West Nile virus is carried by mosquitoes and is sometimes fatal to people, horses and other animals. It is expected to appear in mosquitoes or birds in California soon and may appear here this year in humans. Thus far this summer 393 people in the U.S. have contracted the disease, with nine deaths; last year there were more than 4,000 cases and 284 deaths.
UC Davis has the largest West Nile research and public-testing programs in the state of California. The following UC Davis faculty are available to discuss these programs. For more information or for topics not listed here, contact Sylvia Wright, News Service, (530) 752-7704, swright@ucdavis.edu.
* West Nile in California
* Mosquitoes and disease
* West Nile fever in people
* West Nile in horses, livestock, wildlife
* Transmission of viruses
* Emerging viral diseases
* Human health and mosquito control
* Agriculture and mosquito control
WEST NILE IN CALIFORNIA -- John Edman is a professor of medical entomology and director of the Center for Vectorborne Diseases at UC Davis. He has over 40 years of research experience with mosquito-transmitted diseases. The Center for Vectorborne Diseases performs tests for the state of California to detect West Nile virus in mosquitoes, wild birds and horses. (Samples from sentinel chickens and humans are tested in state laboratories; the UC Davis center doublechecks those results. Media should note that results of all West Nile tests will be released only by state officials.) Edman has published extensively on the blood-feeding behavior of mosquitoes and can answer questions about how and when West Nile virus will likely enter and spread through California. More information: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/cvec/. More information about state agency programs: http://www.westnile.ca.gov/. Contact: John Edman, Center for Vectorborne Diseases, (530) 754-5520, jdedman@ucdavis.edu.
MOSQUITOES AND DISEASE -- Thomas Scott is an expert on how mosquitos transmit disease. He can discuss how scientists look out for mosquito-borne diseases ("surveillance") and how ecology and environmental factors influence the spread of a virus such as West Nile into a new area. Insect-borne diseases are likely to grow in importance as international travel becomes easier and human populations move into new areas, he said. His lab recently identified the mosquito species that are most efficient at carrying West Nile virus and transmitting it to their offspring. More information: http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/scott/index.cfm. Contact: Thomas Scott, Entomology, (530) 754-4196, twscott@ucdavis.edu.
MOSQUITOES AND DISEASE -- Gregory Lanzaro is a medical entomologist and director of the University of California Mosquito Research Program, which is based at UC Davis. This program distributes UC funds to researchers studying mosquito-borne diseases and environmentally safe methods to improve mosquito control. Lanzaro himself has active research on the genetics and population biology of mosquitoes that transmit malaria in West Africa and leishmaniasis in Latin America. He can discuss historical and modern insect-transmitted diseases of humans and animals, including control strategies. Contact: Gregory Lanzaro, UC Mosquito Research Program, (530) 752-6983, gclanzaro@ucdavis.edu.
WEST NILE FEVER IN PEOPLE -- Stuart Cohen, an infectious disease specialist and professor in the UC Davis School of Medicine, can discuss West Nile infection in humans -- its symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. He also can discuss the possibility of West Nile virus transmission through blood transfusions or organ transplants. Contact: Kelly Gastman, Health System Public Affairs, (916) 734-9444, kelly.gastman@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.
WEST NILE IN HORSES, LIVESTOCK, WILDLIFE -- Gregory Ferraro is director of the Center for Equine Health at UC Davis. The center is currently directing a prospective study of the epidemiological and ecological implications for West Nile virus within California. Center researchers are interested in determining the impact of the virus on horses, other species of domesticated animals and wildlife. The program is also attempting to evaluate the relative effectiveness of currently recommended vaccination regimes for horses. Scientists will be looking for changes in disease-control and vaccination strategies that could minimize the virus' impact on California animal populations. More information: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ceh/wnv_info.html. Contact: Gregory Ferraro, Center for Equine Health, (530) 752-6433, glferraro@ucdavis.edu.
EMERGING VIRAL DISEASES -- Frederick Murphy is an international authority on viruses and viral diseases, including rabies, encephalitis and hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola. He can discuss how outbreaks of such diseases can be detected and what steps authorities can take to prepare for these threats. Murphy is a dean emeritus of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and formerly served as the director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Contact: Fred Murphy, School of Veterinary Medicine, (530) 754-6175, famurphy@ucdavis.edu.
HUMAN HEALTH AND MOSQUITO CONTROL -- Arthur Craigmill, a UC Davis toxicology specialist, can discuss potential human-health effects of various chemicals used to kill mosquitoes and mosquito larvae. Contact: Arthur Craigmill, Department of Environmental Toxicology, (530) 752-2936, alcraigmill@ucdavis.edu.
AGRICULTURE AND MOSQUITO CONTROL -- The Davis-based UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program is working with agriculture to control mosquito populations through optimal irrigation and pesticide practices. For example, in some cases it may be possible to replace flood irrigation with other forms of irrigation that are less likely to result in standing water, where mosquitoes breed. The program also is evaluating agricultural pesticide use, hoping to prevent a possible buildup of pesticide resistance among California mosquito populations. More information: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/default.html. Contact: Richard Roush, UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management, (530) 752-8350, rtroush@ucdavis.edu.