Last updated: 13 Jul 2008
West Nile Virus Links for Texas
Texas Department of
State Health Services
National/Regional: CDC / EPA /
DEET / Hunters
Birds / Horses
/ Pets / Fish / Mosquitoes
Essay / News
/ Webcast / Gateway
When it comes to mosquito control devices, about the only thing that works is common sense, says an entomologist with Texas A&M University. <snip>
What's particularly disturbing to [Dr.] Olson are the pesticide misting devices now on the market. There are several models, but they generally work by emitting small puffs of the insecticides at timed intervals around a house's perimeter. The devices are expensive, costing as much as $5,000, and their effectiveness is suspect. Worse is the amount of pesticide they release into the environment over time and the possibility of inhalation by residents and the drift of the pesticide to other properties.
"It's about the most indiscriminate, irresponsible use of a chemical control that I've ever seen," Olson said.
The reduction, elimination or treatment of these various [breeding] sites are the best and most cost-effective means of abatement. While most of the species are just a nuisance, stagnant water breeders pose the leading health risk. Nutrient rich, stagnant pools of water are the preferred breeding site for the Culex species. Culex mosquitoes are a major transmitter of encephalitis viruses.
In 2007, a total of 851 cases of the West Nile virus were recorded in Texas, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. That includes cases found in humans, birds, horses and mosquitoes. Ninety cases of West Nile fever and 170 cases of the more serious West Nile neuroinvasive disease were documented in humans in the Lone Star State last year.
July, August and September are the prime months for mosquito populations to grow and the West Nile virus to occur in mosquito populations and be transmitted to other hosts.
West Nile Virus In Texas
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/arboviral/westNile/default.asp
Information for West Nile Virus in Texas
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/arboviral/westNile/information/
Maps of West Nile Virus Surveillance Data
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/arboviral/westNile/maps/
Statistics for West Nile Virus in Texas
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/arboviral/westNile/statistics/
West Nile Virus Information Line: 1-888-883-9997 or click here to find a contact in your area.
CDC's West Nile Virus - Home Page
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm
Map of WNv in the United States - 2005
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&control05Maps.htm
Map of WNv in the United States - 2004
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&control04Maps.htm
Map of WNv in the United States - 2003
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&control03Maps.htm
Questions and Answers
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/q&a.htm
Estimated Sensitivity of West Nile Virus Surveillance Methods
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/misc/slides/roehrig/slide27.htm
Detailed Transmission and Maintenance Cycle of Arboviral Encephalitis (PDF)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/arbor/schemat.pdf
Distribution
of other Important Arboviruses in the U.S. as of June 2001
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/misc/slides/roehrig/slide11.htm
Distribution
worldwide of WN and other closely related viruses - 2000
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/map.htm
Illness onset for 78 persons hospitalized with WNv infections, 1999-2000
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/misc/slides/roehrig/slide30.htm
Illness onset for 66 persons with WNv disease cases, 2001
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5123a1.htm#fig2
World-wide WNv Outbreaks: 1951-2000 (Most since 1996)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/misc/slides/roehrig/slide08.htm
West Nile Virus, 2001: Southern and Western Expansion - PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/conf/pdf/p1-marfin.pdf
How to Use Insect Repellents Safely
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/insectrp.htm
Joint EPA-CDC Statement on Mosquito
Control
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/mosquitojoint.htm
EPA and Mosquito Control
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/skeeters.htm
Malathion For Mosquito Control
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/malathion4mosquitos.htm
Synthetic Pyrethroids (Permethrin, Resmethrin, and Sumithrin)
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/pyrethroids4mosquitos.htm
Larvicides For Mosquito Control
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/larvicides4mosquitos.htm
Biological Control - Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis or
Bti - Cornell
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/pathogens/bacteria.html
Mosquito Dunks (Bti) can be
purchased for as little as $8.25 per six pack
http://www.marchbiological.com/L/mosquito_control.html
Information about the insect
repellents containing "DEET" - EPA
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/chemicals/deet.htm
"A higher percentage of DEET in a repellent does not mean that your protection is better—just that it will last longer. DEET concentrations higher than 50% do not increase the length of protection." - CDC
Insect Repellent Use and Safety - CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/insect_repellent.htm
Mosquito
repellents: To DEET or not to DEET? - Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=F30BE580-B5BE-42A9-A320E0C92254105D
Comparative Efficacy of Insect
Repellents against Mosquito Bites - New England Journal of Medicine
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/347/1/13
DEET - General Fact Sheet - Oregon State University
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/DEETgen.pdf
Permethrin Fast Facts - South Dakota
Department of Health
http://www.state.sd.us/doh/WestNile/permethrin.htm
West Nile Virus No Great Threat to Hunters - TPWD
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/news/news/020819d.htm
WNv and Wild Game Hunters - CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/wnv_hunters.htm
Outdoor Enthusiasts and WNv - Ohio State University
http://ohioline.osu.edu/wnv-fact/1002.html
Wildlife and WNv - Ohio State University
http://ohioline.osu.edu/wnv-fact/1006.html
WNV: what ornithologists and bird banders should know - Ornithological Council
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET/WNV.html
Q. Should people stop feeding birds? (CDC)
A. There is no reason for people to stop feeding birds. Feeding birds
does not increase a person's risk for contracting WNV infection.
"Although birds, particularly crows and jays, infected with WN virus can die or become ill, most infected birds do survive." - CDC
Rate of WN virus positive birds in
Florida 2001
http://home.satx.rr.com/txento/FLwnv.htm
Range of Blue Jay - Texas Breeding Bird Atlas
http://tbba.cbi.tamucc.edu/maps/BLJA.HTM
Range of American Crow - Texas Breeding Bird Atlas
http://tbba.cbi.tamucc.edu/maps/AMCR.HTM
Map of Texas Counties with WNv in Birds -
TDH - 2003
http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/zoonosis/diseases/Arboviral/westNile/maps/tx2003Bird.jpg
How Do I Report a Dead Bird? - TDH
http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/zoonosis/diseases/Arboviral/westNile/samples/DeadBird.asp
How to tell Grackles from Crows - TDH
http://www.tdh.texas.gov/zoonosis/diseases/Arboviral/westNile/samples/grackle.asp
Are all "Blackbirds" Crows?
http://www.health.state.ok.us/program/cdd/ow/identify.html
Photo of three mosquitoes feeding on a bird, two at the edge of the bird's
eye
http://www.anbg.gov.au/biodiversity2000/invaders/img017.GIF
Bird Species Testing Positive for WNv - USGS - Regularly
Updated
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/research/west_nile/wnvaffected.html
138 Bird Species Reported to CDC's WNv Avian Mortality Database
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/birdspecies.htm
"Approximately 40% of equine WN virus cases results in the death of the
horse." - CDC
"Horses were the only WNV-infected nonhuman mammals reported in 2001."
- CDC
Map of Texas Counties with WNv in Horses
- TDH - 2003
http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/zoonosis/diseases/Arboviral/westNile/maps/tx2003Horse.jpg
West Nile Virus and Horses - CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/wnv_horses.htm
Dr. Bruce Lawhorn speaks about WNv & horses in a recent Texas Extension webcast
West Nile Virus and Dogs and Cats - CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/wnv_dogs_cats.htm
Q. Can I put DEET on my pets to protect them from mosquito bites? (CDC)
A. It is recommended that you do not apply repellents with DEET to
animals, because they may lick themselves and therefore "eat" the
product. You may want to check with your veterinarian for suggestions if a pet
is being bothered by mosquitoes.
Gambusia affinis and G. holbrooki - Western and Eastern Mosquitofishes
- USGS
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/SpFactSheet.asp?SpeciesID=845
"Although widely introduced as mosquito control agents, recent critical reviews of the world literature on mosquito control have not supported the view that Gambusia are particularly effective in reducing mosquito populations or in reducing the incidence of mosquito-borne diseases" - USGS
There are over 3,000 mosquito species worldwide, over 200 species in the United States and approximately 85 in Texas. Over 15 species are thought to be involved in the cycling of the disease.
Mosquitoes and the Diseases They Transmit - Texas Cooperative
Extension
http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/b-6119.html
Photos of Mosquitoes that
Carry WNv - TAMU
http://agnews.tamu.edu/westnile/graphics/index.html
Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex Photos - OK State
Department of Entomology
http://entoplp.okstate.edu/mosquito/biology.html
Mosquito Species Positive for WN virus, June – October, 2000 - CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/misc/slides/savage/slide04.htm
Host-Use Patterns of WNv-positive Mosquito Species as of June 2001 - CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/misc/slides/nasci/slide06.htm
Culex pipiens:
Fact Sheet -
Rutgers
http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/cxpip.htm
Culex pipiens Complex (includes: Cx. quinquefasciatus:
Southern House Mosquito -
Rutgers
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/sp1.htm
http://wrbu.si.edu/www/culicidae/culicinae/cx/cux/quinquefasciatus/quinquefasciatus.html
- (includes Map)
Thought to be one of the primary WN vectors throughout
Texas
Ornithophilic - Stabilizing Vector- Breeds in standing, very septic water
One of our most common warm weather backyard mosquitoes
Aedes albopictus: Asian Tiger Mosquito -
Rutgers
http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/tiger.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/arbor/albopic_97_sm.htm - CDC Map 2000
Opportunistic feeder - Amplifying Vector - Introduced in
1985 - Day Biter
Breeds very well in irrigated lawns, most common in eastern half of Texas
Culex tarsalis: Western Encephalitis Mosquito -
Rutgers
http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/sp6.htm
Mammalophilic - Prime suspect of West Nile
virus activity in West Texas
May explain high number of horse cases in west Texas
Culex salinarius - Grass Pool Breeding Culex - Rutgers
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/sp11a.htm
Opportunistic - A primary vector for West Nile
virus, rural active
Peak population throughout the winter particularly along the coast
Aedes vexans - Upland Flood Water Mosquito - Rutgers
http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/sp13.htm
Mammalophilic - Active in the West Nile virus
cycle
Winter active in southeastern third of Texas, rural active
Warm weather active in northwest and far west Texas
Mosquitoes Found in the State of Texas - Texas Mosquito Control
Association
http://www.texasmosquito.org/Checklist.html
Vector Competence of Selected North American Mosquitoes for WNv - CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no6/sardelis.htm
Shortest Insect Life Cycle - University of Florida Book of Insect Records
http://ufbir.ifas.ufl.edu/chap16.htm
Photo of three mosquitoes feeding on a bird, two at the edge of the bird's
eye
http://www.anbg.gov.au/biodiversity2000/invaders/img017.GIF
Other North American Mosquitoes of Medical Importance
http://www.texasento.net/mosquitoes.htm
Flying Fever - Audubon Magazine, 2000
http://magazine.audubon.org/flyingfever.html
Fighting the West Nile Virus without spraying pesticides
http://www.nylcv.org/ecopolitics/ep_winter00b.htm
History of Mosquito Control in NJ
http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/wiab.htm
Mosquito's Role in Bonaparte's selling of the Mississippi Valley
to the U.S. for $15 million
http://scarab.msu.montana.edu/historybug/napoleon/yellow_fever_haiti.htm
Mosquito Bytes - The Why Files
http://whyfiles.org/016skeeter/index.html
Mosquito: A Natural History of Our Most Persistent and Deadly
Foe
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/mosquito/Spielman.htm
NPR interview with Andrew Spielman, author of Mosquito -
46 Minutes
http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2001/jul/010713.mosquito.html
Public Panic over West Nile Virus - 2000 - NABA
http://www.naba.org/wnvirus.html
MEDLINEplus - A service of the National Library of Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_w.html#WestNileVirus
Texas
Cooperative Extension WN Conference Video - 40 minutes - August 22, 2002
http://eit.tamu.edu/westnile/
Dr. Jim Olson speaks about the WNv carrying mosquitoes of Texas
starting at 12:30
Tell Mosquitoes to Buzz Off - New PSA from the CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/psa.htm
"Fight the Bite Campaign" - TV and Radio Commercials -
Louisiana Dept. of Health
http://www.dhh.state.la.us/fightbite.htm
West Nile Fever - Vads Corner
http://www.vadscorner.com/wnf.html
National Library of Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/westnilevirus.html
Other Related Sites - CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/links.htm
13 Jul 2008 © Mike Quinn / mike.quinn@tpwd.state.tx.us / Texas Entomology
