Source: OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
MOSQUITOES, DISEASE & PUBLIC HEALTH
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0216948
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
OKL02712
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
NE-507
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Aug 1, 2007
Project End Date
Jul 31, 2009
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
Reiskind, M.
Recipient Organization
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
STILLWATER,OK 74078
Performing Department
ENTOMOLOGY & PLANT PATHOLOGY
Non Technical Summary
Mosquito-borne diseases are some of the most pressing problems facing public health today, both in the United States and abroad. Various approaches exist to limit the impact of these diseases on human populations. Historically, understanding the ecology of specific vectors of disease has proven to be the most effective means of controlling epidemics. In this proposal, I will examine the effects of land use in human dominated landscapes on mosquito populations. I will also explore the connections between larval habitat quality and egg-laying behavior. These studies will include a combination of laboratory experiments, field surveys and field experiments. Determining the distribution of mosquitoes in the landscape will assist with effective application of targeted control methodologies. As egg-laying is the activity that immediately precedes disease transmission, understanding how female mosquitoes choose where to lay eggs has tremendous potential as a target for the elimination of disease.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
70%
Applied
30%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
7213110107050%
7213110117050%
Knowledge Area
721 - Insects and Other Pests Affecting Humans;

Subject Of Investigation
3110 - Insects;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology; 1170 - Epidemiology;
Goals / Objectives
1. Strengthen basic and applied research on the mosquito, pathogen, hosts, and environmental factors that influence mosquito-borne disease emergence. 2. Use knowledge of mosquito, pathogen, vertebrate reservoir, and environment interactions to enhance ability to predict and prevent conditions leading to disease. 3. Develop new strategies to control mosquito disease vectors. 5. Develop and maintain the national scientific expertise to respond to future health threats by supporting training programs.
Project Methods
To address the four objectives outlined in this study, a variety of ecological methods will be employed. A survey of mosquito populations will be conducted over replicated urban-rural transects in Tulsa County, OK and Palm Beach County, FL. Surveys will use a variety of trapping methodologies to capture a diversity of disease carrying mosquitoes. Data will be collected using satellite images on land usage. These data will be analyzed using a myriad of sophisticated, multivariate techniques to relate landscape features and mosquito diversity and abundance and therefore risk of disease. Experiments will be conducted in the laboratory at Oklahoma State University that examine competition and oviposition in larval habitats with a variety of leaf inputs (representing a diversity of habitat quality). The results of these experiments will make explicit connections between larval performance and adult oviposition behavior, an area with many potential control (of both pests and diseases) applications. Further experiments will examine how a diversity of resources influences larval competition between mosquitoes of varying ecological similarity. All experiments will be analyzed with appropriate statistical tests.

Progress 08/01/07 to 07/31/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: We only joined NE507 in the Fall of 2008 and it was terminated the following Summer, and replaced by NE1043, a permanent MSS program. Therefore, my outputs during this period were not great. My research program did accomplish several studies examining the relationship between invasive mosquitoes and invasive plant species, and began a monitoring program for West Nile virus in Oklahoma. We have also forged collaborations with Tulsa County Public Health to assist in the provision of vector control. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
We examined the relationship between invasive leaf species and mosquito abundance, particularly of the invasive Asian tiger mosquito. We have begun training a masters student in Entomology, and have received substantial state funding for the creation of a arbovirus surveillance and prediction project. We have completed six experiments on the response of the Asian tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes to different leaf material, and their oviposition behavior.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period