In the lab
Researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have teamed with the University of Alabama and Rutgers University to study and identify specific types of mosquitoes most likely to transmit the West Nile virus.
Researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the Centersfor Disease Control (CDC) have teamed with the University of Alabama andRutgers University to study and identify specific types of mosquitoes mostlikely to transmit the West Nile virus.
Dr. Charles Apperson, entomology professor and lead WNV researcher atNCSU, says identifying the WNV-carrying mosquitoes will allow officialsto target specific populations.
"The mosquito that transmits the virus to humans and horses is stillnot known for certain. If we can knock down those mosquitoes early in theseason, maybe we won't get virus amplification or transmission going on."
Among the mosquito species suspected of being a culprit of transmissionof WNV is the Culex mosquito, which hibernates in winter and can carry thevirus into the next season.
Read the feature by Senior Associate Editor Stephanie Davis in the Septemberissue of DVM Newsmagazine.
