An analysis of 2001 and 2002 West Nile virus (WNV) surveillance data shows that counties that report WNV-infected dead birds early in the transmission season are more likely to report subsequent WNV disease cases in humans than are counties that do not report early WNV-infected dead birds.

Two arsenic-accumulating Pteris ferns (Pteris cretica mayii and Pteris multifida), along with a non-accumulating control fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) were grown in greenhouse conditions in clean sand spiked with 0, 20, 50, 100 and 200 ppm sodium arsenate. Spectral data were collected for each of five replicates prior to harvest at 4-week intervals. Fern samples were analyzed for total metals content and Partial Least Squares and Stepwise Linear Regression techniques were used to develop models from the spectral data. Results showed that Pteris cretica mayii and Pteris multifida are confirmed hyperaccumulators of inorganic arsenic and that reasonably accurate predictive models of arsenic concentration can be developed from the first derivative of spectral reflectance of the hyperaccumulating Pteris ferns. Both the arsenic uptake and spectral results indicate that there is some species-specific variability but the results compare favorably with previously published data and additional research is recommended.