Andrew J Mackay

• Ph.D.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Greenspaces are integral to the urban environment and affect climate resilience, yet the extent to which they affect mosquito and West Nile virus (WNV) host populations and behavior is not clear. To address this question, we collected mosquitoes along a transect spanning a range of urban development. Mosquitoes were tested for West Nile virus, and...

The blooming of global trade and travel and the intensification of global changes over the past decades are thought to be important drivers of accelerated range expansions of vector-borne pathogens (VBPs), with the potential to cause severe disease outbreaks around the world. As a bridge between hosts and pathogens, mosquitoes play a central role i...

The Zika virus epidemic of 2015–16, which caused over 1 million confirmed or suspected human cases in the Caribbean and Latin America, was driven by a combination of movement of infected humans and availability of suitable habitat for mosquito species that are key disease vectors. Both human mobility and mosquito vector abundances vary seasonally,...

Background Estimating arbovirus transmission potential requires a mechanistic understanding of how environmental factors influence the expression of adult mosquito traits. While preimaginal exposure to environmental factors can have profound effects on adult traits, tracking and predicting these effects remains challenging. Methods Using Aedes alb...

Background West Nile virus (WNV), primarily vectored by mosquitoes of the genus Culex , is the most important mosquito-borne pathogen in North America, having infected thousands of humans and countless wildlife since its arrival in the USA in 1999. In locations with dedicated mosquito control programs, surveillance methods often rely on frequent te...

Background: West Nile virus (WNV), primarily vectored from Culex genus mosquitoes, is the most important mosquito-borne pathogen in North America, infecting thousands of humans and countless wildlife since its arrival in 1999. In locations with dedicated mosquito control programs, surveillance methods often rely on frequent testing of mosquitoes co...

Stormwater drainage infrastructure creates abundant, nutrient-rich habitats in urban landscapes vulnerable to colonization by undesirable organisms, including vector mosquitoes and invasive aquatic macrophytes. The overall aim of our study was to identify consequences from cattails (Typha spp.) and their management to the seasonal abundance and adu...

The geographic distribution of building coverage is an important factor when evaluating the potential for green infrastructure and other sustainable development practices. However, comprehensive building coverage datasets are not available for many urban communities. We predicted the distribution of building coverage ratio across the contiguous Uni...

Artificial aquatic habitats are ubiquitous in anthropogenic landscapes and highly susceptible to colonization by invasive plant species. Recent research into the ecology of infectious diseases indicates that the establishment of invasive plant species can trigger ecological cascades which alter the transmission dynamics of vector-borne pathogens th...

Artifi cial aquatic habitats are ubiquitous in anthropogenic landscapes and highly susceptible to colonization by invasive plant species. Recent research into the ecology of infectious diseases indicates that the establishment of invasive plant species can trigger ecological cascades which alter the transmission dynamics of vector-borne pathogens t...

Accumulations of dormant eggs in container habitats allow Aedes aegypti populations to survive harsh environmental conditions and may frustrate control interventions directed at larval and adult life stages. While sodium hypochlorite solutions (NaOCl) have long been recognized as ovicides for use against dengue vectors, the susceptibility of eggs t...

Dengue is a potentially fatal acute febrile illness caused by four mosquito-transmitted dengue viruses (DENV-1-4). Although dengue outbreaks regularly occur in many regions of the Pacific, little is known about dengue in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). To better understand dengue in RMI, we investigated an explosive outbreak that began...

Populations ofAedes aegypti (L.) can be managed through reductions in adult mosquito survival, number of offspring produced, or both. Direct adult mortality can be caused by the use of space sprays or residual insecticides to mosquito resting sites, and with a variety of residual insecticide-impregnated surfaces that are being tested, such as curta...

Although dengue viruses are thought to be transmitted by Aedes aegypti in Puerto Rico, Aedes mediovittatus, the Caribbean tree hole mosquito, is also a potential vector. This species is native to the Greater Antilles and has been shown to be a competent vector of dengue viruses in the laboratory. Consequently, it has been suggested that Ae. mediovi...

We describe an inexpensive autocidal ovitrap for Aedes aegypti that uses cross-linked polyacrylamide (PAM) gel as the oviposition substrate. Aedes aegypti females readily laid eggs on PAM gel that had been hydrated with either hay infusion or water. Aedes aegypti larvae that hatched from their eggs desiccated on the surface of the PAM gel. We teste...

Limited success has been achieved using traditional vector control methods to prevent the transmission of dengue viruses. Integrated control programs incorporating alternative tools, such as gravid ovitraps (lethal ovitraps and sticky ovitraps) may provide greater potential for monitoring and reducing vector populations and dengue virus transmissio...

The distribution of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (L.), the main vector of dengue viruses (DENV) worldwide, overlaps with Aedes (Gymnometopa) mediovittatus (Coquillett), the Caribbean treehole mosquito, in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Ae. mediovittatus is a competent vector of DENV with high rates of vertical DENV transmission in the laboratory. T...

Previous studies on the influence of weather on Aedes aegypti dynamics in Puerto Rico suggested that rainfall was a significant driver of immature mosquito populations and dengue incidence, but mostly in the drier areas of the island. We conducted a longitudinal study of Ae. aegypti in two neighborhoods of the metropolitan area of San Juan city, Pu...

The purpose of this investigation was to identify the mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) vectors of West Nile virus (WNV; family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus) during an epizootic WNV outbreak in eastern Puerto Rico in 2007. In June 2006, 12 sentinel chicken pens with five chickens per pen were deployed in six types of habitats: herbaceous wetlands, ma...

Male and nulliparous female mosquitoes were surveyed for evidence of vertical WNV infection in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Adult male mosquitoes collected by trapping and aspiration, and adult male and nulliparous female mosquitoes reared from field-collected larvae were tested. Adult male Culex spp., female Aedes albopictus (Skuse), and fe...

Host feeding patterns were examined for four species of Culex mosquitoes collected from 18 sites in or adjacent to East Baton Rouge Parish, LA, from November 2002 to October 2004. Host DNA from 37 bloodfed Culex coronator Dyar and Knab, 67 bloodfed Cx. salinarius Coquillett, 112 bloodfed Cx. nigripalpus Theobald, and 684 bloodfed Cx. quinquefasciat...

Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus were found in large numbers emerging from septic tanks in southern Puerto Rico during the dry season. Previous studies suggested that Ae. aegypti uses subterranean aquatic habitats only during dry periods when surface containers do not have water. This research investigated whether septic tanks are alternati...

The prevalence of West Nile virus (WNV) was determined in mosquitoes between November 2002 and October 2004 in East Baton Rouge Parish, LA. A total of 244,374 female mosquitoes were collected and tested by viral isolation. Additionally, 131,896 female mosquitoes were collected in 2003 and tested by VecTest and 167,175 female mosquitoes were collect...

West Nile virus (WNV) was detected for the first time in Louisiana in the fall of 2001. Surveillance data collected from East Baton Rouge Parish in 2002 were examined to establish baseline data on WNV activity, to support the current design of disease surveillance programs, and to target vector control efforts in the parish. The first indications o...

Light traps were used to collect ceratopogonids in East Baton Rouge parish, Louisiana. In total, 46,496 ceratopogonids were sorted from 4,968 light trap collections from 20 November 2002 through 25 November 2004. Two hundred and nine pools containing specimens of 18 species of Culicoides Latreille, seven pools containing specimens of Atrichopogon K...

The distribution and seasonality of adult black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis Say) in Louisiana was measured. The presence of adult ticks was determined by flagging at 106 sites throughout Louisiana. It was concluded that Ixodes scapularis is widely distributed throughout Louisiana. Ticks were also collected twice per month at one site over a 15-...

The influence of horn fly control with commercially available ear tags was studied on beef replacement heifers (n = 670) for growth and reproductive performance. The study was conducted at five sites in Louisiana over 3 yr. Heifers used were yearling replacement females that were exposed to fertile bulls during a limited spring breeding season that...

In vitro culture conditions affecting the transformation efficiency from zygote to ookinete for Plasmodium gallinaceum were examined, as a step toward improving the overall efficiency of in vitro culture systems for sporogonic stages. Gametocytes from infected chickens were allowed to fertilize in vitro and the resulting zygotes were purified and c...