Perceptions of Zika Virus Risk during 2016 Outbreak, Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Moise IK
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6038743 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:We isolated a strain of Zika virus, MB16-23, from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes collected in Miami Beach, Florida, USA, on September 2, 2016. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that MB16-23 most likely originated from the Caribbean region.
| S-EPMC5875261 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In 2016, four clusters of local mosquitoborne Zika virus transmission were identified in Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA, generating "red zones" (areas into which pregnant women were advised against traveling). The Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control Division initiated intensive control activities, including property inspections, community education, and handheld sprayer applications of larvicides and adulticides. For the first time, the Mosquito Control Division used a combination of areawide ultralow-volume adulticide and low-volume larvicide spraying to effectively control Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the primary Zika virus vector within the county. The number of mosquitoes rapidly decreased, and Zika virus transmission was interrupted within the red zones immediately after the combination of adulticide and larvicide spraying.
| S-EPMC7181917 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Human mobility in urban environments is a central part of urbanization and has determined the layout of how cities are projected, built and renovated. One of the most problematic issues of urbanization is how to properly dispose of used tires, considering the worldwide annual production of approximately 1.4 billion units every year. Despite the efforts to properly dispose of used tires, they still represent a major problem for public health, notably serving as potential breeding sites for vector mosquitoes. Miami-Dade County, Florida has been suffering from arbovirus outbreaks for decades, including dengue, West Nile and yellow fever viruses. The objective of this study was to survey tire shops inserted in the urban matrix across Miami-Dade County for the presence of vector mosquitoes. This study used a cross-sectional design to survey the production of vector mosquitoes at 12 tires shops. Mosquitoes were found in all but one of the tires shops surveyed. We collected a total of 1,110 mosquitoes comprising 528 adults and 582 immatures. Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus were abundantly found in both their immature and adult forms, constituting 99.99% of the mosquito samples collected. Aedes aegypti was the most abundant species recorded displaying the highest values in the Shannon and Simpson indices. The findings of this study demonstrate that vector mosquitoes, primarily Ae. aegypti, are being produced in tires shops in Miami indicating these habitats are highly favorable breeding environments for the production of vector mosquitoes and emphasizing the need to address how the abundance and presence of mosquitoes may vary seasonally in these environments.
| S-EPMC6527201 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Urbanization is increasing globally, and construction sites are an integral part of the urbanization process. It is unknown to what extent construction sites create favorable breeding conditions for mosquitoes. The main objectives of the present study were to identify what species of mosquitoes are present at construction sites and the respective physical features associated with their production. Eleven construction sites were cross-sectionally surveyed for the presence of mosquitoes in Miami-Dade County, Florida including in areas previously affected by the Zika virus outbreak in 2016. A total of 3.351 mosquitoes were collected; 2.680 adults and 671 immatures. Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus comprised 95% of all collected mosquitoes and were the only species found in their immature forms breeding inside construction sites. Results for the Shannon and Simpson indices, considering both immature and adult specimens, yielded the highest values for Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti. The individual rarefaction curves indicated that sampling sufficiency was highly asymptotic for Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti, and the plots of cumulative species abundance (ln S), Shannon index (H) and log evenness (ln E) (SHE) revealed the lack of heterogeneity of species composition, diversity and evenness for the mosquitoes found breeding in construction sites. The most productive construction site breeding features were elevator shafts, Jersey plastic barriers, flooded floors and stair shafts. The findings of this study indicate that vector mosquitoes breed in high numbers at construction sites and display reduced biodiversity comprising almost exclusively Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus. Such findings suggest that early phase construction sites have suitable conditions for the proliferation of vector mosquitoes. More studies are needed to identify modifiable worker- and organizational-level factors to improve mosquito control practices and guide future mosquito control strategies in urban environments.
| S-EPMC6301795 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:A major public health concern is the emergence and geographical spread of vector-borne diseases such as Zika and yellow fever. Ornamental bromeliads retaining water in their leaf axils represent potential breeding sites for mosquitoes. As the role of ornamental bromeliads in breeding Aedes aegypti in Miami-Dade County, Florida is unknown, we hypothesize that ornamental bromeliads are important breeding sites for Ae. aegypti. Our objective was to survey bromeliads in areas with high densities of adult Ae. aegypti, including those with 2016 local transmission of Zika virus. METHODS:Ornamental bromeliads were surveyed for the presence of immature mosquitoes at 51 locations of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Bromeliads were sampled for the presence of immature stages of mosquitoes, their reservoirs were drained and screened for the presence of immature mosquitoes. Immature mosquitoes were stored in plastic containers and preserved in 70% ethanol until morphological identification. Biodiversity of species assemblages was assessed by Shannon's and Simpson's indices, and individual rarefaction curves and plots of cumulative abundance, Shannon's index and evenness profiles. RESULTS:Ornamental bromeliads were present in all surveyed areas, yielding a total of 765 immature mosquitoes, comprising five taxonomic units: Ae. aegypti, Wyeomyia mitchellii, Wyeomyia vanduzeei, Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex biscaynensis. The biodiversity indices point to a low diversity scenario with a highly dominant species, Ae. aegypti. DISCUSSION:Our findings suggest that ornamental bromeliads are contributing for the proliferation of Ae. aegypti in the County of Miami-Dade, which may indicate a shift in the paradigm of usage of bromeliads as breeding sites, highlighting that ornamental phytotelmata bromeliads are to be considered in future vector-control strategies to control Zika and other arboviruses.
| S-EPMC5956556 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIdentifying geographic locations most affected by the HIV epidemic is essential to addressing disparities that impact people living with HIV. This study sought to identify individual and neighborhood-level factors that are associated with residing in geographic hotspots of poor sustained HIV viral suppression.MethodsUsing data from the Miami-Dade County Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, spatial autocorrelation of poor sustained viral suppression (at least 1 laboratory test ≥ 200 copies/ml in 2017) was investigated using Global Moran's I followed by Local Moran's I and Getis Ord Gi* statistics by ZIP code tabulation areas (ZCTAs). Subsequently, multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with residing in geographic hotspots of poor sustained viral suppression.ResultsSeveral ZCTAs in the northern part of the county, accounting for 1/3 of the Ryan White program clients, had significantly higher clustering of poor sustained viral suppression. Client-level sociodemographic characteristics such as race/ethnicity, age, and poverty, and neighborhood-level characteristics (socioeconomic disadvantage index, residential instability index, and racial/language homogeneity index) were significantly associated with living in a hotspot of poor sustained viral suppression.ConclusionThese findings highlight that spatial variation in sustained viral suppression exists within the county. Targeted strategies that address structural factors and the needs of people with HIV living in specified geographic areas may improve their HIV health outcomes and contribute towards local, regional, and national goals of ending the HIV epidemic.
| S-EPMC9339030 | biostudies-literature
Project description:After a 75-year absence from Florida, substantial local transmission of dengue virus (DENV) occurred in Key West, Monroe County, Florida in 2009 and continued in 2010. The outbreak culminated in 85 reported cases. In 2011 and 2012, only isolated cases of local DENV transmission were reported in Florida, none were reported in Key West. In 2013, a new outbreak occurred, but this time in Martin County about 275 miles North of Key West with 22 reported cases. As the Key West and Martin County outbreaks involved DENV serotype 1 (DENV-1), we wanted to investigate whether the same strain or a different strain of DENV was responsible for the outbreaks. In this study, we report the sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the E generegion from a patient diagnosed with dengue in Martin County. Our results indicate that the 2013 Martin County DENV-1 strain is distinct from the 2009-2010 Key West DENV-1 and that it is most closely related to viruses from a recent expansion of South American DENV-1 strains into the Caribbean. We conclude that the 2013 Martin County outbreak was the result of a new introduction of DENV-1 in Florida.
| S-EPMC4318122 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Urbanization processes are increasing globally. Anthropogenic alterations in the environment have profound effects on biodiversity. Decreased biodiversity due to biotic homogenization processes as a consequence of urbanization often result in increased levels of mosquito vector species and vector-borne pathogen transmission. Understanding how anthropogenic alterations in the environment will affect the abundance, richness, and composition of vector mosquito species is crucial for the implementation of effective and targeted mosquito control strategies. We hypothesized that anthropogenic alterations in the environment are responsible for increasing the abundance of mosquito species that are adapted to urban environments such as Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. Therefore, our objective was to survey mosquito relative abundance, richness, and community composition in Miami-Dade County, Florida, in areas with different levels of urbanization. We selected 24 areas, 16 remote areas comprised of natural and rural areas, and 8 urban areas comprised of residential and touristic areas in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Mosquitoes were collected weekly in each area for 24 h for 5 consecutive weeks from August to October 2020 using BG-Sentinel traps baited with dry ice. A total of 36,645 mosquitoes were collected, from which 34,048 were collected in the remote areas and 2,597 in the urban areas. Our results show a clear and well-defined pattern of abundance, richness, and community composition according to anthropogenic modifications in land use and land cover. The more urbanized a given area the fewer species were found and those were primary vectors of arboviruses, Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus.
| S-EPMC8626430 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Vector-borne diseases are an increasing issue to public health, endangering billions of people worldwide. Controlling vector mosquitoes is widely accepted as the most effective way to prevent vector-borne disease outbreaks. Mosquito surveillance is critical for the development of control strategies under the integrated vector management framework. We hypothesize that the effectiveness and reliability of using BG-Sentinel traps for the surveillance strongly depend on the bait used to attract mosquitoes. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of BG-Sentinel traps baited with CO2 and BG-Lure. A total of 72 traps were deployed for 48 hours once a week for four weeks. For the initial 24-hour period, the traps were baited with CO2, and then for an additional 24 hours using the BG-Lure. Collected mosquitoes were analyzed using the Generalized Estimating Equation for repeated measures analysis. Biodiversity was assessed by the Shannon and Simpson indices and by individual rarefaction curves and SHE profiles. A total of 5,154 mosquitoes were collected, from which 3,514 by traps baited with CO2 and 1,640 mosquitoes by traps baited with BG-Lure. Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus were the most abundant and dominant species. Results from the Generalized Estimating Equation models indicated that more than twice as many mosquitoes were attracted CO2 than to the BG-Lure. The comparison of attractiveness of CO2 and BG-Lure to Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus was non-significant, suggesting that both species were equally attracted by the baits. The individual rarefaction curves for Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus imply that traps baited with BG-Lure underestimated mosquito species richness compared to those baited with CO2. BG-Lure were less effective in attracting mosquitoes with low abundances and failed to collect Cx. coronator and Cx. nigripalpus, which were consistently collected by traps baited with CO2. According to our results, CO2 significantly (P<0.05) attracted more mosquitoes (2.67 adjusted odds ratios) than the BG-Lure when adjusted for time and species, being more effective in assessing the relative abundance of vector mosquitoes and yielding more trustworthy results. Traps baited with CO2 collected not only more specimens, but also more species in a more consistent pattern.
| S-EPMC6386269 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Immigrant minorities regularly experience higher incidence and mortality rates of cancer. Frequently, a variety of social determinants create obstacles for those individuals to get the screenings they need. This is especially true for Haitian immigrants, a particularly vulnerable immigrant population in South Florida, who have been identified as having low cancer screening rates. While Haitian immigrants have some of the lowest cancer screening rates in the country, there is little existing literature that addresses barriers to cancer screenings among the population of Little Haiti in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between having a regular source of healthcare and adherence to recommended cancer screenings in the Little Haiti population of Miami.This secondary analysis utilized data collected from a random-sample, population-based household survey conducted from November 2011 to December 2012 among a geographic area approximating Little Haiti in Miami-Dade County, Florida. A total of 421 households identified as Haitian. The main exposure of interest was whether households possessed a regular source of care. Three separate outcomes were considered: adherence with colorectal cancer screening, mammogram adherence, and Pap smear adherence. Analysis was limited to households who met the age criteria for each outcome of interest. Bivariate associations were examined using the chi square test and Fisher exact test. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).After adjusting for the head of household's education and household insurance status, households without a regular source of care were significantly less likely to adhere with colorectal cancer screening (OR = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.14-0.80) or mammograms (OR = 0.28; 95% CI: 0.11-0.75). Households with insurance coverage gaps were significantly less likely to adhere with mammograms (OR = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.17-0.97) or Pap smears (OR = 0.28; 95% CI: 0.13-0.58).Our study explored adherence with multiple cancer screenings. We found a strong association between possessing a regular source of care and adherence with colorectal cancer screening and mammogram adherence. Targeted approaches to improving access to regular care may improve adherence to cancer screening adherence among this unique immigrant population.
| S-EPMC5556222 | biostudies-other