Scientific-Technical Services
District Programs & Departments
The Scientific-Technical Services staff performs disease surveillance utilizing a variety of field and laboratory techniques to monitor mosquito-borne diseases and population densities of mosquitoes, black flies and midges. The department is headed by a Scientific-Technical Services Director and staffed by three full-time Vector Ecologists, two Assistant Vector Ecologists and one seasonal Assistant Vector Ecologist.
Disease surveillance is conducted to detect St. Louis encephalitis (SLE), Western Equine encephalomyelitis (WEE), and West Nile virus (WNV) in mosquitoes and blood samples from captured wild birds and sentinel chicken flocks. The sera samples are sent to the University of Davis Arbovirus Research Unit to determine the presence of SLE, WEE, and WNV antibodies.
