Mosquitoes have been transmitting the West Nile virus to humans in the United States for over 25 years, but we still don’t know precisely how the virus cycles through these pests and the other animals they bite. Entomology associate professor Megan Meuti and her team of Co-PI's are "...hopeful that what we will uncover in this grant will help us to better understand what’s driving West Nile virus transmission, and seasonal cycles of transmission, so we can determine when and where to direct control interventions to limit transmission and keep people healthy.”
The project, based on Ohio data but structured to develop models adaptable to other U.S. regions, is funded by a $3 million grant from the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease program through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and aims to help pin down the process by using mathematical models to analyze how factors like temperature, light pollution, and bird and mosquito abundance affect West Nile virus transmission. The ultimate goal is to advise health departments of the best time of year to kill the bugs.
Full story in the link below, by Emily Caldwell, Ohio State News, caldwell.151@osu.edu:
Read more about: Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission.