D3021: Tick and mosquito surveillance in Kentucky rural counties

Ticks and mosquitoes are well-known vectors that transmit pathogens that can cause human, animal, and plant diseases and threaten their health.  We conducted surveillance to warn the community and prevent tick and mosquito-borne diseases in Kentucky.  From 120 counties in Kentucky, 41 rural counties were selected for this surveillance effort.  The majority of ticks collected are Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis, and mosquitoes collected include Aedes spp., Culex spp., and Anopheles spp.. Amblyomma americanum, which can transmit rickettsiosis, ehrlichiosis, tularemia, and theileriosis and cause Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), is the most abundant tick collected. Similarly, mosquito surveillance collection resulted in a high number of Aedes spp., which transmit yellow fever virus, dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and Zika virus. This surveillance data contributes to educating the Kentucky rural population on ticks and mosquitoes in their counties and helps monitor, manage, and prevent vector-borne diseases.