Sarah presented on her work on mosquitoes and urban green space across socioeconomic gradients
Image Credit: Edwin Remsberg
Sarah Rothman, ENST Ph.D. candidate, won the UMD 3-minute Thesis Competition (3MT), for her presentation titled, “Mosquitoes and Urban Green Space across Socioeconomic Gradients.” Rothman began her presentation as follows:
"Close your eyes, and imagine the deadliest animal in the world. Do you see a shark? Or a snake? You should be picturing a mosquito. Mosquitoes transmit dozens of pathogens infecting more than 700 million people resulting in over a million deaths each year.
In the US, West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease. The two main mosquito species in Baltimore and DC are the tiger mosquito and the northern house mosquito. Nether are native and both are capable of transmitting West Nile.
Unfortunately, residents in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are at an unjust risk of West Nile exposure. Studies in Baltimore have shown that mosquitoes are more numerous and lover lived on lower income blocks and by analyzing PCR data, I found that they are also more likely to be infected by West Nile. Why is that? We need to understand what factors create more dangerous mosquito populations so we can better control them."
