West Nile virus transmission linked to land use patterns and 'super-spreaders'
Thursday, October 20, 2011 - 13:00
in Biology & Nature
After its initial appearance in New York in 1999, West Nile virus spread across the United States in just a few years and is now well established throughout North and South America. Both the mosquitoes that transmit it and the birds that are important hosts for the virus are abundant in areas that have been modified by human activities. As a result, transmission of West Nile virus is highest in urbanized and agricultural habitats.