Surveillance & Research

Research Capacities

Research Capacities Include:

• Immuno-Chromatographic Antigen Detection Assay

• Pesticide Resistance Monitoring Biological Assays

• Pesticide Efficacy Monitoring Mortality

• Microscopy and Identification of Arthropods

• Field Collections and Surveys

• Insect Rearing and Colony Maintenance

Equipment

• Biosafety Cabinets

• Chemical Hoods

• Centrifuges

• Incubators

• Water Quality Probes

• Ultra-Low Freezer

• Autoclave

• Chill Tables

• Flowmeters, Tachometers, and Anemometers

• Scales

• Mixers

• Microscopes

• Traps (Light Traps, Gravid, Aspirators, BG-Sentinel, Resting Shelters, Oviposition Traps)

Research

West Nile Virus (WNV)

Since 1998, BMCD has monitored 3 sentinel chicken sites for the presence of arboviruses, including WNV.  The sentinel chickens are tested for the presence of antibodies, by the Florida Department of Health, to four specific endemic viruses known to be transmitted in the State of Florida.  Each site includes 2 CDC light traps, one set at 9 meters vertically and the second at 1 meter high.  Each site is equipped with 2 more traps, 1 exit coop trap to monitor species that are feeding on the sentinel chickens and a CDC Gravid trap.  The Gravid trap is specific in the species of mosquitoes collected, the Culex mosquito.  These species are known to harbor arboviruses and we test each collection for the presence of WNV each week.   There are 10 other sites throughout the district that are equipped with Gravid traps.  We test the mosquitoes from these sites once per week using an immuno-chromatographic assay to detect antigens specific for WNV.

Publications:  Giordano & Riles 2021 (in process)

Monitoring resistance to pesticides in mosquito populations is another function of the lab at BMCD.  The 2 active ingredients that we monitor are permethrin and naled.  The 2 mosquito species of concern in the district that we monitor for resistance are Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus.   Both species are known to be associated with people, both species are known in Florida to be infected and or infectious with arboviruses and dog heartworm.  We monitor wild populations of both species and measure these tests and compare them to susceptible populations from the United States Department of Agriculture.  Since 2017, BMCD also sends wild population collections of eggs to the University of Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory to test Culex mosquitoes for resistance against 6 different active ingredients.

Publications:  Parker et al. 2019

BMCD is equipped to identify both adult and immature life stages of mosquito species.  From 2014-2020 mosquitoes have been stored and curated reference collections for the 50 species of mosquitoes observed in the district.   Due to the diversity of the order of Diptera (True Flies) in Bay County, many local, state, regional and federal agencies have requested specific insect species collections for numerous projects throughout the United States.  BMCD has assisted these agencies in their collections.  BMCD also has the capacity to identify most insects and has in the past identified insects for our citizens here in Panama City Beach, FL.

Publications: Riles et al. 2017; Yang et al. 2018; Sroute et al. 2020; Riles and Connelly 2020; Riles and Connelly 2021 (in Process); Davis et al. 2021; Riles MT 2021

BMCD perform validity testing on our formulated pesticides ( i.e. Permethrin; S- Methoprene, Bti, Bacillus sphaericus and Spinosad) .  We perform lab and field tests to ensure that the products we choose to control immature mosquito species.  We test wild populations of mosquito species to make sure our products control the mosquitoes in the aquatic and terrestrial habitats in the district.  We first do a preliminary test in the lab and then take the test to the field. We perform these field tests in cage trials; ditches and catch basin locations within the district.   Some of these assays are testing the efficacy of residual pesticides were use to control mosquitoes; some assays are a direct contact test to determine mortality over time of mosquito species.

Publications:  Mulla et al. 2011