Project:

Deforestation's Effect on Vectors of Eastern Equine Encephalitis

Students:

Hammad Izhar, Humza Izhar, Harris Agha

School:

Floral Park Memorial High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Daniel Mezzafonte

Abstract:

The United States is home to many different species of mosquitos, containing approximately 19,600 species in the order Diptera, the order of all fly-like insects such as the mosquito, alone. Mosquitos are most importantly know to carry numerous diseases and pathogens such as malaria, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, and Zika. On Long Island, certain species of mosquitos within the genera Culex and Culiseta act as vectors for West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis. The purpose of this study is to determine if deforestation does play a role in the frequency of Culex and Culiseta mosquitos on the island as is proposed by Nathan Burkett-Candena and Amy Vittor in their 2017 published paper “Deforestation and Vector-Borne Disease: Forest Conversion Favors Important Mosquito Vectors of Human Pathogens.” Deforestation is believed to cause an increase in potential vectors of disease. The secondary purpose of this experiment is to identify if any potential vector of disease was, in fact, a v

Poster:

Team samples: