The recent emergence or reemergence of various vector-borne diseases makes the knowledge of disease vectors’ presence and distribution of paramount concern for protecting national human and animal health. While several studies have modeled Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus distributions in the past five years, studies at a large scale can miss the complexities that contribute to a species’ distribution. Many localities in the United States have lacked or had sporadic surveillance conducted for these two species. To address these gaps in the current knowledge of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus distributions in the United States, surveillance was focused on areas in Texas at the margins of their known ranges and in localities that had little or no surveillance conducted in the past. This information was used with a global database of occurrence records to create a predictive model of these two species’ distributions in the United States. Additionally, the surveillance data from Texas was used to determine the influence of new data from the margins of a species’ known range on predicted species’ suitability maps. This information is critical in determining where to focus resources for the future and continued surveillance for these two species of medical concern.

Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite, reported as a leading cause of cattle abortions and reproductive failure worldwide, costing the cattle industry approximately $1.3 billion annually. With wild pig (Sus scrofa) populations estimated at over six million in the United States, contact between wild pigs and livestock is inevitable, mainly because of the widespread geographic co-occurrence of the two species. As a known reservoir for numerous fungal, bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases, wild pigs are of particular importance for human and veterinary health relative to the prevention of infectious diseases. The seroprevalence of N. caninum in wild pig populations was previously documented in the United States, raising the question as to their exposure point of prevalence. This research screened 116 individual wild pigs for N. caninum using a variety of available assays. Using two different commercially available ELISA test kits, seroprevalence ranged from 12.5% to 67.8%. The Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test resulted in our highest percent seroprevalence for these samples, at 84.1%. However, none of our samples showed any presence of N. caninum or associated pathologies via histological evaluation of representative tissues. Importantly, the assays used in this study were not congruent with all duplicate samples or between the test types used. The implications of these non-congruent results demonstrates that currently available testing assays produce variable results, underscoring the need for more reliable testing kits and a standardized methodology when assessing disease prevalence in wildlife, particularly for N. caninum in wild pigs, which impacts prevalence and comparability across studies.

Objective: Recognition and reporting of vector-borne and zoonotic disease (VBZD) cases is largely dependent upon the consideration of such diseases by healthcare practitioners during the initial diagnosis and ordering of specific confirmative diagnostic tests. This study was conducted to assess the general knowledge and understanding of VBZD transmission and clinical presentation. Methods:...

Of all mosquito life stages, the egg continues to be the least understood and most vulnerable relative to exposure to external environmental stressors. The propensity of mosquitoes to lay eggs in or near aquatic environments exposes them to a variety of xenobiotic compounds. Owing to their increased use, two xenobiotics, antibiotics and insecticides are increasingly being detected in aquatic ecosystems. Both antibiotics and insecticides are known for their ovicidal effects. Prior to the formation of the serosal cuticle, mosquito eggs are potentially exposed to antibiotics and insecticides due to the permeability of the egg membrane. This short review attempts to summarize the current understanding and to identify the data gaps pertaining to the exposure of mosquito eggs to xenobiotics. The role of male mosquitoes in the propagation of xenobiotic resistance, something that’s been sparsely studied, is also discussed. Additionally, we address the implications of these data gaps relative to the overall objectives of vector control and public health.

The use of sentinel chickens is a powerful tool to aid in arboviral surveillance efforts. Results from this type of surveillance is used to help guide abatement efforts for vector species. Many mosquito control programs use outsourced laboratories for testing sentinel chicken samples. This study evaluated the use of a commercially available competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) for in-house testing for West Nile virus antibodies from chicken serum. The commercial cELISA detected more positive sentinel chickens compared to the outsourced laboratory results. Results obtained from the in-house testing of chicken serum were reported sooner compared to the outsourced laboratory results, enhancing mosquito control programs timeliness for response to mosquito-borne disease.