Eastern equine encephalitis in Massachusetts, 1957-1976. A prospective study centered upon analyses of mosquitoes.
Abstract: Reappearance of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in Massachusetts residents in the 1970's provided an opportunity to assess the predictive value of data on rainfall, EEE in horses, and carriage of EEE virus (EEEV) by mosquitoes, factors which had been studied annually since the last EEE outbreak in 1955-1956. The cycle of multiple cases during 1973-1975 started in a second consecutive year of rainfall that exceeded the annual mean by more than 20 cm, conditions recapitulating the 1955-1956 experience. In 1973, widespread EEE fatalities in horses presaged human cases, another recapitulation of the 1955-1956 experience. However, in 1974, when horses were immunized extensively, no equine cases were seen even though three human fatalities occurred. An unseasonably early appearance of EEEV in mosquitoes was the only basis upon which the threat to humans could have been recognized. These changes in the recognition and distribution of EEEV activity from season to season illustrate the difficulty in making rational decisions regarding widespread aerial insecticide applications for mosquito control.
Publication Date: 1978-02-01 PubMed ID: 23676DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112519Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Prevalence
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Transmission
- Eastern Equine Encephalitis
- Epidemiology
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Immunization
- Infectious Disease
- Mosquito-borne Diseases
- Predictive Model
- Public Health
- Vaccination
- Vector-borne disease
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Science
- Weather
Summary
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This research article investigates the factors influencing Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) outbreaks in Massachusetts between 1957 and 1976, specifically assessing the relevance of rainfall, EEE in horses, and EEE virus presence in mosquitoes.
Overview of the Research
- The study focuses on the reappearance of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in Massachusetts during the 1970s, taking into account factors that were studied yearly since the last outbreak of the disease in 1955-1956.
- The factors under analysis included yearly rainfall data, the incidence of EEE in horses, and the presence of the EEE virus (EEEV) in mosquito populations.
Link between Rainfall and EEE Outbreaks
- The research found that a cycle of multiple EEE cases in 1973-1975 commenced in the second consecutive year of rainfall exceeding the annual mean by more than 20 cm.
- This pattern repeated the scenarios from the 1955-1956 EEE outbreak, indicating that a significant increase in rainfall might be a crucial factor contributing to EEE outbreaks.
Role of EEE in Horses
- The 1973 observation of widespread EEE fatalities in horses was noted to precede human cases, again mirroring the 1955-1956 experience.
- However, in 1974, extensive horse immunizations led to no equine EEE cases, yet three human fatalities still occurred. This suggested that while horses can be an indicator of EEE outbreaks, their absence doesn’t necessarily rule out potential outbreaks in humans.
EEEV in Mosquitoes
- An early presence of EEEV in mosquitoes was the sole indicator pointing towards a threat to humans in 1974. This showed the important role mosquitoes play in EEE transmission and the need for continued surveillance.
Implications for Mosquito Control
- These findings reflect the complexity of predicting EEE outbreaks, demonstrating the sometimes inconsistent correlation between the examined factors and the occurrence of the disease in humans.
- This complexity also implies difficulty in making decisions about widespread insecticide applications to control mosquitoes as the primary method to prevent EEE.
Cite This Article
APA
Grady GF, Maxfield HK, Hildreth SW, Timperi RJ, Gilfillan RF, Rosenau BJ, Francy DB, Calisher CH, Marcus LC, Madoff MA.
(1978).
Eastern equine encephalitis in Massachusetts, 1957-1976. A prospective study centered upon analyses of mosquitoes.
Am J Epidemiol, 107(2), 170-178.
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112519 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Culicidae / microbiology
- Encephalitis Virus, Eastern Equine / isolation & purification
- Encephalomyelitis, Equine / epidemiology
- Encephalomyelitis, Equine / microbiology
- Encephalomyelitis, Equine / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horses
- Humans
- Massachusetts
- Mosquito Control / methods
- Prospective Studies
- Rain
- Time Factors
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- Hill V, Koch RT, Bialosuknia SM, Ngo K, Zink SD, Koetzner CA, Maffei JG, Dupuis AP, Backenson PB, Oliver J, Bransfield AB, Misencik MJ, Petruff TA, Shepard JJ, Warren JL, Gill MS, Baele G, Vogels CBF, Gallagher G, Burns P, Hentoff A, Smole S, Brown C, Osborne M, Kramer LD, Armstrong PM, Ciota AT, Grubaugh ND. Dynamics of eastern equine encephalitis virus during the 2019 outbreak in the Northeast United States. Curr Biol 2023 Jun 19;33(12):2515-2527.e6.
- Hill V, Koch RT, Bialosuknia SM, Ngo K, Zink SD, Koetzner CA, Maffei JG, Dupuis AP, Backenson PB, Oliver J, Bransfield AB, Misencik MJ, Petruff TA, Shepard JJ, Warren JL, Gill MS, Baele G, Vogels CBF, Gallagher G, Burns P, Hentoff A, Smole S, Brown C, Osborne M, Kramer LD, Armstrong PM, Ciota AT, Grubaugh ND. Dynamics of Eastern equine encephalitis virus during the 2019 outbreak in the Northeast United States. medRxiv 2023 Mar 6;.
- Stobierski MG, Signs K, Dinh E, Cooley TM, Melotti J, Schalow M, Patterson JS, Bolin SR, Walker ED. Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis in Michigan: Historical Review of Equine, Human, and Wildlife Involvement, Epidemiology, Vector Associations, and Factors Contributing to Endemicity. J Med Entomol 2022 Jan 12;59(1):27-40.
- Armstrong PM, Andreadis TG. Ecology and Epidemiology of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus in the Northeastern United States: An Historical Perspective. J Med Entomol 2022 Jan 12;59(1):1-13.
- Lubelczyk C, Mutebi JP, Robinson S, Elias SP, Smith LB, Juris SA, Foss K, Lichtenwalner A, Shively KJ, Hoenig DE, Webber L, Sears S, Smith RP Jr. An epizootic of eastern equine encephalitis virus, Maine, USA in 2009: outbreak description and entomological studies. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2013 Jan;88(1):95-102.
- Aguilar PV, Paessler S, Carrara AS, Baron S, Poast J, Wang E, Moncayo AC, Anishchenko M, Watts D, Tesh RB, Weaver SC. Variation in interferon sensitivity and induction among strains of eastern equine encephalitis virus. J Virol 2005 Sep;79(17):11300-10.
- Franklin RP, Kinde H, Jay MT, Kramer LD, Green EG, Chiles RE, Ostlund E, Husted S, Smith J, Parker MD. Eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus infection in a horse from California. Emerg Infect Dis 2002 Mar;8(3):283-8.
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- Tomás G, Marandino A, Rodríguez S, Wallau GL, Dezordi FZ, de Oliveira ALS, Techera C, Calleros L, Grecco S, Williman J, Pérez R, Bassetti L, Negro R, Moreira Marrero L, Delfraro A, Vidal R, Panzera Y, Pérez R. Diagnosis and genomic characterization of the largest western equine encephalitis virus outbreak in Uruguay during 2023-2024. Npj Viruses 2024 Dec 31;2(1):70.
- Corrin T, Ackford R, Mascarenhas M, Greig J, Waddell LA. Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus: A Scoping Review of the Global Evidence. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2021 May;21(5):305-320.
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