Spatial-temporal clusters of host-seeking Aedes albopictus, Aedes japonicus, and Aedes triseriatus collections in a La Crosse virus endemic county (Knox County, Tennessee, USA)

A bite from a La Crosse virus (LACV) infected Aedes mosquito can cause La Crosse encephalitis (LACE), which is a neuro-invasive disease that disproportionately affects children under the age of 16 in Southern Appalachia. The three vectors for LACV are Aedes albopictus (Skuse), Ae. japonicus (Theobald), and Ae. triseriatus (Say). Localized maps of the geographic distribution of vectors are practical tools for mosquito management personnel to target areas with high mosquito abundance. This study hypothesized that LACV vectors have unique species-specific spatial and temporal clusters. To test this, 44 sites were identified in Knox County, Tennessee for their land use/type. At each site, host-seeking mosquitoes were collected approximately every other week from May-October 2018. Spatial clusters of host-seeking mosquito collections for each of the three mosquito species were investigated using Kulldorff’s spatial scan statistic, specifying a retrospective space-time Bernoulli model. Most vector clusters were identified in south-central Knox County while the seasonality of clusters varied by mosquito species. Clusters of Ae. albopictus were observed throughout the entire study period while clusters of Ae. japonicus and Ae. triseriatus only occurred May-June. The findings indicate that the relative abundance of LACV vectors were more abundant in south-central Knox County compared to the rest of the county. Of interest, these clusters spatially overlapped with previous LACE diagnosed cases. These findings are useful in guiding decisions on targeted mosquito control in Knox County and may be applied to other counties within Southern Appalachia.