Survey the indoors and the outdoor perimeter of your living quarters
Survey the indoors and the outdoor perimeter of your living quarters (house, apartment building, dormitory, etc.) to determine any kind of pest infestation problems (rodents, cockroaches, bats, flies, mosquitoes, ticks, scorpions, etc.). Then find a peer- reviewed, primary research article on one of the infestation problems you found in your survey. Indicate the findings of the research in three tweets (less than 280 characters each). These tweets should be written for researchers and professionals. They should be scientific rather than social in nature. To support your tweets, include a short discussion (less than 100 words) identifying the topic and the epidemiological importance of the issue (incidence rate, death rate, prevalence, etc.). Be sure to provide a link to your research article. For your responses to your peers posts, indicate how principles of good sanitation and integrated pest management could be applied to alter the environment to prevent their infestations. Include any current changes with the evolving ecosystems and the altering climate patterns.
For this discussion:
Initial post: 200-250 words
References: Two or more references are required to support your assertions.
Survey the indoors and the outdoor perimeter of your living quarters (house, apartment building, dormitory, etc. Please through the questiion s
When I survey the outside perimeter of my house, I am greeted with an abundance of mosquitos who have come face to face with a bug zapper that we placed above our front door. Over the past couple of weeks, it has become a serious mission to make it inside of my house without letting mosquitos in. Mosquitos are the most medically important arthropod vectors of disease that are responsible for transmitting malaria, Dengue, West Nile Virus (WNV), and Zika Virus (Beertnsen et al., 2000). In fact, mosquito-borne infectious diseases (MBIDs) account for the highest number of reported cases, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years.
In 2016 there was an estimated 216 million cases of malaria worldwide with an estimated 445,000 deaths (Omodior et al., 2016). That same year, cases of Dengue were estimated to be at 96 million cases per year and accounted for more than 390 million infections annually (Omodior et al., 2016). WNV, the most leading cause of domestically acquired arthropod-borne viruses was reported in 47 states in 2016, with 61% of these cases being classified as neuroinvasive (Omodior et al., 2016).
Tweet # 1:
Mosquito-borne infectious diseases (MBIDs) account for a significant amount of the global infectious disease burden. In the absence of vaccines, personal protective barriers such as mosquito repellent may be our best effort at preventing these types of diseases.
Tweet # 2:
A 2018 study showed that increased awareness and high perceived severity of the five MBIDs (Malaria, Zika, Chikungunya, Dengue, and West Nile) is key to increasing an individual’s adoption of PPBs.
Tweet # 3:
Researchers concluded that public health campaigns that focus on behavior modification are crucial in preventing and protecting the public from MBIDs.
References
Beerntsen, B. T., James, A. A., & Christensen, B. M. (2000). Genetics of mosquito vector competence, 64(1), 115-137. https:doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.64.1.115-137.2000
Omodior, O., Luetke, M. C., & Nelson, E. J. (2018, October 25). Mosquito-borne infectious disease, risk-perceptions, and personal protective behavior among U.S. international travelers. Preventive Medicine Reports, 12(2018), 336-342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.10.018
In Arizona, I live in an apartment complex. When I survey my outdoor surroundings, I see mostly concrete and sporadic patches of grass. Some pests are uncommon to find in Arizona due to the dry heat, such as mosquitos, but others are more common. Cockroaches are often found in houses and apartments in Arizona; however, I have been lucky to have never seen one in any of my living spaces! Cockroaches are commonly found in crowded cities and in the southern U.S. Cockroach feces and saliva contain allergens that can cause allergic reactions or trigger asthma symptoms. Debris, such as body parts and old shells, trigger asthma attacks in individuals who are sensitized to cockroach allergens. Special attention to cleaning should be a priority after eliminating them to rid your space of any allergens that can cause triggers (CDC, 2009).
Tweet 1:
In a study of hospital rooms in a Polish hospital, two species of cockroaches were found in 70% and 40% of hospitals, respectively. Another study in a Swedish hospital found 30 cockroaches in a single day, which hid in oxygen masks in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). –> Characters: 265
Tweet 2:
Cockroaches are one vector for nosocomial infections. For every 100 hospitalized patients at any given time, 7 in developed countries and 10 in developing countries will acquire at least one nosocomial infection, which are responsible for 4–56% of all deaths caused in infants. –> Characters: 277
Tweet 3:
A study in Ethiopia showed that 64.1% of bacteria from cockroaches were multidrug-resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics. These bacteria in the hospital environment had a higher prevalence of multidrug resistance (67%) compared to those from the community (61.3%). –> Characters: 275
One study by Donkor (2019) evaluated the current research surrounding cockroaches and their role in nosocomial infections. Cockroach infestation is common in many hospitals, especially in the developing world (Donkor, 2019). Common nosocomial infections isolated from cockroaches include Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. More alarmingly, cockroaches can harbor antibiotic-resistant organisms like carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, which complicate nosocomial infections (Donkor, 2019. Cockroaches also harbor epidemiologically significant antibiotic-resistant organisms, such as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, which complicate nosocomial infections. Cockroaches constitute an important vector for nosocomial pathogens, and there should be zero tolerance for their presence in healthcare facilities (Donkor, 2019.
Link to article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6473430/ (Links to an external site.)
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009, October 1). Chapter 5: Indoor Air Pollutants and Toxic Materials. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/publications/books/housing/cha05.htm.
Donkor E. S. (2019). Nosocomial Pathogens: An In-Depth Analysis of the Vectorial Potential of Cockroaches. Tropical medicine and infectious disease, 4(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed4010014
As I survey the area outside of my home, I see an abundance of beautiful flowers and insects. As the night sky quickly approaches, I know that it will soon be time for me to go indoors and seek shelter from the mosquitos. Living near a lake, it is no surprise that mosquitos roam the area however, it seems as though the number of mosquitoes observed continues to rise yearly in Texas. Mosquitoes transmit a virus known as West Nile Virus. This virus is most commonly transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito who fed on infected birds.
In 2012, Texas reported an incidence rate of 7.8 cases per 100,000 with many of the cases being reported in the DFW Metroplex. “During the 2012 West Nile virus outbreak in Texas, USA, 1,868 cases were reported” (Murray et al., 2013, p.1). Minorities were at an increased rate, 53% of counties in Texas reported a case, and there was an economic cost of $47.6 million. Researchers conducted a study to examine the cases and understand the epidemiology of the virus. Researchers concluded that more research is needed to determine the specific factors that contribute to the increase. And, that more vigilance is needed to control and prevent transmission.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, December 10). West Nile Virus. https://www.cdc.gov/westnile/transmission/index.html (Links to an external site.)
Murray, K. O., Ruktanonchai, D., Hesalroad, D., Fonken, E., & Nolan, M. S. (2013). West Nile Virus, Texas, USA, 2012. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 19(11), 1836-1838. https://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1911.130768 (Links to an external site.).
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