U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Mosquito and Fly Research: Gainesville, FL
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    CareersSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Southeast Area Gainesville, Florida Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology Mosquito and Fly Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Linthicum, Kenneth

                                                         - *Ken*item
                                            ANYAMBA, ASSAF - Goddard Space Flight Centeritem
                                            SMALL, JENNIFER - Goddard Space Flight Centeritem
                                            PAK, EDWIN - Goddard Space Flight Centeritem
                                            TUCKER, COMPTON - Goddard Space Flight Centeritem
                                            WITT, CLARE - Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC)item
                                            CHRETIEN, JEAN-PAUL - Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC)item
                                            Gibson, Seth
  Submitted to: United States Animal Health Association Proceedings
                                    Publication Type: Proceedings
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 10/13/2010
                                    Publication  Date: 6/1/2010
                                    Citation: Linthicum, K., Anyamba, A., Small, J., Pak, E., Tucker, C.J., Witt, C., Chretien, J., Britch, S.C. 2010. Rift Valley fever Entomology, Ecology, and Outbreak Risk Factors. United States Animal Health Association Proceedings. p. 709-710.Interpretive Summary:
                                Technical Abstract: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease of domestic ruminants and humans in Africa. The disease is most severe in cattle, sheep, and goats, and it causes high mortality in young animals and abortion in adults. Exotic aanimal breeds from areas where RVF is not endemic tend to be more susceptible. Human infection causes significant morbidity and mortality. RVF has caused serious disease in laboratory workers and must be handled with high level biosecurity. RVF was first described in 1930 in the Rift Valley of Kenya, and the disease has since occurred irregularly in Kenya every 3 to 10 years. The disease first spread outside sub-Saharan Africa into Egypt in 1997 and resulted in large losses among the domestic animal populations and caused significant human disease. Subsequently, in 1987 a large outbreak in animals and people occurred in Sahel region of Senegal and Mauritania, and then in September 2000, a RVF outbreak occurred in Saudi Arabia and Yemen along the Red Sea Coast, representing the first Rift Valley fever cases identified outside Africa. RVF generally occurs during years of unusually heavy rainfall and when localized and widespread flooding occurs. It is thought that the flooding causes transovarially infected Aedes mosquito eggs to hatch and introduce the virus into domestic animals, thus allowing the maintenance of the virus in nature during dry non-epidemic conditions. After livestock are infected, a wide variety of mosquito species may act as the vector for transmission of RVF virus to spread the disease. There are no licensed animal or human vaccines available for use in the United States. We have developed a monitoring and risk mapping system using global sea surface temperatures and normalized difference vegetation index times series data derived from the advanced very high resolution radiometer instrument on polar orbiting national oceanographic and atmospheric administration satellites to map areas at risk for a potential outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa, the Nile River Valley, and the Arabian Peninsula. This system is now an important tool for local, national and international organizations involved in the prevention and control of animal and human disease, permitting focused and timely implementation of disease control strategies several months before an outbreak. We are currently developing a geographic information system-based remotely sensed early warning system for potential RVF vectors in the United States. Forecasts of the potential emergence of mosquito vectors will be disseminated throughout the United States, providing several months’ warning in advance of potentially elevated mosquito populations. This would allow timely, targeted implementation of mosquito control, animal quarantine and vaccine strategies to reduce or prevent animal and human disease. Currently above normal sea surface temperatures have developed in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean (~ 2oC) and also in the equatorial (~1oC) typical of the 1997-1998 and 2006-2007 period. This warming of the ocean’s increases the likelihood of elevated rainfall in the Horn of Africa at the end of 2009 and early 2010. Since the most recent RVF outbreak occurred in this area in 2007 and the number of RVF susceptible animals is limited the elevated rainfall is unlikely to cause significant RVF disease activity during the current season but may cause focal disease introduction into isolated populations as virus infected Aedes mosquitoes are produced subsequent to flooding. We conclude that:
• The threat from globalization of RVF, is real and ever present danger
• RVF surveillance and control preparations are critical
• Further research on RVF disease ecology, vector biology and control, genetics, vaccines, etc to is essential to react quickly and effectively control disease and limit spread
• RVF vector control, quarantine and vacc


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov