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T M C » P U L S E | J U LY 2 0 1 8 15 T M C » P U L S E | J U LY 2 0 1 8 Fight the Bite Targeting mosquito habitats using geographic information system (GIS) software M osquito season is in full swing in the Houston area, which means residents face an increased risk of catching a potentially serious disease from a mosquito bite. Harris County Public Health has studied mosquito-borne illnesses and prevention techniques for half a century, and now with a research group that includes Baylor College of Medicine and ExxonMobil, the county is developing a new way to analyze Aedes aegypti mosquito vectors across the Houston area. Using a geographic informa- tion system (GIS), researchers are able to evaluate and then create an algorithm to detect where the mosquitoes are most likely to live, said Melissa Nolan, Ph.D., an epide- miologist at the University of South Carolina who started working on this project while she was a research associate at Baylor. GIS software, enabled by California-based mapping and tech- nology company Esri, offers a way to gather and analyze data using spa- tial location, maps and 3-D to reveal patterns and relationships. The soft- ware narrowed mosquito habitats to three general areas around Houston: The north side, the west side and the Houston Ship Channel. The trap that researchers are testing is made by Microsoft and features automated sensors that detect the mosquitoes they want to trap based on wing beats, explained Mustapha Debboun, Ph.D., leader of the research group and director of mosquito and vector control at Harris County Public Health. Researchers visited the three areas and set up traps to collect mosquitoes and test them for possible diseases. At 268 different sites, 400 traps were deployed underground and above ground, Debboun said. Surveyor technicians go out on a weekly basis and collect the mosquitoes. "We are always collecting, sampling and surveying," Debboun said. "We are trying to figure out a model of where the mosquitoes can be found, and the satellite images will help us." Puddles of water The GIS is also helping researchers analyze the breeding habitats of mosquitoes. Houston's peak season for mosquitoes falls between May and September, when some 56 different species are swarming. Only female mosquitoes bite because they need the blood to produce eggs. Researchers are looking closely at three species: Aedes aegypti, which can carry the Zika and West Nile viruses; Culex quinq- uefasciatus, which can transport the West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis; and Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito that can carry the West Nile, dengue and chikungunya viruses. Already in 2018, mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been discovered in Harris County and north of Houston in Montgomery County. (continued) B y C h r i s t i n e H a l l We are always collecting, sampling and surveying. We are trying to figure out a model of where the mosquitoes can be found, and the satellite images will help us. — MUSTAPHA DEBBOUN, PH.D. Director of mosquito and vector control at Harris County Public Health Harris County Public Health's laboratory breeds mosquitoes for research.