title: Texas lifestyle limits transmission of dengue virus.
abstract: Urban dengue is common in most countries of the Americas, but has been rare in the United States for more than half a century. In 1999 we investigated an outbreak of the disease that affected Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and Laredo, Texas, United States, contiguous cities that straddle the international border. The incidence of recent cases, indicated by immunoglobulin M antibody serosurvey, was higher in Nuevo Laredo, although the vector, Aedes aegypti, was more abundant in Laredo. Environmental factors that affect contact with mosquitoes, such as air-conditioning and human behavior, appear to account for this paradox. We conclude that the low prevalence of dengue in the United States is primarily due to economic, rather than climatic, factors.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. preiter@hsph.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reiter
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lathrop
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bunning
authors.forename: Brad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Biggerstaff
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: Tejpratap
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baber
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amador
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thirion
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: Calixto
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Seca
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mendez
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rawlings
authors.forename: Vance
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vorndam
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Waterman
authors.forename: Duane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gubler
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hayes
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology; D000389:Air Conditioning; D000818:Animals; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000502:physiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004777:Environment; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D015994:Incidence; D008019:Life Style; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D014195:Travel
chemical_list: D007075:Immunoglobulin M