Reported Distribution of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus in the United States, 1995-2016 (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (L.) and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse) transmit arboviruses that are increasing threats to human health in the Americas, particularly dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Epidemics of the associated arboviral diseases have been limited to South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean in the Western Hemisphere, with only minor localized outbreaks in the United States. Nevertheless, accurate and up-to-date information for the geographical ranges of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in the United States is urgently needed to guide surveillance and enhance control capacity for these mosquitoes. We compiled county records for presence of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in the United States from 1995-2016, presented here in map format. Records were derived from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ArboNET database, VectorMap, the published literature, and a survey of mosquito control agencies, university researchers, and state and local health departments. Between January 1995 and March 2016, 183 counties from 26 states and the District of Columbia reported occurrence of Ae. aegypti, and 1,241 counties from 40 states and the District of Columbia reported occurrence of Ae. albopictus During the same time period, Ae. aegypti was collected in 3 or more years from 94 counties from 14 states and the District of Columbia, and Ae. albopictus was collected during 3 or more years from 514 counties in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Our findings underscore the need for systematic surveillance of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in the United States and delineate areas with risk for the transmission of these introduced arboviruses.

Zika Virus Infection in Patient with No Known Risk Factors, Utah, USA, 2016

“…aegypti mosquitoes were previously identified in southwestern Utah in 2013 ( 9 ), our vector investigations did not identify Ae. aegypti or Ae.…”

“…Patient A also visited the 2 residences of the index patient after his death, suggesting possible vectorborne transmission from Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, which have been previously identified in Utah ( 9 ). Urine obtained from patient A 7 days after illness onset was positive for Zika virus RNA, and a day 11 serum sample was positive for Zika virus IgM and Zika virus and dengue virus neutralizing antibodies ( 8 ).…”

Decision making in the face of uncertainty: the challenge of emerging infectious diseases

“…However, A. aegypti is endemic only in the southernmost United States, with occasional seasonal introductions further north, thus limiting the geographic potential for autochthonous viral transmission. 8,9 This trend is similar to the observations with dengue, another arbovirus spread from human to human via A. aegypti mosquitoes, which has only caused transient focal outbreaks in southern Florida and Texas in recent decades, and that autochthonous chikungunya and Zika virus transmission has only been documented in these areas to date. [10][11][12][13] While Aedes albopictus is a competent vector for dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses with wider distribution in the United States than A. aegypti, to date, only one case of autochthonous transmission of dengue in New York and none of chikungunya and Zika viruses has been convincingly shown to result from A. albopictus vectored transmission in the United States.…”

Wolbachia pipientis occurs in Aedes aegypti populations in New Mexico and Florida, USA

“…albopictus occur in the state of New Mexico (Hahn et al, 2017(Hahn et al, , 2016 albopictus occur in the state of New Mexico (Hahn et al, 2017(Hahn et al, , 2016 …”