scholarly journals Ecological Effects on the Dynamics of West Nile Virus and Avian Plasmodium: The Importance of Mosquito Communities and Landscape

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1208
Author(s):  
Martina Ferraguti ◽  
Josué Martínez-de la Puente ◽  
Jordi Figuerola
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Mosquito Communities

Humans and wildlife are at risk from certain vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and West Nile and yellow fevers. Factors linked to global change, including habitat alteration, land-use intensification, the spread of alien species, and climate change, are operating on a global scale and affect both the incidence and distribution of many vector-borne diseases. Hence, understanding the drivers that regulate the transmission of pathogens in the wild is of great importance for ecological, evolutionary, health, and economic reasons. In this literature review, we discuss the ecological factors potentially affecting the transmission of two mosquito-borne pathogens circulating naturally between birds and mosquitoes, namely, West Nile virus (WNV) and the avian malaria parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Traditionally, the study of pathogen transmission has focused only on vectors or hosts and the interactions between them, while the role of landscape has largely been ignored. However, from an ecological point of view, it is essential not only to study the interaction between each of these organisms but also to understand the environmental scenarios in which these processes take place. We describe here some of the similarities and differences in the transmission of these two pathogens and how research into both systems may facilitate a greater understanding of the dynamics of vector-borne pathogens in the wild.

scholarly journals Vector host-feeding preferences drive transmission of multi-host pathogens: West Nile virus as a model system

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1730) ◽  
pp. 925-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Simpson ◽  
Paul J. Hurtado ◽  
Jan Medlock ◽  
Goudarz Molaei ◽  
Theodore G. Andreadis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Host Feeding ◽  
Feeding Preferences ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Transmission Potential ◽  
Vector Borne

Seasonal epizootics of vector-borne pathogens infecting multiple species are ecologically complex and difficult to forecast. Pathogen transmission potential within the host community is determined by the relative abilities of host species to maintain and transmit the pathogen and by ecological factors influencing contact rates between hosts and vectors. Increasing evidence of strong feeding preferences by a number of vectors suggests that the host community experienced by the pathogen may be very different from the local host community. We developed an empirically informed transmission model for West Nile virus (WNV) in four sites using one vector species ( Culex pipiens ) and preferred and non-preferred avian hosts. We measured strong feeding preferences for American robins ( Turdus migratorius ) by Cx. pipiens , quantified as the proportion of Cx. pipiens blood meals from robins in relation to their abundance (feeding index). The model accurately predicted WNV prevalence in Cx. pipiens at three of four sites. Sensitivity analysis revealed feeding preference was the most influential parameter on intensity and timing of peak WNV infection in Cx. pipiens and a threshold feeding index for transmission was identified. Our findings indicate host preference-induced contact heterogeneity is a key mediator of vector-borne pathogen epizootics in multi-species host communities, and should be incorporated into multi-host transmission models.

Effects of climate change on vector-borne diseases: an updated focus on West Nile virus in humans

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shlomit Paz
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
West Nile Virus ◽  
The West ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Transmission Season ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Abstract One of the main impacts of climate change on health is the influence on vector-borne diseases (VBDs). During the last few years, yearly outbreaks of the West Nile virus (WNV) have occurred in many locations, providing evidence of ongoing transmission. Currently, it is the most widely distributed arbovirus in the world. Increases in ambient temperature have impacts on WNV transmission. Indeed, clear associations were found between warm conditions and WNV outbreaks in various areas. The impact of changes in rainfall patterns on the incidence of the disease is influenced by the amount of precipitation (increased rainfall, floods or droughts), depending on the local conditions and the differences in the ecology and sensitivity of the species of mosquito. Predictions indicate that for WNV, increased warming will result in latitudinal and altitudinal expansions of regions climatically suitable for transmission, particularly along the current edges of its transmission areas. Extension of the transmission season is also predicted. As models show that the current climate change trends are expected to continue, it is important to reinforce WNV control efforts and increase the resilience of population health. For a better preparedness, any assessment of future transmission of WNV should consider the impacts of the changing climate.

scholarly journals A novel approach for predicting risk of vector-borne disease establishment in marginal temperate environments under climate change: West Nile virus in the UK

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (178) ◽  
pp. 20210049
Author(s):  
David A. Ewing ◽  
Bethan V. Purse ◽  
Christina A. Cobbold ◽  
Steven M. White
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
The Uk

Vector-borne diseases (VBDs), such as dengue, Zika, West Nile virus (WNV) and tick-borne encephalitis, account for substantial human morbidity worldwide and have expanded their range into temperate regions in recent decades. Climate change has been proposed as a likely driver of past and future expansion, however, the complex ecology of host and vector populations and their interactions with each other, environmental variables and land-use changes makes understanding the likely impacts of climate change on VBDs challenging. We present an environmentally driven, stage-structured, host–vector mathematical modelling framework to address this challenge. We apply our framework to predict the risk of WNV outbreaks in current and future UK climates. WNV is a mosquito-borne arbovirus which has expanded its range in mainland Europe in recent years. We predict that, while risks will remain low in the coming two to three decades, the risk of WNV outbreaks in the UK will increase with projected temperature rises and outbreaks appear plausible in the latter half of this century. This risk will increase substantially if increased temperatures lead to increases in the length of the mosquito biting season or if European strains show higher replication at lower temperatures than North American strains.

scholarly journals Predicted and observed mortality from vector-borne disease in wildlife: West Nile virus and small songbirds

2013 ◽  
Vol 165 ◽  
pp. 79-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Marm Kilpatrick ◽  
Ryan J. Peters ◽  
Alan P. Dupuis ◽  
Matthew J. Jones ◽  
Peter Daszak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Vector Borne Disease ◽  
Vector Borne

scholarly journals Epidemiology of West Nile virus in Africa: An underestimated threat

2022 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0010075
Author(s):  
Giulia Mencattelli ◽  
Marie Henriette Dior Ndione ◽  
Roberto Rosà ◽  
Giovanni Marini ◽  
Cheikh Tidiane Diagne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
Vector Competence ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Reference List ◽  
African Continent ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
Epidemiological Pattern

Background West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus which has been posing continuous challenges to public health worldwide due to the identification of new lineages and clades and its ability to invade and establish in an increasing number of countries. Its current distribution, genetic variability, ecology, and epidemiological pattern in the African continent are only partially known despite the general consensus on the urgency to obtain such information for quantifying the actual disease burden in Africa other than to predict future threats at global scale. Methodology and principal findings References were searched in PubMed and Google Scholar electronic databases on January 21, 2020, using selected keywords, without language and date restriction. Additional manual searches of reference list were carried out. Further references have been later added accordingly to experts’ opinion. We included 153 scientific papers published between 1940 and 2021. This review highlights: (i) the co-circulation of WNV-lineages 1, 2, and 8 in the African continent; (ii) the presence of diverse WNV competent vectors in Africa, mainly belonging to the Culex genus; (iii) the lack of vector competence studies for several other mosquito species found naturally infected with WNV in Africa; (iv) the need of more competence studies to be addressed on ticks; (iv) evidence of circulation of WNV among humans, animals and vectors in at least 28 Countries; (v) the lack of knowledge on the epidemiological situation of WNV for 19 Countries and (vii) the importance of carrying out specific serological surveys in order to avoid possible bias on WNV circulation in Africa. Conclusions This study provides the state of art on WNV investigation carried out in Africa, highlighting several knowledge gaps regarding i) the current WNV distribution and genetic diversity, ii) its ecology and transmission chains including the role of different arthropods and vertebrate species as competent reservoirs, and iii) the real disease burden for humans and animals. This review highlights the needs for further research and coordinated surveillance efforts on WNV in Africa.

scholarly journals Mosquito diversity and dog heartworm prevalence in suburban areas

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith R. Spence Beaulieu ◽  
Jennifer L. Federico ◽  
Michael H. Reiskind
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Suburban Areas ◽  
Host Seeking ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Wake County

Abstract Background Urbanization is occurring rapidly on a global scale and is altering mosquito communities, creating assemblages that are characteristically less diverse. Despite high rates of urbanization and ample examples of vector-borne diseases transmitted by multiple species, the effects of urbanization-driven mosquito diversity losses on disease transmission has not been well explored. We investigated this question using the dog heartworm, a filarial parasite vectored by numerous mosquito species. Methods We trapped host-seeking mosquitoes in undeveloped areas and neighborhoods of different ages in Wake County, North Carolina, USA, analyzing captured mosquitoes for heartworm DNA. We compared within-mosquito heartworm infection across land-use types by Kruskal–Wallis and likelihood ratio tests. Using zip code level data acquired from dogs in a local shelter, we performed linear regressions of within-host heartworm prevalence by within-mosquito heartworm prevalence as well as by three mosquito diversity measures. We also determined the best predictor of host-level prevalence among models including within-mosquito infection, mosquito diversity and abundance, and socioeconomic status as variables. Results Suburban areas had lower within-mosquito heartworm prevalence and lower likelihood of heartworm-positive mosquitoes than did undeveloped field sites, although no differences were seen between suburban and undeveloped wooded sites. No relationships were noted between within-mosquito and within-host heartworm prevalence. However, mosquito diversity metrics were positively correlated with host heartworm prevalence. Model selection revealed within-host prevalence was best predicted by a positive relationship with mosquito Shannon–Wiener diversity and a negative relationship with household income. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that decreases in mosquito diversity due to urbanization alter vector-borne disease risk. With regard to dog heartworm disease, this loss of mosquito diversity is associated with decreased heartworm prevalence within both the vector and the host. Although the response is likely different for diseases transmitted by one or few species, mosquito diversity losses leading to decreased transmission could be generalizable to other pathogens with multiple vectors. This study contributes to better understanding of the effects of urbanization and the role of vector diversity in multi-vectored pathosystems.

Impact of ticks and tick-borne diseases on agriculture and human populations in Europe

2005 ◽  
Vol 143 (6) ◽  
pp. 463-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. A. E. SPARAGANO
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Tick Borne Disease ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Human Ehrlichiosis

Ticks are considered in Europe to be the most important arthropod group responsible for vector-borne diseases in humans, while in the tropics mosquitoes take over this position with ticks being the second most important. Over the last decade, vector-borne diseases have proliferated within Southern Europe (Blue tongue and West Nile viruses, both mosquito-borne diseases) while human ehrlichiosis (a tick-borne disease) has increased dramatically in Eastern Europe.

scholarly journals Leishmaniasis and Climate Change—Case Study: Argentina

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Daniel Salomón ◽  
María Gabriela Quintana ◽  
Andrea Verónica Mastrángelo ◽  
María Soledad Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Scale Models ◽  
Vector Borne

Vector-borne diseases closely associated with the environment, such as leishmaniases, have been a usual argument about the deleterious impact of climate change on public health. From the biological point of view interaction of different variables has different and even conflicting effects on the survival of vectors and the probability transmission of pathogens. The results on ecoepidemiology of leishmaniasis in Argentina related to climate variables at different scales of space and time are presented. These studies showed that the changes in transmission due to change or increase in frequency and intensity of climatic instability were expressed through changes in the probability of vector-human reservoir effective contacts. These changes of contact in turn are modulated by both direct effects on the biology and ecology of the organisms involved, as by perceptions and changes in the behavior of the human communities at risk. Therefore, from the perspective of public health and state policy, and taking into account the current nonlinear increased velocity of climate change, we concluded that discussing the uncertainties of large-scale models will have lower impact than to develop-validate mitigation strategies to be operative at local level, and compatibles with sustainable development, conservation biodiversity, and respect for cultural diversity.

scholarly journals Unprecedented increase of West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease, Spain, summer 2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucía García San Miguel Rodríguez-Alarcón ◽  
Beatriz Fernández-Martínez ◽  
María José Sierra Moros ◽  
Ana Vázquez ◽  
Paula Julián Pachés ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Vector Control ◽  
Epidemiological Surveillance ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Surveillance Network ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Neuroinvasive Disease ◽  
National Public Health

Cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND) in Spain increased in summer 2020. Here we report on this increase and the local, regional and national public health measures taken in response. We analysed data from regional surveillance networks and the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network, both for human and animal West Nile virus (WNV) infection. During the 2020 season, a total of 77 human cases of WNV infection (median age 65 years; 60% males) were detected in the south-west of Spain; 72 (94%) of these cases developed WNND, presenting as meningoencephalitis, seven of which were fatal. In the previous two decades, only six human cases of WNND were detected in Spain. Reduced activities for vector control this season, together with other factors, might have contributed to the massive increase. Public health measures including vector control, campaigns to raise awareness among physicians and the general population, and interventions to ensure the safety of donations of blood products, organs, cells and tissues were effective to reduce transmission. Going forward, maintenance of vector control activities and an update of the vector-borne diseases response plan in Spain is needed.

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