Predicted reduction in transmission from deployment of ivermectin-treated
birdfeeders for local control of West Nile virus
Karen M Holcomb 1 , Chilinh Nguyen 2 , Nicholas Komar 3 , Brian D Foy 4 ,
Nicholas A Panella 3 , Marissa L Baskett 5 , Christopher M Barker 6
Affiliations expand
PMID: 37348378 PMCID: PMC10529638 (available on 2024-09-01) DOI:
10.1016/j.epidem.2023.100697
Abstract
Ivermectin (IVM)-treated birds provide the potential for targeted control of
Culex mosquitoes to reduce West Nile virus (WNV) transmission. Ingestion of
IVM increases mosquito mortality, which could reduce WNV transmission from
birds to humans and in enzootic maintenance cycles affecting predominantly
bird-feeding mosquitoes and from birds to humans. This strategy might also
provide an alternative method for WNV control that is less hampered by
insecticide resistance and the logistics of large-scale pesticide applications.
Through a combination of field studies and modeling, we assessed the
feasibility and impact of deploying IVM-treated birdfeed in residential
neighborhoods to reduce WNV transmission. We first tracked 105 birds using
radio telemetry and radio frequency identification to monitor their feeder usage
and locations of nocturnal roosts in relation to five feeder sites in a
neighborhood in Fort Collins, Colorado. Using these results, we then modified a
compartmental model of WNV transmission to account for the impact of IVM
on mosquito mortality and spatial movement of birds and mosquitoes on the
neighborhood level. We found that, while the number of treated lots in a
neighborhood strongly influenced the total transmission potential, the
arrangement of treated lots in a neighborhood had little effect. Increasing the
proportion of treated birds, regardless of the WNV competency status, resulted
in a larger reduction in infection dynamics than only treating competent birds.
Taken together, model results indicate that deployment of IVM-treated feeders
could reduce local transmission throughout the WNV season, including
reducing the enzootic transmission prior to the onset of human infections, with
high spatial coverage and rates of IVM-induced mortality in mosquitoes. To
improve predictions, more work is needed to refine estimates of daily mosquito
movement in urban areas and rates of IVM-induced mortality. Our results can
guide future field trials of this control strategy.
Keywords: Bird dispersal; Endectocide; SEIR compartment model; Spatially
implicit patch model; Vector control.
Published by Elsevier B.V.
PubMed Disclaimer
Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of Competing Interest BDF, though Colorado State University, has
filed a patent application on aspects underpinning this control method.
Declaration of competing interest BDF, though Colorado State University, has
filed a patent application on aspects underpinning this control method.
Similar articles
Effects of ivermectin treatment of backyard chickens on mosquito dynamics
and West Nile virus transmission.
Holcomb KM, Nguyen C, Foy BD, Ahn M, Cramer K, Lonstrup ET, Mete A, Tell
LA, Barker CM.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022 Mar 25;16(3):e0010260. doi:
10.1371/journal.pntd.0010260. eCollection 2022 Mar.
PMID: 35333866 Free PMC article.
Evaluation of a novel West Nile virus transmission control strategy that targets
Culex tarsalis with endectocide-containing blood meals.
Nguyen C, Gray M, Burton TA, Foy SL, Foster JR, Gendernalik AL, Rückert C,
Alout H, Young MC, Boze B, Ebel GD, Clapsaddle B, Foy BD.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2019 Mar 7;13(3):e0007210. doi:
10.1371/journal.pntd.0007210. eCollection 2019 Mar.
PMID: 30845250 Free PMC article.
Epidemiology of West Nile virus in Connecticut: a five-year analysis of
mosquito data 1999-2003.
Andreadis TG, Anderson JF, Vossbrinck CR, Main AJ.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2004 Winter;4(4):360-78. doi:
10.1089/vbz.2004.4.360.
PMID: 15682518
West Nile virus: the Indian scenario.
Paramasivan R, Mishra AC, Mourya DT.
Indian J Med Res. 2003 Sep;118:101-8.
PMID: 14700342 Review.
On the Fly: Interactions Between Birds, Mosquitoes, and Environment That
Have Molded West Nile Virus Genomic Structure Over Two Decades.
Duggal NK, Langwig KE, Ebel GD, Brault AC.
J Med Entomol. 2019 Oct 28;56(6):1467-1474. doi: 10.1093/jme/tjz112.
PMID: 31549720 Free PMC article. Review.
See all similar articles
Cited by
Mechanistic models for West Nile virus transmission: a systematic review of
features, aims and parametrization.
de Wit MM, Dimas Martins A, Delecroix C, Heesterbeek H, Ten Bosch QA.
Proc Biol Sci. 2024 Mar 13;291(2018):20232432. doi:
10.1098/rspb.2023.2432. Epub 2024 Mar 13.
PMID: 38471554 Free PMC article.
References
Anderson JF, Ferrandino FJ, Dingman DW, Main AJ, Andreadis TG, Becnel JJ.
Control of mosquitoes in catch basins in Connecticut with Bacillus thuringiensis
israelensis, Bacillus sphaericus, and spinosad. J Am Mosq Control Assoc.
2011;27(1):45–55. - PubMed
Bailey SF, Eliason DA, Hoffmann BL. Flight and dispersal of mosquito Culex
tarsalis Coquillett in Sacramento Valley of California. Hilgardia. 1965;37(3):73–
113.
Barber LM, Schleier JJ, Peterson RKD. Economic cost analysis of West Nile
virus outbreak, Sacramento County, California, USA, 2005. Emerg Infect Dis.
2010;16(3):480–6. - PMC - PubMed
Barker CM, Bolling BG, Moore CG, Eisen L. Relationship between distance from
major larval habitats and abundance of adult mosquitoes in semiarid plains
landscapes in Colorado. J Med Entomol. 2009;46(6):1290–8. - PubMed
Barker CM, Niu T, Reisen WK, Hartley DM. Data-driven modeling to assess
receptivity for Rift Valley Fever virus. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2013/11/19.
2013;7(11):e2515. - PMC - PubMed
|
|