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Source: http://www.jcfloridan.com/jcf/news/local/article/newest_mosquito_species_being_watched/10118/
Newest mosquito species being watched
By Kate McCardell
Published: April 2, 2008
The next time a mosquito lands on your arm, you might want to take a second to tell it ?Welcome to Florida? before you slap it to death.
The ill-fated mosquito might be a Culex coronato, the newest recorded mosquito species to enter Florida since the 1990s, according to a state expert.
The Culex coronato is the 79th species of mosquito to make a home in Florida, most likely for the same reasons that the state draws in so many tourists ? the warm weather and abundance of water, according to John Smith, center director and professor of entomology for the Public Health Entomology Research and Education Center at Florida A&M University.
The newest mosquito species to Florida, which does not yet have a common name, came from South America and spread into Mexico, then Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and eastward, said Smith.
?It was making its way across Louisiana and was found in the stretch of states leading over to us,? said Smith. ?I fully expect it will make it all the way across Florida and completely cover the state.?
He said the Culex coronato was discovered in Florida in the fall season of 2005.
?Since then it has spread further eastward and we?re closely monitoring its spread across the state,? said Smith. ?This past year we found it in Bay, Leon and Gadsden counties. Our first find was in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Washington counties.?
Florida?s newest mosquito species is a vector of disease, said Smith, but they so far appear to be ?fairly mild-mannered and mostly not an aggressive biter.?
?The Culex mosquitoes in general tend to be the dirty mosquitoes,? said Smith.
He said the species is capable of transmitting mosquito-borne diseases such as the St. Louis encephalitis virus and the West Nile virus.
?Right now, its role in disease transmission is a big question mark. It does not have a history of mosquito-borne disease thus far in the United States; but in lab studies they?ve found the species is capable of transmitting such diseases.?
Smith said the current emphasis is in tracking the species? spread through surveillance systems that include a network of mosquito traps through out the region.
The Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services is currently funding extended surveillance of mosquitoes from Holmes to Leon counties, covering a nine-county area, said Smith.
Smith said that, with mosquito bites in general, the likelihood of a person contracting a mosquito-borne disease is greater in the months from June to October.
?It sort of follows the hurricane season,? said Smith. ?That?s when you need to be most concerned about being bitten by mosquitoes.?
He said the timing is based on the fact that it takes a while for disease organisms to build in the environment. By June, the diseases have spread through the mosquito and bird populations.
?Early in the year the probability of any sort of mosquito-borne infection is not that great, but later on in the year, allowing mosquitoes to bite you is a very risky thing,? said Smith.
He said wearing repellent can help.
?DEET repellents are excellent. Aside from that, because some people have sensitive skin to DEET, there are some alternatives. Ones that contain picaridin work. Also, lemon oil and eucalyptus is a botanical alternative. All three are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. We?ve done studies here on them and they all work quite well. You may have to reapply them if you?re outside a while, but they work,? said Smith.
Smith also suggested that residents should eliminate all standing water around their homes.
?If water stands in the summer when it?s hot outside, just five days is enough time for a mosquito to go from egg to adult,? said Smith.
Those who fear they may have contracted a mosquito-borne disease should contact their physician, he said.
?Headache, fever, stiff neck are the classic symptoms,? said Smith.
Newest mosquito species being watched
By Kate McCardell
Published: April 2, 2008
The next time a mosquito lands on your arm, you might want to take a second to tell it ?Welcome to Florida? before you slap it to death.
The ill-fated mosquito might be a Culex coronato, the newest recorded mosquito species to enter Florida since the 1990s, according to a state expert.
The Culex coronato is the 79th species of mosquito to make a home in Florida, most likely for the same reasons that the state draws in so many tourists ? the warm weather and abundance of water, according to John Smith, center director and professor of entomology for the Public Health Entomology Research and Education Center at Florida A&M University.
The newest mosquito species to Florida, which does not yet have a common name, came from South America and spread into Mexico, then Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and eastward, said Smith.
?It was making its way across Louisiana and was found in the stretch of states leading over to us,? said Smith. ?I fully expect it will make it all the way across Florida and completely cover the state.?
He said the Culex coronato was discovered in Florida in the fall season of 2005.
?Since then it has spread further eastward and we?re closely monitoring its spread across the state,? said Smith. ?This past year we found it in Bay, Leon and Gadsden counties. Our first find was in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Washington counties.?
Florida?s newest mosquito species is a vector of disease, said Smith, but they so far appear to be ?fairly mild-mannered and mostly not an aggressive biter.?
?The Culex mosquitoes in general tend to be the dirty mosquitoes,? said Smith.
He said the species is capable of transmitting mosquito-borne diseases such as the St. Louis encephalitis virus and the West Nile virus.
?Right now, its role in disease transmission is a big question mark. It does not have a history of mosquito-borne disease thus far in the United States; but in lab studies they?ve found the species is capable of transmitting such diseases.?
Smith said the current emphasis is in tracking the species? spread through surveillance systems that include a network of mosquito traps through out the region.
The Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services is currently funding extended surveillance of mosquitoes from Holmes to Leon counties, covering a nine-county area, said Smith.
Smith said that, with mosquito bites in general, the likelihood of a person contracting a mosquito-borne disease is greater in the months from June to October.
?It sort of follows the hurricane season,? said Smith. ?That?s when you need to be most concerned about being bitten by mosquitoes.?
He said the timing is based on the fact that it takes a while for disease organisms to build in the environment. By June, the diseases have spread through the mosquito and bird populations.
?Early in the year the probability of any sort of mosquito-borne infection is not that great, but later on in the year, allowing mosquitoes to bite you is a very risky thing,? said Smith.
He said wearing repellent can help.
?DEET repellents are excellent. Aside from that, because some people have sensitive skin to DEET, there are some alternatives. Ones that contain picaridin work. Also, lemon oil and eucalyptus is a botanical alternative. All three are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. We?ve done studies here on them and they all work quite well. You may have to reapply them if you?re outside a while, but they work,? said Smith.
Smith also suggested that residents should eliminate all standing water around their homes.
?If water stands in the summer when it?s hot outside, just five days is enough time for a mosquito to go from egg to adult,? said Smith.
Those who fear they may have contracted a mosquito-borne disease should contact their physician, he said.
?Headache, fever, stiff neck are the classic symptoms,? said Smith.