Latest news with #JohnSoghigian
CBC
3 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Citizen scientists sought to catch mosquitoes, help monitor disease-carrying species
Social Sharing As mosquito season ramps up, the University of Calgary and the city are calling on citizen scientists to help them study the potential health impacts of the invasive northern house mosquito — an insect capable of transmitting diseases from birds to humans. Calgarians can take part in the research by picking up a mosquito trapping kit at Ralph Klein Park or the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Each kit contains a tube to catch a mosquito in and a tracking paper to detail the time and place it was caught. "This will help us know what species are attracted to people in our area, what's happening in our parks and what mosquitos we might want to take a look at closer in the future," said John Soghigian, an assistant professor in the faculty of veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary. After catching the mosquitoes (dead or alive), participants can drop off their kits in boxes located within the parks. Culex pipiens, most commonly known as the northern house mosquito, is of particular concern in Calgary, according to Soghigian. That's because while it mostly feeds on birds, it can also bite humans, making it a potential transmitter of the West Nile virus, among other diseases. Alex Coker, the city's integrated pest management technician, said mosquitos numbers are starting to increase around the city as temperatures climb, but that's typical for this time of year. According to Coker, Calgary has about 35 to 40 mosquito species. The city spreads out mosquito traps in areas like parks to monitor and research the insects. While Coker said they haven't caught many yet this year, mosquito numbers usually peak by mid-July. "I would say right now it's probably like under 100, although we have had some times where we've gotten more than that this time of year," she said. "We might get maybe 1,000 or a few thousand in a trap in a night." To help manage mosquito populations, Coker said Calgarians should dump any standing water in their backyard regularly, like bird baths or rain barrels. Citizen science Soghigian's lab studies mosquitos caught in traps across the city, tracking invasive species and conducting other research projects about mosquito diversity in the region and the risks those insects pose. The idea to involve citizen scientists came from a project in Newfoundland, where scientists used it as a way to augment their own surveillance of mosquitos. Through community engagement, those researchers found some species of mosquitoes that they couldn't find with their normal traps, Soghigian explained. "Sometimes it's hard to get at mosquitoes when they're actually actively seeking the hosts. So this helps us do that," he said. Last year, about 30 people participated in the program from Calgary, alongside some participants from Lethbridge and Edmonton, but Soghigian said he hopes to get more people involved this time around. The northern house fly The northern house fly was first found in Alberta by pest management technicians in Edmonton in 2018. The insect is believed to be native to Europe and North Africa. "One of the things that surprised me most about Alberta is the speed at which an invasive mosquito has moved across the province," said Soghigian. "That's a big focus of research in my lab is figuring out how this mosquito got to Alberta and why it's so successful here." The Culex pipiens is also to blame for starting the spread of West Nile virus in North America, according to Soghigian, though he noted that native species can also spread the disease. While mosquitos native to Alberta usually thrive near larger bodies of waters, the northern mosquito thrives in both wet and dry conditions. "It's pretty different from our other native mosquitoes because it's really good at living alongside us," Soghigian said.
Global News
4 days ago
- Health
- Global News
Calgary researchers using ‘citizen science' for a study on invasive mosquitoes
The City of Calgary and the University of Calgary are hoping to enlist the public's help on a study of mosquitoes in the city. It is taking place in two city parks — the Inglewood bird sanctuary and Ralph Klein Park. The researchers are focusing on a mosquito known by its scientific name — culex pipiens — or more commonly as the northern house mosquito. It's an invasive species native to Europe and Asia and until recently, thought only to be found in British Columbia and Eastern Canada. That changed in 2018 when one was detected in Edmonton, then in Calgary in 2022 and since then in Lethbridge and Red Deer too. Culex pipiens, also known as the northern house mosquito, is a common carrier of the West Nile virus. University of Calgary In other parts of the world it commonly transmits West Nile virus: a potentially deadly neurological disease that affects humans and other animals that is spread through a mosquito bite. Story continues below advertisement 'It is the mosquito that started West Nile virus in North America — in 1999 in New York when West Nile emerged there — that makes it a little bit of a concern here,' said Dr. John Soghigian from the University of Calgary's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We do have native mosquitoes that transmit West Nile, but this mosquito does not compete with them in any way, so we are a little concerned about an additive effect,' added Soghigian. View image in full screen Aex Coker, an integrated pest management technician with the city of Calgary, seen here collecting samples of mosquito larvae from a storm pond, says there are about different 40 species of mosquitoes in the city. Global News 'We have probably 35 to 40 different species in Calgary and in terms of life cycle they all kind of lay their eggs in or near water and then the larvae will hatch in the water and live in the water,' said Alex Coker, an integrated pest management technician with the City of Calgary, who is also helping with the study. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Researchers from the City of Calgary and University of Calgary are hoping to enlist the public's help to determine how an invasive species of mosquito known to carry the West Nile virus, can survive Alberta's harsh winter. Global News Researchers will be posting information signs in the two parks and leaving a collection of small vials that people can use to catch mosquitoes — preferably before they bite. 'Inside the baggie that vial is found in, we have little sheet of paper,' said Soghigian. 'We ask you to write down the date, the time, and the location, and then we have a little barcode you can scan if you'd like to learn more about the project.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We ask you to write down the date, the time, and the location, and then we have a little barcode you can scan if you'd like to learn more about the project." The vial is then placed in a box where the researchers will later collect and take to them to a lab for testing on the type of mosquito and any viruses they may be carrying. 'We sample in Alberta for three different pathogens,' said Soghigian. 'The first is West Nile virus, the second is avian malaria — which we're concerned with for potential effects on bird communities — and the third is actually California serogroup viruses that are all very similar to each other and many of them can cause encephalitis, especially pediatric encephalitis.' Story continues below advertisement Researchers are also hoping the information collected will also help them learn more about how the invasive mosquitoes are surviving Alberta's harsh winters. 'This mosquito is called the house mosquito because it goes into people's houses, often in the winter, where it enters a state that's similar to hibernation called diapause,' said Soghigian. It is also well-adapted to using rain barrels, flower pots and any other small sources of standing water in people's yards as habitat. 'Last year we had a citizen science campaign where we asked Albertans to send us mosquitoes they found in their houses and most of the mosquitoes we got were this invasive mosquito,' added Soghigian. This year the researchers are also hoping to determine if it is commonly found around larger sources of water like many native species of mosquitoes. 1:40 What are the symptoms of West Nile virus?
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Why Calgary wants your mosquitoes – dead or alive!
They don't care if you kill it first, but city officials are asking Calgarians to send them their mosquitoes this summer. The City of Calgary is teaming up with the University of Calgary on a citizen science project examining mosquito ecology and the potential health implications of the invasive northern house mosquito, also known as culex pipiens. The process is simple: just head to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary or Ralph Klein Park to grab a mosquito kit – which comes with a collection tube and label – and use it to collect mosquitoes encountered in the park during your visit, whether alive or dead and squished. You then fill out the label with the date, time and location, and drop off the sample in boxes within the parks. 'What we'll do, is then identify what the mosquito is, and that'll help us know where mosquitoes are throughout the city that are harassing people, and what species of mosquito they are,' said John Soghigian, an assistant professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary. 'Of course, we also are still putting out traps all over the city and working with The City of Calgary to monitor mosquitoes, but sometimes it's hard to get at mosquitoes when they are actively seeking a host, so this helps us do that.' Calgary collecting mosquitoes from citizens for science Calgary is collecting mosquitoes from citizens for science in summer 2025. Alex Coker, an integrated pest management technician with the City of Calgary, says citizens will start to see more mosquito activity now that the temperatures have climbed. Calgary has 35 to 40 different mosquito species. All of them tend to lay their eggs near or in water. 'A lot of the mosquitoes we have here are floodwater mosquitoes, they use bodies of water that dry up multiple times through the year, so things like ditches are areas we tend to focus on when it comes to monitoring the larvae,' Coker said. She cautioned that they also breed in rain barrels and bird baths, something for homeowners to keep in mind. The City of Calgary uses a bacterial product to fight local mosquito populations. It's dispensed by spraying it into bodies of water. 'Basically, the way it works is that the mosquitoes will ingest it … and it gets activated once they eat it, and basically it creates pores in the lining of their gut, and that's what kills them.' If there is a lot of standing water throughout the city, officials can use an aerial program, which allows them to use a helicopter to apply the bacterial product to a large area over a short area of time. If you've ever wondered why city officials can't just attempt to eradicate all the mosquitoes, it's because they actually are vital to the ecosystem. Only female mosquitoes feed on blood; males rely solely on nectar as a food source, while females use both. Because both males and female feed on nectar, they do act as pollinators and also serve as a food source for a lot of species including birds and dragonflies, and also aquatic organisms like fish. Coker says mosquito numbers in Calgary typically peak in July.
Calgary Herald
4 days ago
- Health
- Calgary Herald
Calgarians asked to help track invasive mosquito linked to West Nile virus and avian malaria
Article content A research collaboration between the University of Calgary and the City of Calgary is calling on Calgarians to help track an invasive mosquito species that could pose a growing health risk to people and animals. Article content Dr. John Soghigian, an assistant professor at the UCalgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, is leading the study on the northern house mosquito (Culex pipiens), an invasive species that has spread rapidly across Alberta since it was first detected in Edmonton in 2018. Article content Article content The species was identified in Calgary in 2022 and is now found across much of southern Alberta. Article content Article content 'This is the mosquito that, in 1999, was in New York when West Nile virus emerged there,' said Soghigian. 'That makes it a little bit of a concern here.' Article content Culex pipiens is known to transmit several diseases, including West Nile virus — which affects both humans and horses — and avian malaria, which can be fatal for exotic birds. In Calgary, the virus has been linked to the deaths of two penguins at the Calgary Zoo in recent years, Soghigian said. The species may also spread dog heartworm, though prevalence in Alberta remains low. Article content To better understand the mosquito's behaviour, range and potential public health risk, the University of Calgary and the city launched a citizen science project encouraging park visitors to collect mosquito samples from Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and Ralph Klein Park. Collection kits and instructions are available on-site. Participants are asked to capture mosquitoes, place them in a provided vial, record the date and location and then submit the sample for analysis. Article content Article content 'We're hoping to . . . track where this mosquito is and what pathogens it's associated with,' said Soghigian. 'West Nile virus is the main pathogen that we are concerned with from this mosquito.' Article content Article content The mosquito's tendency to feed primarily on birds raises additional concern, as birds serve as the primary hosts for West Nile virus. Article content 'This is why this mosquito is quite a concern from a public health perspective, because it has the capability of transmitting diseases from birds to humans.' Article content West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease in Alberta. While most human cases resemble mild flu symptoms, the virus can cause severe encephalitis, particularly in elderly or immunocompromised individuals.
