Zika

A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences molecular biologist has found Zika RNA in a type of mosquito not often associated with the virus.

Lieutenant Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera visited the Emerging Pathogens Institute Thursday to speak with an interdisciplinary team of experts on the Zika virus and other infectious diseases that threaten the state of Florida.

New research co-authored by UF EPI’s Dr. Sadie Ryan and graduate student Cat Lippi sheds light on the climate suitability for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitos and transmission rates of Zika, chikungunya, and dengue fever.

University of Florida scientists presented new research Sunday outlining ways to prevent the spread of the Zika and dengue viruses through the development of a Zika vaccine and a focus on spraying indoors to control mosquitoes.

With a $10 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the University of Florida will lead a highly collaborative research program focused on stopping diseases such as Zika before they spread farther into the United States.

Diana Rojas, University of Florida The United States declared Zika a public health emergency in Puerto Rico in August 2016. Over 28,000 cases of Zika were reported in Puerto Rico as of Oct. 26.

A European research commission will award the Emerging Pathogens Institute (EPI) at the University of Florida nearly 1 million euros as part of a grant supporting interdisciplinary research on the Zika virus and its effects on pregnancy.

Despite intransigence in Washington over Zika funding, the National Institutes of Health have awarded more than 1.75 million dollars to the University of Florida to study the Zika virus.

Common Aedes Aegypti mosquito, magnified 2,000 times at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 6/28, prepares to feed on human skin. After 15 years of test on more than 3,900 compounds, Jerry Bulter, professor of entomology, has developed a safe, natural insect repellent that protects people against everything from mosquitoes to ticks and tiny “no-see-ums.” Its the first effective alternative to products containing DEET, the most widely used ingredient in insect repellent now on the market. Butler’s new herbal repellent is patented by the UF and licensed to a commercial firm.

Virus-specific CPE in simian kidney cell line LLC-MK2. Non-inoculated cells (A) and cells inoculated with plasma specimen 1225/2014, 8 days post-inoculation (B). Perinuclear vacuoles are evident.