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Trends in mosquito species distribution modeling: insights for vector surveillance and disease control

LIPPI, MUNDIS, SIPPY, FLENNIKEN, CHAUDHARY, HECHT, RYAN – Trends in mosquito species distribution modeling: insights for vector surveillance and disease control Catherine Lippi, Stephanie Mundis, Rachel Sippy, Matthew Flenniken, Anusha Chaudhary, Gavriella Hecht, Colin Carlson, Sadie Ryan Article first published online: 28 August 2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-023-05912-z ABSTRACT: Species distribution modeling (SDM) has become an increasingly common […]

Characterizing the Vector Data Ecosystem

LIPPI, RYAN – Characterizing the Vector Data Ecosystem Catherine Lippi, Samuel Rund, Sadie Ryan Article first published online: 8 February 2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjad009 ABSTRACT: A growing body of information on vector-borne diseases has arisen as increasing research focus has been directed towards the need for anticipating risk, optimizing surveillance, and understanding the fundamental biology of […]

Spatiotemporal Environmental Drivers of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus in Central Florida: Towards a Predictive Model for a Lethal Disease

MUNDIS, RYAN – Spatiotemporal Environmental Drivers of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus in Central Florida: Towards a Predictive Model for a Lethal Disease Stephanie J Mundis, Steve Harrison, Dave Pelley, Susan Durand, Sadie J Ryan Article first published online: 12 August 2022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjac113 ABSTRACT: Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a mosquito-borne virus that affects […]

Temperature impacts the environmental suitability for malaria transmission by Anopheles Gambian and Anopheles stephensi

RYAN – Temperature impacts the environmental suitability for malaria transmission by Anopheles Gambian and Anopheles stephensi Oswaldo C. Villena, Sadie J. Ryan, Courtney C. Murdock, Leah R. Johnson Article first published online: 22 March 2022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3685 ABSTRACT: Extrinsic environmental factors influence the spatio-temporal dynamics of many organisms, including insects that transmit the pathogens responsible for vector-borne […]

Implications of Insecticide-Treated Mosquito Net Fishing in Lower Income Countries

RYAN – Implications of Insecticide-Treated Mosquito Net Fishing in Lower Income Countries David A. Larsen, Joseph Makaure, Sadie J. Ryan, Donald Stewart, Adrianne Traub, Rick Welsh, Deirdre H. Love, and Joseph H. Bisesi Jr Article first published online: 8 JAN 2021 Environmental Health Perspectives DOI: 10.1289/EHP7001 ABSTRACT: Introduction: Insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) are highly effective […]

Summarizing the Research and Knowledge Gaps for Mosquito-borne Arboviruses in Ecuador

GAINESVILLE, FL – Researchers and clinicians in Ecuador face a challenging environment: this biodiverse country is home to many disease hosts and vectors. Particularly, the mosquitoes in Ecuador carry and transmit arboviruses (arthropod-borne viruses). This group includes diseases like dengue, chikungunya, Mayaro virus, yellow fever, and Zika, among others. All are spread by overlapping mosquito species. […]

VectorByte: A Global Informatics Platform for studying the Ecology of Vector-Borne Diseases

A new 5-year NSF Division of Biological Infrastructure, awarded to Sadie J. Ryan (University of Florida), Leah R. Johnson (Virginia Tech), and Samuel Rund (University of Notre Dame), in collaboration with Samraat Pawar (Imperial College London), is launching in August 2020. This new initiative – VectorByte – will establish a global open access data platform […]

Meet the Geographer: Cat Lippi

Cat Lippi Pronouns: she/her Quantitative Disease Ecology & Conservation Lab Emerging Pathogens Institute CDC Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector Borne Diseases Graduate Representative 2019/2020 University of Florida Adviser: Dr. Sadie Ryan Focus Area: Medical Geography in Global Health (MGGH) Research Statement: I am broadly interested in vector-borne diseases, public health vector control, and investigating the […]

Meet the Geographer: Stephanie Mundis

  Stephanie Mundis Pronouns: she/her Quantitative Disease Ecology & Conservation Lab Emerging Pathogens Institute CDC Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector Borne Diseases Graduate Representative 2019/2020 University of Florida Adviser: Dr. Sadie Ryan Focus Area: Medical Geography in Global Health (MGGH) Research Statement: My research interests are in the application of GIS to understand vector-borne […]

Featured Creatures Article on Asian bush mosquito Aedes japonicus japonicus

Medical Geography PhD student Cat Lippi led a new Featured Creatures article on the Asian bush mosquito Aedes japonicus japonicus, published online by UF Entomology and Nematology and FDACS/DPI. Aedes japonicus is an invasive, container-inhabiting mosquito that has expanded its geographic distribution in recent years, establishing in parts of Canada and throughout much of the […]

Dr. Sadie Ryan Best of PLOS 2019!

Dr. Sadie Ryan‘s paper Global expansion and redistribution of Aedes-borne virus transmission risk with climate change in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, was included as the March entry for the Best of PLOS 2019 list. From the announcement: March: Climate change may mean more mosquito-borne diseases worldwide OK, this paper isn’t particularly calming–but it is timely and relevant. Researchers in PLOS […]

Flying Under the Radar

GAINESVILLE, FL – University of Florida Associate Professor of Medical Geography Dr. Sadie Ryan (Emerging Pathogens Institute, Quantitative Disease Ecology & Conservation Lab) spoke with WUFT News about vector-borne disease in the time of coronavirus in Flying Under the Radar. “It’s not like mosquitoes went on hold because of COVID,” she said. “The message needs to stay alive.” […]

Spatiotemporal Tools for Emerging and Endemic Disease Hotspots in Small Areas: An Analysis of Dengue and Chikungunya in Barbados, 2013–2016

LIPPI, RYAN – Spatiotemporal Tools for Emerging and Endemic Disease Hotspots in Small Areas: An Analysis of Dengue and Chikungunya in Barbados, 2013–2016 Catherine A. Lippi, Anna M. Stewart-Ibarra, Moory Romero, Avery Q. J. Hinds, Rachel Lowe, Roché Mahon, Cedric J. Van Meerbeeck, Leslie Rollock, Marquita Gittens-St. Hilaire, Adrian R. Trotman, Dale Holligan, Shane Kirton, […]

Featured Creatures Article on Bromeliad Mosquito Wyeomyia vanduzeei

Medical Geography PhD student Cat Lippi led a new Featured Creatures article on a bromeliad mosquito, Wyeomyia vanduzeei, published online by UF Entomology and Nematology and FDACS/DPI. Wyeomyia vanduzeei lays eggs and completes larval development in water held by bromeliad plants, making these mosquitoes more common in central and southern Florida where bromeliads are frequently […]

Machine Learning Predictions of Dengue Patients Outcomes Yield Promising Results

GAINESVILLE, FL – Helping patients with dengue can be challenging – especially in countries with multiple diseases spread by mosquitoes. Dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are viruses spread by the same type of mosquito; all three viruses are present in Ecuador and many other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Patients infected with one of […]

Novel Network Approach to Mosquito Control Distribution Yields Insights for a City in Southern Ecuador

GAINESVILLE, FL – Fighting mosquito-borne disease can be costly – in both health and financial resources. While mosquito control is an effective way to combat the spread of diseases like dengue fever, the cost of spraying every house in a city quickly adds up. These costs limit public health vector control programs, which often operate […]

A network analysis framework to improve the delivery of mosquito abatement services in Machala, Ecuador

BLACKBURN, LIPPI, MAO, RYAN – A network analysis framework to improve the delivery of mosquito abatement services in Machala, Ecuador Catherine A. Lippi, Liang Mao, Anna M. Stewart-Ibarra, Naveed Heydari, Efraín Beltrán Ayala, Nathan D. Burkett-Cadena, Jason K. Blackburn & Sadie J. Ryan Article first published online: 11 FEB 2020 International Journal of Health Geographics […]

Insecticide Resistance Threatens the Control of Mosquito-Borne Disease in Ecuador

GAINESVILLE – In the battle against vector borne disease, mosquito control using insecticides is an essential tool. But what happens when that tool starts to fail, and how do you know it? Insecticides are regularly used by public health agencies to reduce populations of blood-sucking mosquitoes. Effective control programs are important to public health because, […]

New maps show where mosquitoes will invade Ecuador’s Andes mountains

GAINESVILLE – Blood sucking insects such as the Yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, are more than just a nuisance in Ecuador, they also spread diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika. A warming world means that public health officials must decide where to direct surveillance and mosquito control efforts not only today, but also […]

Social-Ecological Factors Drive Dengue and Mosquito Presence in the Galapagos

GAINESVILLE, FL – With its turquoise waters and abundant wildlife, Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands have long been a vacation dream of many. Tourist guides highlight playful sea lions and giant tortoises, but they do not talk about the mosquitoes. For the more than 30,000 people who live there, emerging epidemics of mosquito-borne disease such as dengue, […]

Temperature drives Zika virus transmission: evidence from empirical and mathematical models

RYAN – Temperature drives Zika virus transmission: evidence from empirical and mathematical models Blanka Tesla, Leah R. Demakovsky, Erin A. Mordecai, Sadie J. Ryan, Matthew H. Bonds, Calistus N. Ngonghala, Melinda A. Brindley, Courtney C. Murdock Article first published online: 15 AUG 2018 Proceedings of the Royal Society B DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0795 ABSTRACT: Temperature is a […]

With climate change, malaria risk in Africa shifts, grows

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A larger portion of Africa is currently at high risk for malaria transmission than previously predicted, according to a new University of Florida mapping study. Under future climate regimes, the area where the disease can be transmitted most easily will shrink, but the total transmission zone will expand and move into new […]

Mapping Physiological Suitability Limits for Malaria in Africa Under Climate Change

RYAN – Mapping Physiological Suitability Limits for Malaria in Africa Under Climate Change Ryan Sadie J., McNally Amy, Johnson Leah R., Mordecai Erin A., Ben-Horin Tal, Paaijmans Krijn, and Lafferty Kevin Article first published online: 18 Nov 2015 Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2015.1822 ABSTRACT: We mapped current and future temperature suitability for malaria transmission in Africa […]

How does a mosquito in Ecuador affect people around the world?

Geography’s Dr. Sadie Ryan‘s NSF funded research in Ecuador was recently profiled for part of UF’s GatorGood initiative. Dr. Ryan’s work is focused on the impact of climate gradients on malaria, dengue fever, and cholera in Ecuador. Find out more about the far-reaching effects if  Dr. Ryan’s work and learn how you can help contribute to the […]

NSF Funding UF Research on Climate Change Impacts on Vectorborne Disease

GAINESVILLE, Florida — A new 5 year multi-institutional collaborative research grant of $1.85 million funded by the National Science Foundation’s Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (NSF EEID) program will support research on the effect of temperature on 13 different diseases transmitted by insects. It will also measure the capacity for two common disease-carrying mosquitoes […]