Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The meeting begins with a seminar series on various aspects of vector biology and management:

Dr. Uli Bernier, National Program Leader, USDA/ARS: Overview of USDA/ARS, Medical, Veterinary, and Urban Entomology Programs ...

Dr. Phil Koehler, Professor, Department of Entomology & Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL: The efficacy of UV LED mosquito and fly traps

Ms. Yuexun Tian, Ph.D. Student, Dr. Cynthia Lord, Associate Professor, Dr. Phillip Kaufman, Professor, Dept. of Entomology & Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL: Parameter estimation for modeling Rhipicephalus sanguineus L. residential infestations.

Ms. Molly Clark, Education Specialist, AMCD, St. Augustine, FL. Overview of the AMCD intern and visiting scientist program

Mr. Richard Weaver, Business Manager, AMCD, St. Augustine, FL: A new software for mobile phone application to improve customer service

Dr. Paul Linser, Professor, University of Florida, Whitney Laboratory, St. Augustine, FL: The mosquito tracheal system: structure/function analyses of carbon dioxide handling and larval development.

Preliminary Business Meeting was held.

Introductions – Each participant briefly introduces themselves and their interests

Chairperson’s Report: Dr. Paul Leisnham opens the floor for discussion after taking attendance and handling introductions. Dr. Leisnham begins the discussion by reminding that this multistate project is in its last year, and summarized the recent work that has culminated in the submission of a rewrite/renewal and positive review. Dr. Laura Harrington stated that she favored the idea of three new objectives which were kept very broad. Dr. Ted Andreadis, the project’s advisor, further updated the process, reading the reviews. Dr. Andreadis stated that the proposal was approved as 1 hour ago and will be named “NE1943: Biology, Ecology & Management of Emerging Disease Vectors” and will start on 10/1/2019. Dr. Andreadis suggested that individuals need to register by submitting an “Appendix E” form on NIMSS to be official participants. Although the reviews were overwhelmingly positive, Dr. Andreadis pointed out that a persistent challenge has been engendering participant cooperation and attendance at the annual meeting. He suggested that participants should not look at annual meetings as simply as an “information exchange”. Dr. Andreadis then went on to suggest that changing the meeting venue could be helpful. The group then discussed the potential for moving the next meeting to Northeast Regional Center for Excellence (CoE) in Connecticut in January. There appeared general support for this action among the participants present. Alternative locations that were mentioned included ESA, AMCA, or another similar meeting. Stephen Dobson then suggested that the multistate meeting could move between the CDC CoEs each year (having them in conjunction with their meetings) if they agree to allow this. There was a long discussion of how regional multi-state projects could collaborate with some of these large, new research centers. The group then votes and agrees to have the meeting with the Northeast Regional CoE as the venue for the first annual meeting of the new in January. Dr. Stephen Dobson thanked Rui-De Xue and the Anastasia Mosquito Control District for hosting this meeting for the past three years. Drs. Stephen Dobson, Gabriel Hamer, Michael Reiskind, and Ted Andreadis then discuss multistate participation, especially as it relates to travel funds for attending meetings, stressing that experimental stations are supposed to be supporting travel to multistate meetings. Dr. Leisnham then briefly introduces the new objectives as proposed. Objective 1: monitoring i.e. novel trapping techniques and identification. Objective 2: the ecology of disease vectors, especially as it relates to environmental changes. Objective 3: novel control strategies. Additionally, he said that all aims have been written to include mosquitoes and ticks. Dr. Leisnham then said it was time to go through the current objectives and report any advances towards meeting these aims.

Review of Major Objectives and Goals

Objective 1: Development of parasitic and arthropod catalog/resources. Dr. James Becnel was not present. Last year, he reported that the database of vector resources has been fully compiled and that BEI resources are interested mostly in human pathogens and vectors. At last year’s annual meeting, Dr. Becnel stated that the database within the next 3 months. Dan Kline said that as far as he knows, this has all been accomplished and that he would ask Dr. Becnel and report back to the multistate leadership.

Action Items: None identified.

Objective 2:  Integrated tick management and community-centered approaches, including understanding the biology and ecology of novel and emerging tick-borne pathogens. – Drs. Kline, Leisnham, and Reiskind discussed new funding routes for ticks in the future. The high prevalence of Powassan virus (POWV) in the regional Ixodes was then discussed for some time. It was then discussed that diseases are often very prevalent in tick populations, so most funding goes toward early detection. Dr. Philip Armstrong then discussed a new project in which he assessed competence for Powassan in Dermacentor variabilus and Amblyomma americanum. This work includes sequencing the virus genome as it relates to vector adaptation. Jonas King discussed a project looking at phylogenetics of Dermacentor andersoni and some closely related zoophilic and sylvatic tick species.

Action Items: Unchanged from last year: 1) increased surveillance of environmental risk, 2) importance of coinfection and 3) the IPM of ticks

Objective 3: Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti, with a focus on surveillance, range, expansion, ecology, genetics, climate change and disease risk. Drs. Leisnham and Reiskind start by discussing Aedes range changes at length. Drs. Reiskind and Dobson further the discussion on the potential that Aedes aegypti could be eradicated in lower population “pockets” using newly developed technologies such as Wolbachia-based population control and autodissemination. Dr. Dobson stresses that such pockets can only be detected when good monitoring practices are in place and that in those circumstances, monitoring would be the biggest expense. Dr. Mike Turell and Dr. Hamer then lead the discussion on the range re-expansion of Aedes aegypti, and that in Texas, there seems to be selective pressure that leads to a change in feeding behavior and a change to a less anthropophilic form (such as on dogs). Other changes in Aedes aegypti as a species are then discussed at length. Dr. Dobson then discussed how certain areas, as small as individual residential yards, can act as “super sources” for adding to local Aedes populations. Dr. Jonas King then discusses recent advances in his collaboration with Dr. Donald Yee on the effect of larval diet and habitat in Aedes aegypti, and how this can affect vector competence in adult mosquitoes. Dr. Leisnham discusses his work on how watershed management and urban greenspace usage effect Ae. albopictus and Culex populations. His research especially focuses on the effects of socioeconomic status on uses of green space in the Baltimore and D.C area.

Action Items: None identified

Objective 4: New control tools, including socio-ecological approaches. Dr. Hamer adds to his previous discussion on Aedes feeding behavior changes in Texas by discussing a project in South Texas testing autocidal traps for the past 2 years, which haven’t been a “smashing success”. He is working with the company SpringStar on the project, using a more recent version of previously available autodissemination stations. Dr. Philip Armstrong discusses various projects in his laboratory. Starting with diapause centered research in Aedes albopictus, especially as it relates to their range along the eastern seaboard. He then discusses novel lures for certain pests and vectors. Dr. Armstrong then goes on to explain that he picked up La Crosse virus isolates this last year using novel lures for Aedes triseriatus. He expects more such results in the future with additional lures he will be testing. Dr. Leisnham then discusses a novel bait he has been researching using a pro-fragrance compound that he is currently testing in Maryland with USDA-ARS. Drs. Kline and Cilek continue the discussion of an alternate/enhanced carbon dioxide attractant, as well as the dispersal of BTI (Bacillus). BTI, which was dispersed with a thermal fogger, was used in the Florida Keys with some success. Dr. Dobson summarizes work ongoing with the Wolbachia pesticide against Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti populations in TX, FL, KY, and CA.

Action Items: None identified

Objective 5: Training and training tools. It was agreed that this aim has been largely eclipsed by the establishment of the Regional Centers for Excellence, and they have done an excellent job towards training professionals and nonprofessionals in the important aspects of vector biology and vector control.

Action Items: None identified

Group discussions on potential funding sources and development of prospective collaborative proposals.

To start, Gabriela Zollner, a representative from the Armed Forces Pest Management Board, discusses the deployed warfighter protection program: up to $300,000 for three years for personal protection tools and vector control for deployed warfighters. This money can go to support diverse activities from collecting data to supporting EPA registration of new compounds. Dr. Zollner reminded participants how to find the grant program [Go to grants.gov (and type in AFPMB), where the BAA can be found]. It has a rolling submission timeline; however, the RFP for full proposals will be released in the fall.

Closing: Dr. Leisnham is confirmed to continue as chair of new project NE1943, and Dr. King will continue as secretary for the next year.

Meeting adjourned at 5 pm.

Objective 1: The aim of this project is to support and promote available resources such as the BEI Resources established by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for human pathogens and to identify alternative sources for vector resources beyond those found in BEI.

None.

Objective 2: The rapid increase in the incidence of human illness due to tick-borne pathogens requires better integration of available management options as well as the development of new approaches. The aim of this project is to improve methods for assessment of infection status of ticks and reservoirs, to assess ecological risk of tick-borne pathogens and features that regulate tick density, and to test and develop methods for suppression of ticks or pathogens in urban and suburban environments.

Dr. Hamer and collaborators from Texas A&M made progress on the risk analysis for the introduction and transmission of African swine fever virus into the U.S. which resulted in two publications in the journal Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases.  A similar study, also involving ticks, is on the risk of heartwater being introduced into the U.S. which has a manuscript in preparation for submission.

Collaborators at Kansas State University, identify differences in salivary proteins from Amblyomma americanum maintained in colony versus those collected in the field. We found important differences in salivary proteins associated with immune responses in endothelial and mast cells in humans. Results from this study were presented at the ASTMH 67th Annual Meeting.

Collaborators at Indiana University of Pennsylvania tested blood from 600+ small mammals across 6 species in 8 contiguous PA counties to check for the presence of 3 tick-borne pathogens-Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti, and Borrelia burgdorferi. This research was presented at the ASM Microbe 2018 meeting and the manuscript is undergoing revision for publication.

Collaborators at the Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station (CAES) have continued Passive Tick Surveillance. The group has recently investigated whether passively collected data on human-biting I. scapularis ticks in Connecticut could serve as a useful proxy for Lyme disease incidence based on the cases reported by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CDPH). Data for human-biting I. scapularis ticks submitted to the Tick Testing Laboratory at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES-TTL), and tested for infection with B. burgdorferi s.l., were used to estimate the rate of submitted nymphs, nymphal infection prevalence, and the rate of submitted infected nymphs. The group assessed spatiotemporal patterns in tick-based measures and Lyme disease incidence. In conjunction with land cover and household income data, the group used models to examine the association between tick-based risk estimates and Lyme disease incidence. Between 2007 and 2017, the CAES-TTL received 26,116 I. scapularis tick submissions and the CDPH reported 23,423 Lyme disease cases. The rate of submitted nymphs, nymphal infection prevalence, the rate of submitted infected nymphs, and Lyme disease incidence all decreased over time during this eleven-year period. The rate of submitted nymphs, the rate of submitted infected nymphs, and Lyme disease incidence were spatially correlated, but nymphal infection prevalence was not. Using mathematical models, the group identified a strong, positive association with the rate of submitted infected nymphs and a negative association with the percent of developed land for each county. The group is also exploring spatiotemporal associations of Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia microti, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Borrelia miyamotoi, as well as the status of symbiotic activities in the blacklegged ticks. In addition, the CAES Tick Surveillance program has recently intercepted a few invasive tick species. As the results of these investigations, a few manuscripts have been published during this period and others are under review by peer-reviewed journals or being prepared.   

Objective 3: This Objective focuses on the surveillance, range expansion, ecology, genetics, and disease risk of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti. Although much work has been conducted already on these species, not enough is known about their recent biology, especially in areas where Ae. albopictus has recently invaded (Northeastern States), or where a resurgence in population abundance is occurring for Ae. aegypti (Florida) where it overlaps with Ae. albopictus.  

Dr. Leisnham and his students at the University of Maryland and collaborators at other institutions tested comparisons of larval and pupal population metrics with adult female abundances of Ae. albopictus and Culex pipiens/restuans across 12 blocks in socio-economic diverse neighborhoods in Baltimore, MD. Despite being collected on all blocks in all neighborhoods, adult female Ae. albopictus but not Cx. pipiens/restuans were predicted by immature-stage population metrics. Adult female Ae. albopictus abundance was positively and consistently predicted by the mean number of occupied discarded containers per parcel across the four socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods. Our results suggest that immature-stage monitoring in landscapes dominated by container habitat may not be an effective predictor of adult Cx. pipiens/restuans abundance, but removing discarded container habitat should be a priority action to manage Ae. albopictus. This work was published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

Dr. Leisnham and his students at the University of Maryland and collaborators at other institutions continued their research on the effects of tire habitats on the ecology of Ae. albopictus. They completed a study that assessed the effect of UV-B radiation on the metabolic rates and fitness (survival, development time, body size) of Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens and the activity of their microbial food resources in experimental aquatic microcosms. The results indicated that UV-B radiation affected the metabolic rates of both Ae. albopictus and Cx. pipiens larvae, with significantly higher rates found in a treatment that mimicked full-sun compared to shade and no-UV conditions. Ae. albopictus and Cx. pipiens survival was also affected by UV-B radiation condition, with significantly lower survival in full-sun compared to shade and no UV-B conditions. Microbial metabolic rates were consistently significantly lower in full-sun compared to shade and no-UV conditions. These results show that UV-B radiation at levels found in open spaces showed strong and important impacts on the metabolic rates and survival of Ae. albopictus and Cx. pipiens larvae. This research was published in the journal PeerJ.

Collaborators at Cornell University completed the second year of their field study on variation in diapause induction among populations of Ae. albopictus along its northern edge. Diapause is poorly characterized in the field and across small geographic ranges. This project represents the first detailed field study of conditions that induce and release diapause in the field across multiple populations of the Asian tiger mosquito (ATM). Results demonstrate that temperature plays a much larger role than previously thought in curing diapause for northern populations. Higher fall temperatures, such as those experienced with a changing climate, lead the ATM to lay an intermediate portion of eggs in diapause. Female ATMs seem to be taking a “bet-hedging” strategy with the proportion of diapaused eggs developed during the fall months in the North East. These results indicate that ATM human biting risk can remain high over the fall months with warming temperatures and that ATM diapause is highly environmentally adaptable, so that degree-day models or other traditional temporal models for biting risk and control timing may not be adequate.

Collaborators at Cornell University also completed analyses and published their results on socioeconomic drivers of ATM in the northeast. they conducted detailed container surveys for Ae. albopictus larvae and pupae over two years across nine sites in residential neighborhoods in southern New York. Based on the variability of predictive container characteristics, they conclude that ATMS are a highly adaptable, generalist container breeder, and identification of key containers for this species is not a useful strategy in this region. However, Ae. albopictus can be non-homogenously distributed based on income level and urban development, indicating that control should target areas of greater urbanization and that focal control of Ae. albopictus clusters may be a more efficient strategy in sites of higher socioeconomic status. Results were published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

Cornell collaborators initiated a study of vector-host interactions of Ae. albopictus on Long Island, NY, in June 2018.  Daily collections of mosquitoes were conducted with a large aspirator during summer 2018. Human and animal host abundance was measured with camera traps and household interviews. The team captured 3,241 female Ae. albopictus and a total of 182 females with blood meals.  Ae. albopictus blood meals were identified, from human, cat, horse, opossum, dog, goat, rabbit, raccoon, rat, skunk, and squirrel. When the number of dog, cat, and human blood meals per household were considered in the context of the amount of time that people and their pets spent outside (according to weekly interviews), the time-weighted feeding indices suggest that Ae. albopictus prefer cats and dogs to humans and prefer cats to dogs. A manuscript is currently in preparation.

Researchers at the Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station (CAES) completed a study showing that successive bloodmeals enhance virus dissemination within mosquitoes and increase transmission potential. In this study, they demonstrated that the administration of a second non-infectious bloodmeal significantly shortens the extrinsic incubation period (EIP) of ZIKV-infected Ae. aegypti by enhancing virus escape from the mosquito midgut. Similarly, a second bloodmeal increased the competence of this species for dengue virus and CHIKV as well. This effect was also observed for ZIKV in Aedes albopictus for ZIKV, suggesting that this phenomenon may be common among other virus-vector pairings and that Ae. albopictus species might be a more important vector than once thought. Bloodmeals induced fissures in the virus-impenetrable basal lamina surrounding the midgut providing a mechanism for enhanced virus escape. Modeling of these findings revealed that a shortened EIP would result in a significant increase in the basic reproductive number, R0. This study helps explain how Ae. aegypti can sustain an explosive epidemic like ZIKV despite its relatively poor vector competence in single-feed laboratory trials. Together, these data demonstrate a direct and unrecognized link between mosquito feeding behavior, EIP, and vector competence.

Researchers at CAES are currently evaluating the overwintering survival of Ae. albopictus at the northern limit of its current range. Aedes albopictus is a highly invasive species that was introduced into the U.S. in the 1980s where it continues to expand its range in the eastern half of the country.  Winter temperature is an important constraint to this species northward expansion with Connecticut at the thermal limit for overwintering survival. To evaluate the potential for northern range expansion, researchers placed diapause-conditioned mosquito eggs in tires in different microhabitats (open field versus forest) and along a latitudinal gradient from New Jersey to Connecticut.  Survivorship of Ae. albopictus was evaluated during three successive winters by hatching mosquito eggs the following spring.  Overwintering survival of mosquito eggs was highly variable and ranged from 0-51%. Survivorship correlated with the duration and magnitude of low temperatures recorded during January and February.

Researchers at the CAES are currently evaluating vector-host interactions of Ae. albopictus in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Engorged mosquitoes were collected from Suffolk Virginia and Pennsylvania using BG-Sentinel traps and other methods during summer of 2017 and 2018. Analysis of the 2017 collection indicates that over 98% of Ae. albopictus blood meals were from mammalian hosts (human, domestic cat, white-tailed deer, rat, gray squirrel, opossum) and occasionally from eastern box turtles. Additional engorged Ae. albopictus mosquitoes from Virginia and Pennsylvania are being analyzed and a manuscript is being prepared for submission.

Researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) have completed several studies on the genetics and ecology of container Aedes.  These include an investigation into the fine-scale distribution of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in Palm Beach County, FL as an experimental landscape to examine the competitive interactions of these species, documenting a slow, steady expansion of Ae. aegypti.  Climatic, land-use, and/or adaptation in Aedes aegypti could explain this phenomenon.  In support of adaptation, a team at NCSU has demonstrated evidence for selection in the Ae. aegypti genome in response to mating competition with Ae. albopictus, providing further evidence for previously documented phenotypic shifts.  

Also at NCSU, and in collaboration with scientists at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, East Carolina University, Western Carolina University, and various local mosquito control entities, several state-wide surveys of container mosquitoes have been conducted.  These have resulted in updated distributional data on Ae. albopictus, Ae. triseriatus, Ae. hendersoni, and Ae. japonicus.  No Ae. aegypti have been found in these surveys in North Carolina.  Included in these studies was an assessment of insecticide resistance.  Another set of studies examined the diversity of mosquito vectors in suburban environments in Wake County, NC, finding that as neighborhoods age, vector communities simplify and become dominated by Ae. albopictus.  

Objective 4: This research cluster focuses on the development of mosquito control and management tools for maintaining mosquito populations below nuisance levels and/or below epidemic levels for disease transmission. This includes a broad-based approach to new toxicant discovery, screening of compounds derived from natural products, and evaluation of registered compounds for mosquitocidal activity.  In addition, we are exploring gene silencing using RNAi technology as a method to knock down critical proteins in adult and larval mosquitoes with possible applications for control. Microsporidian parasites are known to infect many mosquitoes worldwide, but fundamental knowledge on the genomes of mosquito microsporidia and host-pathogen interactions are poorly known.

In collaboration with colleagues, Dr. Leisnham conducted studies that explored opportunities and challenges engaging resident communities in mosquito control and citizen science projects on mosquitoes. These efforts were published in a book chapter and article in the journal Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, respectively.

Dr. Fonseca developed an approach termed Citizen Action through Science (Citizen AcTS). The key innovation is the mobilization of neighbors guided by scientific advisors. She tested this approach in a NE U.S. town of approximately 1,000 residential yards infested with the invasive Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, a major nuisance arboviral vector and reported a highly significant reduction in biting pressure that was maintained over time (Johnson et al 2018). The Citizen AcTS model works through respectful exchanges among scientists and residents that lead to trust and individual ‘buy-in’ and transferring program ownership to the community. This approach is currently being developed in several other communities in Washington, DC, and MD.

At NCSU, a study on the impact of backyard barrier spraying on neighboring yards was conducting, finding the impact on Ae. albopictus was equally good for neighbors as for the target household.  

At the University of Kentucky (UKY) worked in collaboration with multiple Mosquito Abatement Districts and companies to test the Wolbachia pesticide against Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti populations. The results are to be used in support of an application to the US Environmental Protection Agency toward registration of the Wolbachia pesticide.

Objective 5: The key outcome will be training and training tools delivered to developing scientists within the field of Medical and Veterinary Entomology. Tools will be (1) a training course in conjunction with one or more Multistate meetings and (2) Publication of a position paper regarding the development of the next generation of scientists within our field.

None.

Biehler D., J. Baker, J.H. Pitas, Y. Bode-George, R. Jordan, A. Sorenson, H. Goodman, S. Wilson, S. LaDeau, M. Saunders, D. Bodner, P.T. Leisnham. Beyond “the mosquito people”: The challenges of engaging community for environmental justice in infested urban spaces. Pp. 295-318. In: R. Lave, C. Biermann, S. Lane (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Physical Geography. Palgrave Macmillian, London.

Bodner, D., S.L. LaDeau, P.T. Leisnham. 2019. Relationships among immature-stage metrics and adult abundances of mosquito populations in Baltimore, MD. Journal of Medical Entomology 56 (1): 192-198.

Faiman R., A. Dao, A. Yaro, M. Diallo, S. Djibril, Z. Lamissa Sonogo, Y. Ousmane, M. Sullivan, L. Veru, B. Krajacich, A. Krishna, J. Matthews, C. France, G. L. Hamer, K. Hobson, T. Lehmann. In Press. Marking mosquitoes in their natural larval sites using 2H-enriched water: a promising approach for tracking over extended temporal and spatial scales. Methods in Ecology and Evolution.

Golnar A., Martin E., Wormington J.D., Kading R.C., Teel P., Hamer S.A., Hamer G.L. 2019. Reviewing the potential vectors and hosts of African swine fever virus transmission in the United States. Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases.

Johnson BJ, Brosch D, Christian A, Wells E, Wells M, Bhandoola AF, Milne A, Garrison S, Fonseca DM 2018 Neighbors-help-neighbors control urban mosquitoes. Scientific Reports 8(1):15797. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-34161-9

Kading, R. C., A. G. Golnar, S. A. Hamer, G. L. Hamer. 2018. Advanced surveillance and preparedness to meet a new era of invasive vectors and emerging vector-borne diseases. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 12:e0006761.

Ledesma N.A., Kaufman P.E., Xue R.D.,  Leyend C., Macapagald M., Winokur O.C., and L.C. Harrington. 2019. Entomological and socio-behavioral components of dog heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) prevalence in two Florida communities. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Vol 254 (1): 93-103.

Little E.A.H., Anderson J.F., Stafford III K.C., Eisen L., Eisen R.J., Molaei G. 2019. Predicting Spatiotemporal Patterns of Lyme disease Incidence from Passively Collected Surveillance Data for Borrelia burgdorferisensu lato-infected Ixodes scapularisticks. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.04.010.

Martin E., Chu E., Shults P., Golnar A.J., Swanson D.A., Benn J., Kim D., Schneider P., Pena S., Culver C., Medeiros M.C.I., Hamer S.A., Hamer G.L. 2019. Culicoides species community composition and infection status with parasites in an urban environment of east central Texas. Parasites & Vectors 12:39.

Martin E., M. Medeiros, E. Carbajal, E. Valdez, J. Juarez, S. Garcia Luna#, A. Salazar, W. Qualls, S. Hinojosa, M. Borucki, H. Manley, I. Badillo-Vargas, M. Frank, G. L. Hamer. 2019. Surveillance of Aedes aegypti indoors and outdoors using Autocidal Gravid Ovitraps in South Texas during local transmission of Zika virus, 2016 to 2018. Acta Tropica.192:129-137.

Monaghan, A.J., Hayden, M.H., Smith, K.A., Reiskind, M.H., Cabell, R., Ernst, K.C. 2019.  A simple model to predict the potential distribution of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes one month in advance.  In press at The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Poh, K. C., L.F. Chaves, M. Reyna-Nava, C.M. Roberts, C. Fredregill, R. Bueno, M. Debboun, G.L. Hamer. 2019. The influence of weather and weather variability on mosquito abundance and infection with West Nile virus in Harris County, Texas, USA. Science of the Total Environment.

Reed, E. M. X, B. D. Byrd, S. Richards, M. Echkart, C. Williams, and M. H. Reiskind. 2019. A statewide survey of container Aedes spp. (Diptera: Culicidae) in North Carolina, USA 2016: A multiagency response to Zika Using ovitraps. Journal of Medical Entomology DOI: doi: 10.1093/jme/tjy190.

Reiskind, M.H., and Janairo, M.S.  2018. Tracking larval behavior across development: effects of temperature and nutrients on individuals’ foraging behavior.  Journal of Medical Entomology 55 (5): 1086-1092. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjy073.

Reiskind, M.O.B., Labadie, P.E., Bargielowski, I., Lounibos, L.P., and Reiskind, M.H. 2018.  Rapid evolution and the genomic consequences of selection against interspecific mating. Molecular Ecology 27 (18): 3641-3654.  Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14821.

Richards, S.L., White, A.V., Byrd, B.D., Reiskind M.H., Doyle, M.S.  2018. Evaluation of Insecticide Resistance in Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in North Carolina, 2017. Journal of Medical Entomology, tjy216, https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjy216.

Shragai, T, L.C. Harrington. 2019. Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) on an Invasive Edge: Abundance, Spatial Distribution, and Habitat Usage of Larvae and Pupae Across Urban and Socioeconomic Environmental Gradients. Journal of Medical Entomology 56(2): 472-482.

Sorensen, A.E., R.C. Jordan, S. LaDeau, D. Biehler, S. Wilson, J. Pitas, P.T. Leisnham. Reflecting on Efforts to Design an Inclusive Citizen Science Project in West Baltimore. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice 4(1): 13, pp. 1–12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.170.

Spence Beaulieu, M.R., Hopperstad, K.A., Dunn, R.R., Reiskind, M.H. 2019.  Simplification of vector communities during suburban succession. PLoS One https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215485

VanAcker M.C., Little E.A.H., Molaei G., Bajwa W.I., Diuk-Wasser M.mA. 2019. Enhancement of Risk for Lyme Disease by Landscape Connectivity, New York, New York, USA. 2019. Emerging Infectious Diseases, https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/25/6/18-1741_article.

Villena, O., B. Momen, J. Sullivan, P.T. Leisnham. 2018. Effects of ultraviolet radiation on metabolic rate and fitness of Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens mosquitoes. PeerJ 6: e6133.

Wormington J.D., Golnar A., Poh K., Kading R.C., Martin E., Hamer S.A., Hamer G.L. 2019. Risk of African swine fever virus sylvatic establishment and spillover to domestic swine in the United States. Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases doi: 10.1089/vbz.2018.2386.