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An Epidemiological Study Of West Nile Virus In Maricopa County, Arizona, Shawna Bronte

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Vector-borne infectious diseases represent a major public health problem in both developing and developed nations. In particular, West Nile Virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne disease that can lead to severe disease and death in humans, caused over 2,100 reported cases in the United States last year (CDC, 2016). In Maricopa County, Arizona WNV has caused 474 reported cases during the last five years, with a case-fatality rate at 7.8%.

Aim: To examine the association between weather patterns and incidence of WNV in Maricopa County, AZ from 2007 to 2013.

Methods: We analyzed weekly data on climatological variables and WNV incidence …

Monitoring Insecticide Resistance Mechanisms In Culex Tarsalis From Sutter County, California, Bridgette Danielle Hughes

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Culex mosquitoes are known for carrying several harmful viruses in the United States. Culex tarsalis is found in rural as well as some residential areas in the Western United States, so they are under insecticide pressure from both agricultural spraying and vector control. In response to insecticide pressure, mosquitoes can evolve two primary resistance mechanisms: target site insensitivity, as a result of DNA mutation, and elevated levels of detoxifying enzymes (GST, alpha and beta esterases, and P450 oxidases). The two types of target site insensitivity studied here in Cx. tarsalis are kdr, which is a mutation in the para-type voltage …

Evaluation Of Pyriproxyfen Applied In Barrier Sprays For Mosquito Suppression, Andrea Glenn Skiles

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Despite advances in mosquito management, mosquito-borne disease in the United States is still of relevant public health concern and vector control is a top priority in preventing transmission of pathogens. Insecticide barrier sprays have become a common tool for suppression of mosquitoes in single-homeowner backyards. The application of the synthetic pyrethroid, lambda-cyhalothrin to perimeter vegetation with a backpack sprayer has been shown to significantly suppress mosquito levels for around 6 weeks. In an attempt to lengthen the effective duration of treatment, the IGR, pyriproxyfen, was added to a backpack mist blower with lambda-cyhalothrin, as adult mosquitoes exposed to pyriproxyfen have …