- The Ae Albopictus is one of the mosquitos that can transmit
Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever,. Yellow Fever as well as the Equine
Encephalitis Viruses and, of course, West Nile and West Nile LIKE NY 99
viruses.
-
- In 1999 we heard about a couple of mosquitos that were
found in areas of the US for the first time, namely, in Connecticut across
from Plum Island, we heard about the Aedes Japonicus. Also, that year,
we heard about the Asian Tiger Mosquito, namely, the Ae Albopictus.
-
- It is not fantasy to warn of an epidemiological scenerio
that could play out in California or in areas where this mosquito is now
found. That scenerio could play out as such:
- Cases of Dengue Fever spread throughout Orange County
due to migrant farm workers who come into the US carrying Dengue Fever
and are bitten by the Ae. Albopictus. The Ae. Albopictus, now infected
with Dengue, bites area residents in Orange County who then become infected
with Dengue. The same scenerio could play out with Yellow Fever, various
Equine Encephalitis viruses or West Nile.
-
- It has been found by a recent study in Texas that mosquitos
were found to carry West Nile Virus during the winter months in Texas as
well as other Gulf Coast states. If the Ae. Albopictus remains in Orange
County and spreads south to Southern California and onto Baja, we could
see diseases like Dengue, Yellow Fever, West Nile etal become endemic and
ingrained in that area on year long basis.
-
- Patricia Doyle
-
- Date: 20 Sep 2004
- From: ProMED-mail
- Source: Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep 2004
- http://www.latimes.com/
-
- Aedes albopictus in Orange County, CA
-
- Orange County Vector Control District investigators are
searching in Orange County for evidence of the latest pest to arrive here,
the Asian tiger mosquito (_Aedes albopictus_), which can transmit yellow
fever and dengue fever. The yard-to-yard search, which was launched after
a resident complained of a bite from an unusual-looking mosquito, has uncovered
either Asian tiger adults or larvae at 6 locations, said Russell Sipe,
the district's project coordinator. More than 600 homes in a quarter-mile
(about 400 metre) radius are being checked. The search should conclude
by Mon or Tue [20/21 Sep 2004], Sipe said. The workers are searching standing
water for mosquitoes and taking any they find to labs for testing.
-
- The mosquito is "very aggressive, very vicious,"
said Michael Hearst, a district spokesman. "We warn people about dawn
and dusk, but this mosquito bites during the day." He said there is
no evidence that local insects are carrying yellow fever or dengue fever.
-
- Many yellow fever infections are mild, but the disease
can cause life-threatening illness. Symptoms of severe infection are high
fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, vomiting and backache. Most people
who develop dengue fever recover completely within 2 weeks. Some, however,
may experience several weeks of tiredness and/or depression. Neither disease
is present in California.
-
- Because the Asian tiger mosquito prefers to bite mammals
instead of birds, it is not considered a significant threat to spread West
Nile virus. The Asian tiger mosquito is thought to have arrived aboard
a pleasure boat towed from the south east, Hearst said.
-
- --
- ProMED-mail
- <promed@promedmail.org>
-
- [_Aedes albopictus_, popularly known as the Asian Tiger
mosquito because of its striped appearance, was 1st found breeding in the
USA in 1985 in Houston, Texas. Since then, it has gradually spread further
north, to northern New Jersey along the Atlantic coast, and to Illinois.
By 2003, it had spread to 28 US States. But this is not the first time
it has been reported from California. Larvae were found in 1971 in tires
off-loaded in Oakland from a ship from Viet Nam (see Madon MB, Mulla MS,
Shaw MW, Kluh S Hazelrigg JE. Introduction of _Aedes albopictus_ (Skuse)
in Southern California and potential for its establishment. Journal of
Vector Ecology 2002; 27: 149-54).
-
- It would be interesting to learn exactly how this mosquito
arrived in California "aboard a pleasure boat towed from the south
east".
-
- _Ae. albopictus_ is susceptible to experimental infection
with many arboviruses, and, although it transmits dengue in south east
Asia, it is not a particularly efficient vector. But, interestingly, it
was incriminated as a vector of dengue in Hawaii in 2001. In 2000, it was
found infected with West Nile virus in Pennsylvania (see archive reference
number 20001104.1922 below). In much of the USA, however, it seems more
likely that it could be a bridge vector of indigenous viruses like LaCrosse
and the equine encephalitis viruses. This mosquito is a known vector of
dirofilariasis, and so, in the USA, it could transmit _Dirofilaria_ species.
- Mod.MS]
-
-
-
- Patricia A. Doyle, PhD
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board
- at: http://www.clickitnews.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?
- Cat=&Board=emergingdiseases
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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