'Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet': Experts collect, test mosquitos for viruses
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As summer approaches, so do mosquitoes and the threat of the West Nile virus.
The West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne disease, and it is commonly spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. In 2024, Texas saw 176 human cases of West Nile according to the CDC.
Seven of the cases in 2024 were in Travis County, two were in Hays County, and two were in Williamson County.
It's important to note that there can be more cases than what's reported, as there is a lag in case reporting to the CDC. Some states and territories may publish their data earlier than the CDC.
Jason Fritz works with the Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCD) to collect mosquitoes, setting various traps in different cities.
"They're only set for about 12 to 18 hours, and most of the action that these traps get is overnight," Fritz said.
Fritz analyzes how the mosquito populations are fluctuating and the types of mosquitoes that exist.
Once Fritz collects the mosquitoes, they are sent to the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for testing. Bethany Bolling oversees mosquito virus testing at DSHS.
"When we have a positive, we call that a positive mosquito pool," Bolling said. "When we refer to a mosquito pool, that's a tube of mosquitoes that came from a certain trap on a certain day that was tested and came up positive for a virus."
The process of testing the mosquitoes consists of a lot of steps, such as freezing, sorting, grinding the mosquitoes, extracting the RNA, etc. If there is a positive result for a virus, Bolling's team will notify the city of where the mosquitoes originated from.
"Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet," Bolling said. "By doing surveillance and providing these services to local jurisdictions—they can monitor mosquitoes in their local area.
"Once they give us those results, I'll use that information to make recommendations to our city officials," Fritz said.
In KXAN's viewing area, there have not been any positive West Nile cases so far this year.