All articles tagged with #mosquitoes
The CDC updated a Level 1 travel advisory to warn travelers about dengue in 16 countries, urging precautions like long sleeves, insect repellent and sleeping in screened rooms; dengue can rapidly worsen and cause severe symptoms such as brain bleeding, and there is no vaccine for travelers; most US cases come from international travel, with outbreaks recurring every few years.
Georgia Tech and MIT researchers tracked hundreds of female Aedes aegypti in 3D to show each mosquito independently uses visual cues and CO2 to fly toward humans; the strongest attraction occurs when both cues are present, causing swarming and feeding around the head and shoulders. The study, published in Science Advances, could inform smarter traps and control strategies, including intermittent suction and lighting cues rather than constant signals.
A surge of crane flies across the Victor Valley has residents mistaking the harmless insects for a mosquito infestation; crane flies do not bite and can be beneficial pollinators, with larvae helping decompose material. The spike is likely linked to recent moist, cooler weather, and experts say the situation is temporary. Residents are advised to reduce outdoor lighting and seal doors and windows to minimize entry.
Georgia Tech researchers used a mesh suit, a Styrofoam dummy, and a high-speed camera to record millions of mosquito flight trajectories around a human, then applied Bayesian inference to model how heat, moisture, carbon dioxide, and visual cues drive host-seeking. The result is a predictive model that identifies “zones of danger” and could inform smarter traps and deterrents, aiding efforts to reduce mosquito-borne disease transmission.
New South Wales cases of Buruli ulcer are linked to the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans carried by local mosquitoes (notably Aedes notoscriptus) and possums. Genomic data suggest distinct strains and a pattern of spread from Victoria to NSW, with outbreaks slowly emerging in new areas. There is no vaccine, so prevention focuses on avoiding mosquito bites and eliminating standing water and other breeding sites. Treatment is usually a six-to-eight week course of antibiotics, sometimes with surgery, and early treatment improves outcomes; monitoring possum waste may help track new activity.
Lab studies show mosquitoes carrying Nipah or rabies vaccines can inoculate bats (and mice), triggering neutralizing antibodies and protection in some models; researchers also explored saline drinking stations to deliver vaccines to fruit bats. While results are promising, experts caution about ethical, ecological, and logistical hurdles before real-world use.
DNA analyses of Anopheles mosquitoes in Southeast Asia suggest the shift to human blood-feeding happened 2.9–1.6 million years ago in Sundaland, implying Homo erectus may have been present in numbers sufficient to drive the adaptation and offering a new clue to the timing of early human arrival in the region where fossil remains are sparse.
A new study shows warmer European temperatures could enable chikungunya transmission by the invasive Asian tiger mosquito for six months of the year in southern Europe and several months in much of western Europe, lowering the transmission threshold to about 13–14°C (down from 16–18°C). This broadens areas and seasons at risk, with outbreaks historically sparked by travel but potentially escalating locally as mosquitoes move northward. The finding underscores the need for surveillance, mosquito-control measures, and personal protection to prevent bites; the UK has yet to see local transmission, though imported cases rose in 2025.
A Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution study in Rio de Janeiro’s Atlantic Forest remnants shows mosquitoes feeding on humans more often than on other animals, likely because biodiversity loss reduces alternative hosts. From 1,714 mosquitoes across 52 species, 24 blood meals were identified, with 18 traced to humans. The findings suggest that host availability and proximity drive this shift, increasing the risk of pathogen transmission (dengue, Zika, Yellow Fever, Mayaro, Chikungunya) and underscoring the need for targeted surveillance and ecosystem-aware disease control.
El Segundo residents have faced weeks of unbearable mosquito infestations since November, with authorities pointing to standing water from recent rains and a land strip adjacent to LADWP’s Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant as possible sources of the Aedes aegypti surge. Officials, including Hyperion plant staff and county vector control, are dewatering and treating affected areas while continuing to track sources, as residents describe living in an “absolute nightmare” with sleep disrupted.
A mosquito infestation has overwhelmed the El Segundo area near Los Angeles for roughly two months, with residents reporting relentless bites, nights disrupted by swarms, and mosquitoes invading homes despite preventive measures. City officials say they’re coordinating with Los Angeles Vector Control to identify sources and are focusing containment efforts on six blocks still under siege.
New research links deforestation in the Atlantic Forest to mosquitoes increasingly feeding on humans, suggesting biodiversity decline and habitat destruction push mosquitoes to human blood and raise the risk of new disease vectors; reversing habitat destruction could help, but the reversibility of this shift remains uncertain.
Brazilian researchers found Atlantic Forest mosquitoes increasingly prefer human blood as biodiversity declines from deforestation; among more than 1,700 mosquitoes sampled, 24 had human DNA from 18 different people, suggesting humans may be the main blood source in disturbed areas and potentially altering disease risk. The study calls for improved sampling methods and further analysis.
A study in Nature Communications warns that the global spread of mosquitoes through trade and travel has increased significantly since the 1950s, raising the risk of vector-borne diseases like West Nile virus and encephalitis, which pose serious health and economic challenges. The expansion is driven by global shipping, trade routes, and climate change, emphasizing the need for preventive measures such as protective clothing and eliminating standing water.
Recent research reveals that male mosquitoes can feed on blood under certain conditions, challenging long-held beliefs and raising concerns about their potential role in disease transmission, although further studies are needed to understand the implications fully.