Search

The Asian tiger mosquito ( Aedes albopictus ) arrived in the USA in the 1980's and rapidly spread throughout eastern USA within a decade. The predicted northern edge of its overwintering distribution on the East Coast of the USA roughly falls across New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, where the species has been recorded as early as 2000. It is unclear whether Ae. albopictus populations have become established and survive the cold winters in these areas or are recolonized every year. We genotyped and analyzed populations of Ae. albopictus from the northeast USA using 15 microsatellite markers and compared them with other populations across the country and to representatives of the major global genetic clades to investigate their connectivity and stability. Founder effects or bottlenecks were rare at the northern range of the Ae. albopictus distribution in the northeastern USA, with populations displaying high levels of genetic diversity and connectivity along the East Coast. There is no evidence of population turnover in Connecticut during the course of three consecutive years, with consistent genetic structure throughout this period. Overall, these results support the presence of established populations of Ae. albopictus in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, successfully overwintering and migrating in large numbers. Given the stability and interconnectedness of these populations, Ae. albopictus has the potential to continue to proliferate and expand its range northward under mean warming conditions of climate change. Efforts to control Ae. albopictus in these areas should thus focus on vector suppression rather than eradication strategies, as local populations have become firmly established and are expected to reemerge every summer.

Pesticide resistance in arthropod vectors of disease agents is a growing issue globally. Despite the importance of resistance monitoring to inform mosquito control programs, no regional monitoring programs exist in the United States. The Northeastern Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (NEVBD) is a consortium of researchers and public health practitioners with a primary goal of supporting regional vector control activities. NEVBD initiated a pesticide resistance monitoring program to detect resistant mosquito populations throughout the northeastern United States. A regionwide survey was distributed to vector control agencies to determine needs and refine program development and in response, a specimen submission system was established, allowing agencies to submit Culex pipiens (L.) (Diptera:Culicidae) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) for pesticide resistance testing. NEVBD also established larvicide resistance diagnostics for Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) and methoprene. Additional diagnostics were developed for Cx. pipiens resistance to Lysinibacillus sphaericus. We received 58 survey responses, representing at least one agency from each of the 13 northeastern U.S. states. Results indicated that larvicides were deployed more frequently than adulticides, but rarely paired with resistance monitoring. Over 18,000 mosquitoes were tested from six states. Widespread low-level (1 × LC-99) methoprene resistance was detected in Cx. pipiens, but not in Ae. albopictus. No resistance to Bti or L. sphaericus was detected. Resistance to pyrethroids was detected in many locations for both species. Our results highlight the need for increased pesticide resistance testing in the United States and we provide guidance for building a centralized pesticide resistance testing program., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Container-inhabiting Aedes are among the most medically important mosquito vectors of diseases. They also impact health and quality of life by their persistent and severe biting. Monitoring of container-inhabiting Aedes species is challenging due to the need for specialized traps and lures. Biogents Sentinel (BGS) trap has become a standard for Aedes albopictus (Skuse) surveillance; however, it has substantial problems with durability, quality of construction, and sample exposure to the elements. The goal of this study was to develop a methodology for collecting medically important container-inhabiting Aedes species in numbers sufficient for population trend analysis, control efficacy studies, and pathogen testing. Mosquito Magnets (MM) baited with BG lure and R-octenol were selected as the most practical alternative to BGS, collecting significantly more Ae. albopictus (32.1 ± 0.7 vs. 5.6 ± 0.1), Aedes japonicus (Theobald) (10.1 ± 0.4 vs. 1.2 ± 0.02), and Aedes triseriatus (Say) (0.9 ± 0.04 vs. 0.04 ± 0.004) females on average per trapping under a variety of weather conditions. MM can be particularly useful for long-term surveillance or when large numbers of specimens are required for pathogen isolation, such as at the sites with suspected dengue or chikungunya transmission., (© The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)