Miami-Dade County is a receptive gateway for arbovirus entry to the United States, researchers find

Global warming and urbanization are known to increase vector-borne disease (VBD) transmission. In recent years, Miami-Dade County has undergone an increase in urbanization that has impacted mosquito populations and their VBD transmission patterns, but some mosquitoes can also thrive in just about any environment.  

According to a study published in Nature Scientific Reports, the community composition and year-round abundance of vector species of mosquitoes in Miami-Dade make the county one of the most vulnerable for arbovirus transmission, which are viruses that can be transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, or arthropods. 

Using two-year’s worth of mosquito surveillance data gathered after the 2016 Zika virus outbreak, which found Miami-Dade to be the worst county affected, researchers found that there are five dominant mosquito species in the county. They are the Culex nigripalpus, Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti, Aedes taeniorhynchus and Anopheles crucians. These species are potential vectors for the transmission of the West Nile virus, chikungunya, dengue, and yellow fevers, which are various types of arboviruses. 

“Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus were present in high numbers year-round, indicating that there is no longer a summer ‘mosquito season’ in Miami,” said Andre B. B. Wilke, Ph.D., co-author of the study and a post-doctorate associate at the Miller School’s Department of Public Health Sciences.

The study shows that while Miami-Dade is vulnerable to arboviruses, establishing more surveillance systems help guide and improve mosquito control operations in the county, reducing the risk of VBD transmission to humans.

“Every county in Florida should strengthen its mosquito surveillance and control operations. This study shows how the intensification of county-wide mosquito surveillance, following the Zika virus outbreak in 2016, is helping the Miami-Dade Mosquito Control Division strategically target and control vector mosquitoes, protecting the residents of the county,” said Dr. John Beier, co-author of the study and professor of public health sciences at the Miller School’s Department of Public Health Sciences.

The study was co-authored by researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences and Miami-Dade County’s Mosquito Control Division.

Written by Amanda Torres

Published on July 16, 2019