking mosquito distribution to land use in the Peruvian Amazon and present an easily replicable method of comparison for future research. Creating standardized methods to measure the impact of human influence on the environment is of particular importance in designing targeted public health policies and in predicting disease risk in rapidly changing environments such as the Amazon.
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Affiliation(s)
- M F Johnson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, 1200 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10027, USA.
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Gómez A, Kramer LD, Dupuis AP, Kilpatrick AM, Davis LJ, Jones MJ, Daszak P, Aguirre AA. Experimental infection of eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) with West Nile virus. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2008; 79:447-451. [PMID: 18784241 PMCID: PMC3632857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) have shown high West Nile virus (WNV) seroprevalence, and WNV infection has been suggested as a cause of morbidity and mortality in this species. We experimentally infected nine eastern gray squirrels with WNV to determine the clinical effects of infection and to assess their potential role as amplifying hosts. We observed no morbidity or mortality attributable to WNV infection, but lesions were apparent in several organs. We detected mean viremias of 10(5.1) and 10(4.8) plaque-forming units (PFU)/mL on days 3 and 4 post-infection (DPI) and estimated that approximately 2.1% of Culex pipiens feeding on squirrels during 1-5 DPI would become infectious. Thus, S. carolinensis are unlikely to be important amplifying hosts and may instead dampen the intensity of transmission in most host communities. The low viremias and lack of mortality observed in S. carolinensis suggest that they may be useful as sentinels of spillover from the enzootic amplification cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Gómez
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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