West Nile Virus (WNV) has caused hundreds of human deaths and has cost the U.S. more than 58 million dollars each year since its first emergence in 1999. To understand the ecology of West Nile prevalence and its influence in an urban setting, we will build on preliminary results to test several hypotheses related to either mosquito or avian habitats. Based on preliminary data, three hypothesis were formulated. Our first hypothesis states that an increase of avian diversity will decrease the risk for WN in an area. This is due to the dilution effect, which states that higher biodiversity will lessen the chance for viral outbreaks. If a forest patch has mainly only Corvid species, which often carry West Nile, then there would be a higher chance for a mosquito to infect a corvid. However, if the forest patch had a larger variety of bird species, it would decrease the probability of a mosquito finding a corvid to continue the cycle and increasing the infection risk. Our second hypothesis looks into whether or not forest patches composed primarily of deciduous trees provide more breeding habitats for mosquitoes. Our third hypothesis states that neighborhoods with older houses will have a higher risk for West Nile because they have older sewer systems that create problems such as combined sewer overflow (CSOs). Often these discharges create stagnant pools of dirty water that the mosquitoes need to reproduce. In addition to having older sewage systems, low-income neighborhoods also tend to also have tires and empty pots that also provide the habitat needed for mosquito reproduction. To address these questions, we have established a new series of plots in Atlanta that span ranges of forest patch size, pine composition, and socioeconomic scenarios.
Results/Conclusions:
This study is based on our preliminary work in Atlanta, GA which showed that several factors were correlated to high vector index (VI). It was determined that VI decreased for forest patches (> 10 ha) and VI approached 0 as pine composition in the patches reached 60%. In addition to those results, we found that high VI is correlated to socioeconomic conditions. Older houses and lower-income neighborhoods were found to have a higher risk of West Nile Virus than newer and higher-income neighborhoods. The goal of this study will improve our understanding of the West Nile Virus risk. We will use outreach programs to educate the public on mosquitoes and urban green space.