Suncoast officials on alert for signs of West Nile Virus

Suncoast officials on alert for signs of West Nile Virus

SARASOTA COUNTY – There are two confirmed human cases of the West Nile Virus out of Collier County, less than two hours south of the Suncoast, and one of those victims died.

Sarasota County had a chicken that tested positive back in June, and just last week three chickens tested positive for the virus in Manatee County. Should Suncoast residents be concerned?

Mosquito control officials say anytime there are confirmed human cases of the West Nile Virus, it’s an indication that it could be anywhere.

Eric Schreiber, director of Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services, says he’s not surprised by the recent outbreaks of West Nile in Florida. “This is the type of year that we start seeing cases in both our sentinel chicken flocks, and we do have human cases.”

Just last week, three chickens tested positive for the virus in Manatee County. “One in Duette, one in Duette Park, and one on State Road 64…Myakka Head.”

Mark Latham, director of the Manatee County Mosquito Control District, says that despite the positive tests, people should not be alarmed. “Three chickens means yes the virus is out there. But is there a lot of activity? Probably not.”

Officials monitor the mosquito population throughout the year. Helicopters are used to do aerial sprays and trucks to do ground sprays. Mosquito control also has chickens at various locations throughout the county that get tested once a week for any viruses that mosquitoes transmit. “7 or 8 years ago we were getting anywhere from 30-40 chickens per year testing positive, and yet we only had one case in the entire time we’ve been here,” says Latham.

They say to avoid the mosquito that carries the West Nile Virus, avoid being outside after dark. “The mosquito that’s involved in the transmission of West Nile, it’s one of the 46 species we have in Manatee County. And it tends to be a mosquito that doesn’t bite until the sun goes down.”

Officials say you should follow the five D’s:

–Dusk and Dawn: avoid being out at those times, when mosquitoes are the most active.
–Dress: wear clothing that covers your skin.
–Deet: use repellents that contain Deet.
–Drainage: check your home for any standing water; that’s where mosquitoes lay eggs.

Hillsborough steps up spraying in wake of encephalitis death

TAMPA – The woman who died earlier this month from Eastern equine encephalitis is the first human case of the mosquito-borne disease in Hillsborough County since 1964 and the first death in the U.S. since 2008.

In reaction to the death and positive tests for other diseases such as West Nile Virus, the county increased mosquito control efforts in northwest Hillsborough, where the woman lived, said Donny Hayes, general manager of Hillsborough County Mosquito Control.

Trucks sprayed the area Friday night, and Tuesday morning an aircraft sprayed in an attempt to kill the female mosquitoes that carry the virus.

The county plans another round of aerial spraying in northwest Hillsborough early Thursday morning.

Crews also stepped up daytime spraying of stagnant water where the mosquito larvae live and increased trapping efforts to discover the extent of the mosquito population, Hayes said.

The woman’s death from the rare but highly lethal virus comes amid signs mosquito-borne diseases are possibly more prevalent in Hillsborough County than in the past few years.

Monitoring for disease-carrying mosquitoes in Hillsborough County so far in 2010 has yielded two to three times more positive tests than in the past three or four years. This year, 15 of the sentinel chickens tested positive in Hillsborough for West Nile virus or Eastern equine encephalitis.

Normally at this time of year, five to seven of the chickens caged at different locations to provide an early warning for mosquito-borne illnesses test positive. West Nile virus appears especially prevalent.

“We’re seeing an increase across the board,” said Steve Huard, Hillsborough County Health Department spokesman.

West Nile hasn’t shown up as much in Pinellas. In May, two chickens tested positive, said Maggie Hall, spokeswoman for the Pinellas County Health Department.

The Hillsborough health department won’t identify the woman who died July 1 but tests confirmed Friday that she died from Eastern equine encephalitis, Huard said.

Mosquitoes spread the disease by biting infected birds, then biting people. Horses also can contract the virus but it cannot spread from horses to people, from person to person or human to horse.

Though rare, the virus can cause a swelling of the brain. About one-third of the people infected die. Another one-third survives but with serious neurological effects, said Danielle Stanek, medical epidemiologist with the Florida Department of Health. The rest recover.

There is no treatment for the virus and no vaccine for humans. A vaccine is available for horses.

Florida usually sees up to three human cases a year. Some years, such as 2009, have none, Stanek said.

Since 1955, 74 people in Florida have contracted Eastern equine encephalitis.

Once health officials investigate the woman’s death, they will probably find she had more exposure to mosquito bites than most people, said Jonathan Day, a University of Florida medical entomologist.

“It is a numbers game. The more you’re bitten, the more chance you have of getting it,” Day said.

Equine encephalitis generally is considered a rural disease, partly because the mosquito that spreads the virus from bird to bird lives in marshes and swamps, Day said. That mosquito does not bite humans.

Other mosquitoes spread the disease to people after biting an infected bird. One, Culex nigripalpus, is everywhere during the wet summer months.

“You’ll find it from downtown Tampa to rural areas,” Day said.

It primarily feeds from dusk until about three hours after sundown and also carries West Nile virus.

Another mosquito vector for the virus breeds in ponds that have aquatic vegetation, Hayes said.

That insect, Coquillettida perturbans, feeds day and night and is an aggressive biter, he said.

Via: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jul/20/211604/1st-fatal-equine-encephalitis-case-2008-confirmed/news-breaking/

Mosquito Control

There’s an app for that?

Homeowners and pest-control technicians have a new option for identifying bugs lurking in houses and other buildings — an app for the iPhone.

The downloadable application, which was developed by researchers at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, provides colour photos and text describing almost 40 pest species.

Called iPest1, it is one of the first mobile-phone apps dealing with pest insects. It is compatible with Apple mobile devices including the popular iPhone and sells for $1.99 (£1.33).

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’Proper identification of pests is crucial in effective pest management. I wanted to have a mobile guide to household pests, to help educate people,’ said University of Florida entomologist Rebecca Baldwin, principal developer. ’I couldn’t find one, so we ended up creating one.’

The app focuses on four topics: cockroaches, filth-breeding flies, pests that occasionally enter dwellings and pest droppings. Many of the species included are found nationwide or even worldwide, but the selection leans toward pests common in the southeastern US, Baldwin added.

Each species is shown in a colour photo and actual-size silhouette. The images are accompanied by text that includes common and scientific names, habitat, biology, behaviour and distribution. Users can enlarge photos and activate links to related University of Florida documents.

The idea came about more than a year ago, when Baldwin bought an iPhone and began browsing educational wildlife apps and soon realised there was almost nothing to help people identify pests.

After polling pest-control industry personnel, Baldwin found there was significant interest in an iPhone app. So, with a grant from the Florida Co-operative Extension Service — the outreach arm of the University of Florida’s agriculture programme — she spent much of late 2009 and early 2010 developing iPest1.

Proceeds from iPest1 — which has sold close to 100 units since the release in early May — will be used toward the development of additional apps in the iPest series.

Professionals have already begun using iPest1. Linda Prentice, a certified associate entomologist with BugOut Service, a northeast Florida-based pest control company, said she has had the app for two weeks and it has drawn interest from many colleagues.

The app can also help pest-control technicians educate customers about organisms found during inspections, said Allen Fugler Jr, executive vice-president of the Orlando-based Florida Pest Management Association.

Al Hoffer’s Pest Protection Inc.

Sudden appearance of equine encephalitis has health officials warning of mosquitoes

Summer’s rainy season means mosquitoes are back with a vengeance, and so mosquito-born diseases are returning, too.

By Stacey Singer

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Summer’s rainy season means mosquitoes are back with a vengeance, and so mosquito-born diseases are returning, too.

The Martin County Health Department warned Tuesday that two sentinel chickens from its early warning flock have tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis, a viral disease that can be fatal to horses, and on rare occasions sickens humans, too.

It’s the first time that eastern equine encephalitis has been seen in Martin County in 30 years, the Martin County Health Department said.

Several mosquito-born germs that are dangerous to humans use birds as hosts, and so health agencies keep outdoor chicken flocks, taking blood samples as a way to track those diseases.

In Palm Beach County last year another mosquito-borne disease, West Nile encephalitis, appeared twice in chickens. There were no known human cases. Meanwhile, another mosquito-borne Dengue fever has been acquired locally in Key West this year, leading health officials here to warn doctors to be on the alert for the seldom-seen tropical disease.

Dengue fever is known in the Caribbean as “bone-break fever.” Frontal headache, pain behind the eyes, weakness, malaise, nausea and vomiting are typical symptoms, and they last about a week in most cases.

The appearance of Eastern equine encephalitis in Martin County is a big concern for the equestrian community. Veterinarians urged horse owners to make sure their animals are current on the vaccine.

“I have never seen a horse survive eastern equine encephalitis,” said Dr. Ben L. Schachter, a veterinarian with Wellington Equine Associates. “It gets into their central nervous system and causes all kinds of problems. Seizures, high fevers, strange behaviors.”

Schachter recommends his horse patients be vaccinated against the virus quarterly. If they haven’t had their booster within the past three months, they need to be revaccinated now, he said.

While Eastern equine encephalitis is dangerous for horses, it usually produces mild or no symptoms in humans, health agencies said. There are exceptions, though.

“Most people who become sick from mosquitoes have mild symptoms like headache, fever, dizziness and fatigue, but more severe symptoms are possible,” said Renay Rouse, spokeswoman for the Martin County Health Department. “Anyone with severe symptoms should contact their primary care physician or seek immediate medical care.”

Florida is a national hot spot for Eastern equine encephalitis, with 75 known cases in animals last year, but nearly all were in northern Florida, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The appearance of the disease known as this far south means it’s time for everyone to take precautions, health officials said.

“The mosquito season is here,” said Palm Beach County Health Department spokesman Tim O’Connor. “Be aware that they are out and biting at dawn and dusk. Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants and use an effective insect repellent.”

Stacey_Singer@pbpost.com

VIA: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/sudden-appearance-of-equine-encephalitis-has-health-officials-762311.html

Tracking Disease Through Mosquito Slobber

By Michael Price

This is nothing to spit at: Scientists say they may be able to track deadly mosquito-borne diseases by studying the saliva the insects leave behind when they feed on sugary bait.

Mosquito-borne diseases are a major health hazard worldwide. Some, like malaria, chronically afflict certain regions. But others, such as dengue fever, West Nile virus, and chikungunya, can rapidly emerge in new locations or reappear in areas where they’ve gone dormant. That means public health officials must keep a constant eye on the diseases’ movement.

The usual methods for detecting mosquito-borne viruses all have a weakness: Relying on clinical diagnoses means a disease has already arrived in the population; keeping ”sentinel” animals is costly, and the animals themselves provide a food source for mosquitoes; and capturing thousands of mosquitoes and analyzing their RNA is expensive and labor-intensive.

Now, Andrew van den Hurk, a virologist with Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services in Coopers Plains, Australia, and colleagues have found a way to monitor mosquito-borne diseases that may be simpler than current methods and suitable for use over large geographic areas. For their new study, the researchers took advantage of the fact that mosquitoes are sloppy eaters: When they feed on a sugar source, the insects leave behind a slobbery mess. And van den Hurk and colleagues have found that they can detect viruses in that residue of mosquito spit, as they report online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

To prove it, the scientists created box traps that lure mosquitoes with carbon dioxide gas—mosquitoes are attracted to the stuff because it indicates the presence of a breathing animal and therefore a meal—and then suck them inside with a fan. Once inside the trap, the mosquitoes feed on filter paper soaked with honey—dyed blue so that the color rubs off on the mosquitoes that take the bait. The researchers set out traps in Bunbury in Western Australia and near Cairns, in Northeastern Australia—two historical hot beds of the mosquito-borne Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses. Over 11 weeks, scientists returned to the traps weekly to collect the filter paper and trapped mosquitoes and send them to the lab for analysis.

Whenever the filter paper returned positive results for viral RNA, the labs also found the viruses present in the mosquitoes they’d captured, meaning the filter paper accurately reflected the presence of virus-carrying mosquitoes. The scientists suggest the technique might be able to be modified to detect other diseases like malaria and bluetongue virus.

Honey is antibacterial, so it’s an excellent medium for protecting viral RNA from bacteria until researchers return to collect it. The traps can be left out for more than a week, allowing them to set out traps over a relatively large geographical range and check the traps intermittently, the researchers say. Another benefit is speed. Labs can analyze the filter paper using an RNA-identifying technique known as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, which reveals whether the diseases are present almost instantaneously. By contrast, sorting, preserving, and transporting trapped mosquitoes for RNA analysis is a much lengthier and more laborious process. The current method also requires keeping the mosquito samples cold—something that’s not always feasible in hot, tropical environments.

Jonathan Day, an entomologist at the University of Florida’s medical entomology lab in Vero Beach, says that, compared with analyzing trapped mosquitoes or finding infection in sentinel animals, the new technique could essentially cut in half the time it takes to detect and respond to an outbreak in a new area,. But he says it remains to be seen whether the technique will be cost-efficient enough to warrant researchers switching to it. ”It certainly is clever,” Day says, ”but cost is the critical factor.” Day also points out that the technique lets you know only whether the disease is present and cannot tell researchers how widespread the infection is among an area’s mosquito population.

Rory McAbee, a biologist with the Fresno Mosquito and Vector Control District in California, agrees that the method could be a timesaver for researchers, but cautions that the traps will only work for mosquitoes that are attracted to carbon dioxide. ”Not all species are going to go into the trap,” she says. ”This would have to be evaluated for each species and virus.”

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/06/tracking-disease-through-mosquit.html

South Florida Mosquito Control Services

How do mosquitoes effect us?

So do we really need mosquitoes?! I say we have plenty…what do you think?