AutoModerator t1_jd85nba wrote on March 22, 2023 at 3:05 PM

#2,304,293

Welcome to r/science! This is a heavily moderated subreddit in order to keep the discussion on science. However, we recognize that many people want to discuss how they feel the research relates to their own personal lives, so to give people a space to do that, personal anecdotes are allowed as responses to this comment. Any anecdotal comments elsewhere in the discussion will be removed and our normal comment rules apply to all other comments.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

marketrent OP t1_jd86mmk wrote on March 22, 2023 at 3:11 PM

#2,304,380

Excerpt from the linked content^1,2 by Greg Allen:

>The mosquito — known by its scientific name of Culex lactator — is typically found in Central and South America. Researchers with the University of Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory first discovered it in a rural area near Miami in 2018.

>It's since spread to other counties in Southwest Florida.

>It's not known how the new mosquito was introduced into Florida. Scientists say climate change appears to be a factor that's making the state and other parts of the U.S. welcoming to non-native mosquitoes that can carry diseases.

>Mosquito biologist Lawrence Reeves is the lead author of a report on the newly-discovered species, published Wednesday in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

>He says, "There are about 90 mosquito species living in Florida, and that list is growing as new mosquito species are introduced to the state from elsewhere in the world."

>Reeves says little is known about Culex lactator, but it bears further study. It's a member of a group of mosquitoes known to carry the West Nile and St. Louis Encephalitis viruses.

>The U.S. faces public health challenges related to diseases like West Nile, dengue, and chikungunya, all of which are spread by non-native mosquitoes that have become established here.

>Reeves says, "We need to be vigilant for introductions of new mosquito species because each introduction comes with the possibility that the introduced species will facilitate the transmission of a mosquito-transmitted disease."

^1 A new tropical mosquito has come to Florida, 22 Mar. 2023, https://www.npr.org/2023/03/22/1164937874/uh-oh-a-new-tropical-mosquito-has-come-to-florida-the-buzz-its-creating-isnt-goo

^2 Lawrence E Reeves, Kristin E Sloyer, Kara Tyler-Julian, Rebecca Heinig, Atom Rosales, Candelaria Domingo, Nathan D Burkett-Cadena. Culex (Phenacomyia) lactator (Diptera: Culicidae) in southern Florida, USA: a new subgenus and species country record. Journal of Medical Entomology, 2023; tjad023. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjad023

One-Fan-7296 t1_jd8ae7r wrote on March 22, 2023 at 3:35 PM

#2,304,683

No one remembers the mosquitoes that were genetically altered set free in the keys a few years back. I wonder if there is a connection.

Inappropriate_mind t1_jd8h69h wrote on March 22, 2023 at 4:18 PM

#2,305,232

Seems Florida is a hotbed of things that'll kill you and will be sinking into the ocean soon enough.

Does this really matter other than it's going to make their downfall more itchy?

xynix_ie t1_jd8kdhs wrote on March 22, 2023 at 4:38 PM

#2,305,474

Replying to One-Fan-7296 (#2,304,683)

Many people remember.

Same sub family but totally different tribe than Aedes and totally different animal than Aedes Aegypti. They don't even breed in the same type of water.

MostBotsAreBad t1_jd8nn3i wrote on March 22, 2023 at 4:58 PM

#2,305,733

I remember when I first saw predictions this would happen, back around 1990. Read an article that said "Learn the word arbovirus now, to save time."

It also said that the First World would suddenly make a real effort to find a cure for malaria. Made perfect sense. And then, suddenly, 'altruistically', First World funding for it went into high gear. The funding is good (Bill Gates still hasn't made even, but it's a good start), but the timing's a trifle suspicious.

therealdannyking t1_jd8qw3w wrote on March 22, 2023 at 5:18 PM

#2,305,990

Replying to MostBotsAreBad (#2,305,733)

You find it suspicious that scientific evidence is used to generate policy? Arboviruses have been a topic of concern since the discovery of yellow fever.