Project:

Mosquito Identification using DNA Barcoding

Students:

Natalie Palmese, Cheyenne Pendergast, Melanie Rojas, Kelly Burke

School:

West Babylon Senior High School, Suffolk

Mentors:

Andrea Durbin

Abstract:

Mosquito population tracking has been occurring on Long Island dating back to 1970, starting in Suffolk County due to outbreaks of Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV). The Suffolk County Department of Health Services established these population surveys that now occur weekly in 12 areas of the county. The Nassau County Department of Health also performs these surveys in 44 areas of their county (Mosquito Control and Surveillance, n.d.). Traps are the method by which mosquito populations are identified and recorded (Mosquito Pathogen Surveillance Program, n.d.) Long Island is home to various mosquito species, including the Coquillettidia perturbans, also known as the cattail mosquito. It was discovered by Walker in 1856 and is native to the entirety of North America (Cattail mosquito - Coquillettidia perturbans, n.d.). These mosquitoes are quite common in the U.S. and share many characteristics with the other mosquitoes of Long Island (Coquillettidia perturbans, 2023). They also pl

Poster:

Team samples: