Submitted by the MVCAC VVBD Committee Blanton LS, Villasante-Tezanos A. Oral Flea Preventive to Control Rickettsia typhi–Infected Fleas on Reservoir Opossums, Galveston, Texas, USA, 2023–2024. Emerg Infect Dis. 2025;31(6):1193-1196. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3106.241817…
Author: Sarah Spencer
The ‘Man-Eater’ Screwworm Is Coming
Submitted by the MVCAC VVBD Committee by Sarah Zhang https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-man-eater-screwworm-is-coming/ar-AA1FzlCJ? The United States has, for 70 years, been fighting a continuous aerial war against the New World screwworm, a parasite…
News Briefs 5.28.2025
Upcoming Events; MVCAC 2025 Yearbook is Now Available; Volunteers Needed; MVCAC 2025-2026 Budget Approved; May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month; Insecticide Resistance Toolkits; CEQA Status Update; Request for Participation in…
Time-of-day changes in permethrin susceptibility and metabolic gene expression in Florida Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)
SM Schluep et al. 2025. Journal of Medical Entomology, 62(2), 2025, 389–398 https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaf013 A better understanding of time-of-day variation in insecticide resistance mediated by detoxifying enzymes in Ae. aegypti could…
News Briefs 5.21.2025
Upcoming Events; MVCAC 2025 Yearbook is Now Available; Volunteers Needed; MVCAC 2025-2026 Budget Approved; May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month; Insecticide Resistance Toolkits; CEQA Status Update; Request for Participation in…
May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month
Nymphal Ixodes pacificus are most active in the spring and early summer in California. These tiny ticks pose a greater risk of transmitting Lyme disease. Get CDPH messaging and resources…
Fluralaner treatment of chickens kills the southern housemosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus
K Knape, Y Tian, C Durden, et al. 2025. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 39(2), 385–392. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12778 Abstract The control of zoonotic and vector-borne pathogens is challenging due…
Low risk for locally acquired Chagas disease in California: A review of human cases and triatomine submissions, 2013–2023
AJ Lund ,ME Metzger, VL Kramer, AM Kjemtrup. 2025. PLoS Neg Top Dis https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0013036 Abstract. Chagas disease is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is…
Assessing the Relationship Between Entomological Surveillance Indices and West Nile Virus Transmission, United States: Systematic Review
TC. Moore, X Tang, HE. Brown. 2025. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2024.0072 Abstract Background: Entomological surveillance indices are used to estimate the risk of West Nile virus (WNV; family…
News Briefs 4.30.2025
Upcoming Events; MVCAC 2025 Yearbook is Now Available; Volunteers Needed; MVCAC 2025-2026 Budget Approved; Insecticide Resistance Toolkits; CEQA Status Update; Monarch Butterfly Proposed Rule Comment Period; Merced County MAD Ribbon…
News Briefs 4.23.2025
Upcoming Events; Insecticide Resistance Toolkits; CEQA Status Update; Monarch Butterfly Proposed Rule Comment Period; Merced County MAD Ribbon Cutting Ceremony May 6, 2025; Request for Participation in Oropouche Virus Vector…
Methods for Nucleic Acid Extraction from Ticks: Challenges and Potential for Advancement
D. Damian. 2025. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases [ahead of print] https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2024.0125 Abstract Background: DNA extraction from ticks is essential for research on tick-borne diseases, yet the methodologies currently employed exhibit…
Monarch butterfly proposed rule comment period
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has a proposed rule listing monarch butterflies as an endangered species. AMCA and MVCAC will be providing comment letters on the proposed 4(d) rule…
News Briefs 4.16.2025
Upcoming Events; Insecticide Resistance Toolkits; It’s Mosquito Awareness Week! April 13-19; Merced County MAD Ribbon Cutting Ceremony May 6, 2025; Request for Participation in Oropouche Virus Vector Surveillance; Glossary of…
News Briefs 4.09.2025
Upcoming Events; Insecticide Resistance Toolkits; Mosquito Awareness Week April 13-19; Request for Participation in Oropouche Virus Vector Surveillance; Glossary of Terms; New 2025 California Laws Impacting Public Agencies; Send in…
Withdrawal of the United States from the WHO — How President Trump Is Weakening Public Health
G. Yamey and B. K. Titanji. 2025. New England J. Medicine. Perspective. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp2501790 On July 6, 2020, during his first presidency, Donald Trump notified the United Nations secretary-general that…
News Briefs 4.02.2025
Upcoming Events; Legislative Day at the California State Capitol; Insecticide Resistance Toolkits; Save the Date – Mosquito Awareness Week April 13-19; Glossary of Terms; New 2025 California Laws Impacting Public…
Woods TA, Johnson SF, Evans AB, Peterson KE. Neutralizing Antibodies against California Serogroup Orthobunyaviruses in Human Serum Samples, Montana, USA
Emerg Infect Dis. 2025;31(4):699-709. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3104.241520 Abstract Viral encephalitis is often underreported and undiagnosed. To understand the potential causes of viral encephalitis in the state of Montana, USA, we examined the…
MYIASIS – MEXICO: NEW WORLD SCREWWORM (COCHLIOMYIA HOMINIVORAX, HUMAN
A ProMED-mail post http://www.promedmail.org ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org Date: Tue 11 Mar 2025 Source: Diario de Yucatan [in Spanish, machine trans., abridged,…
News Briefs 3.26.2025
Upcoming Events; Legislative Day at the California State Capitol; Insecticide Resistance Toolkits; Save the Date – Mosquito Awareness Week April 13-19; Glossary of Terms; New 2025 California Laws Impacting Public…
Mark-Release-Recapture of Packed and Shipped Aedes aegypti with Wolbachia: Implications for Conducting Remote Incompatible Insect Technique Programs
Ohm, J.R. et al. [ahead of print] Am.J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 00(00), 2025, pp. 1–12 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.24-0262. Abstract. Male mosquitoes containing the endosymbiont Wolbachia (Wb1) can be used as a…
DENGUE/DHF UPDATE (33): AMERICAS, CDC
A ProMED-mail post http://www.promedmail.org ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org Date: Tue 18 Mar 2025 10:00 a.m. ET Source: CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response…
News Briefs 3.19.2025
MVCAC Legislative Day & Spring Meeting – You MUST register to join!; Essential Workshop on Disaster Preparedness at Spring Meeting Monday, March 24th; Save the Date MVCAC 2026 Annual Conference;…
Lack of Competence of US Mosquito Species for Circulating Oropouche Virus
Payne AF, et al. 2025. Emerg Inf Dis. Vol. 31, No. 3, March 2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3103.241886 Abstract. Given recent outbreaks of Oropouche virus in Latin America and >100 confirmed travel-associated…
Assessing pyrethroid resistance mechanisms in individual Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae)
B.M. Mortola et al. 2025. J. Med. Entomol., tjaf001, https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaf001 Abstract The evolution of pyrethroid insecticide resistance in Culex tarsalis Coquillett is a growing concern in Northern California. Common mechanisms…
Gene drive: communication, hype, and the publics C.
Boëte. 2025. J. Med. Entomol. tjaf007, https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaf007 Abstract Engineered gene drive (EGD) systems are probably the most high-tech approach considered for their potential role in the control of vector-borne…
News Briefs 3.5.2025
MVCAC Legislative Day & Spring Meeting – Room Block Closes Monday, March 10; Essential Workshop on Disaster Preparedness at Spring Meeting Monday, March 24th; Save the Date MVCAC 2026 Annual Conference;…
Sugar feeding by Aedes albopictus in the Torres Strait, Australia
Sebayang, BF, et al. 2025. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0012856 Abstract Background The establishment of Aedes albopictus in the Torres Strait Islands in 2005 is a threat to dengue control…
DENGUE/DHF UPDATE (13): AMERICAS, PAHO/WHO OUTBREAK RISK
Date: Fri 7 Feb 2025 Source: PAHO/WHO Epidemiological Alert [edited] https://www.paho.org/en/documents/epidemiological-alert-risk-dengue-outbreaks-due-increased-circulation-denv-3-americas The occurrence and magnitude of dengue outbreaks are usually associated with the introduction or increase in circulation of a…
News Briefs 2.26.2025
MVCAC Legislative Day & Spring Meeting; Save the Date MVCAC 2026 Annual Conference; Legendary Medical Entomologist Bruce Eldridge Dies at 91; Glossary of Terms; New 2025 California Laws Impacting Public…
Rickettsial Pathogens in Dogs and Ticks During an Epidemic of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Ensenada, Baja California, México
L. Backus et al. email: J Foley jefoley@ucdavis.edu DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.24-0497 Abstract: A Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) epidemic has spread through the state of Baja California, Mexico over the last…
News Briefs 2.5.2025
Save the Date MVCAC 2026 Annual Conference; 93rd Annual Conference – Thank You; Check Out the 93rd Annual Conference Video!; Congratulations William Walton Poster Session Winners; Grassroots Advocacy Outreach; Save…
News Briefs 3.29.2023
Save the Date for Spring Budget & Board Meetings!; AMG bids Farewell to Sarah Spencer; Spring Meeting & Leg Day Follow Up; Register by tomorrow PacVec Annual Meeting 2023!; Cybersecurity…
Will SoCal see more mosquitoes after all this rain? Officials urge residents to prepare now
From ABC7 March 29, 2023 DUARTE, Calif. (KABC) — With so much rain drenching Southern California this season, there is another pesky problem lurking around the corner: mosquitoes. “It doesn’t take…
‘Big concern’: Unusual mosquito season may be coming to California
From the San Francisco Gate March 26, 2023 SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — It is that time of year: Mosquitoes are back. The bad news? You’ll likely see more of them…
Health Experts Warn of Mosquitoes in Standing Water Following Recent Storms
From NBC Bay Area March 24, 2023 As we just hit spring, experts say mosquitoes are already multiplying, taking advantage of all the recent flooding. In Belmont, families can still…
News Briefs 3.22.2023
Register by March 30th PacVec Annual Meeting 2023!; Save the Date for Spring Budget & Board Meetings!; Call for Proceedings Papers Deadline April 7, 2023; Sentinel Chicken Orders; Share Your…
2023 International Branch Virtual Symposium Program Now Available
Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee March 22, 2023 The online program for the 2023 International Branch Virtual Symposium now available! Check out the program and start planning your schedule. Plus,…
Why Sacramento Valley experts believe you will see (and feel) more mosquitoes this season
From KCRA 3 March 22, 2023 It is that time of year in the Sacramento Valley: mosquitoes are back. The bad news? You’ll likely see more of them this season,…
Kretschmer M, Collins J, Dale AP, et al. Notes From the Field: First Evidence of Locally Acquired Dengue Virus Infection — Maricopa County, Arizona, November 2022
Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee March 20, 2023 MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:290–291. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7211a5 A Maricopa County, Arizona resident was hospitalized with Dengue-like symptoms on October 19,…
Recovery of western black-legged tick and vertebrate populations after a destructive wildfire in an intensively-studied woodland in northern California
Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee March 20, 2023 Pascoe, EL et al. Journal of Vector Ecology, https://doi.org/10.52707/1081-1710-48.1.19 Condensed abstract: In 2018, the River Fire burned a forest…
News Briefs 3.15.2023
Join Today’s Legislative Conference Training Session at Noon; Legislative Conference & Spring Committee Meetings; Save the Date for Spring Budget & Board Meetings!; MVCAC Writer’s Workshop; Call for Proceedings Papers…
News Briefs 3.8.2023
Legislative Conference & Spring Committee Meetings; Save the Date for Spring Budget & Board Meetings!; MVCAC Writer’s Workshop; Call for Proceedings Papers Deadline April 7, 2023; Sentinel Chicken Orders; Share…
Larvicidal evaluation of two novel cationic gemini surfactants against the potential vector of West Nile virus Culex pipiens Linnaeus (Diptera: Culicidae)
Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee March 8, 2023 DR Abdel-Haleem, EE Badr, AM Samy, SA Baker Medical and Veterinary Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12645 Condensed Abstract: Novel cationic gemini surfactants were synthesized to assess…
Ticks thrive in Northern California climate. Here’s where they like to hide
From the Sacramento Bee March 7, 2023 As spring rolls in and temperatures warm, hiking one of Northern California’s many trails is an obvious activity to indulge, but it’s important…
News Briefs 3.1.2023
Legislative Conference & Spring Committee Meetings; Save the Date for Spring Budget & Board Meetings!; MVCAC Writer’s Workshop; New tools urgently needed to protect Californians from mosquito-transmitted diseases; Call for…
New tools urgently needed to protect Californians from mosquito-transmitted diseases
From the Capitol Weekly February 24, 2023 BY BY WAKOLI WEKESA, PhD POSTED 02.24.2023 OPINION – Mosquito and vector control districts are on the front lines each day working to protect Californians…
News Briefs 2.22.2023
Legislative Conference & Spring Committee Meetings; Save the Date for Spring Budget & Board Meetings!; Call for Proceedings Papers Deadline April 7, 2023; Invasive Aedes Impact Survey; Sentinel Chicken Orders;…
Spatiotemporal distribution of vector mosquito species and areas at risk for arbovirus transmission in Maricopa County, Arizona
Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee February 22, 2023 Wilke, Andre B.B., et al. Email: andwilke@iu.edu Acta Tropica, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.106833 Condensed abstract: This study determined the spatiotemporal distribution of vector…
News Briefs 2.15.2023
Thank You For Joining Us!; Annual Conference Photos; Sentinel Chick Orders; Legislative Conference; PacVec Updates; Share Your Post COVID-19 Exposure Methods With Us; MVCAC Member Resources Re: COVID-19; Submit your…