Transmission of mosquito-borne diseases, such as Zika, occur at lower temperatures than previously thought, according to a new study.

The study was co-authored by two University of South Florida researchers and published.

  • Data for study was collected from 2015-16
  • 90 degrees was believed to be peak-transmission temperature
  • USF researchers behind much of study

It found that transmission of certain mosquito diseases is highest at around 84 degrees.

Scientists had long considered 90 degrees to be the peak-transmission temperature.

"This means that future transmission is much more likely to occur in subtropical and even temperate areas, such as the southern United States and northern Mexico," said Jeremy Cohen, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher studying integrative biology.

From 2015-16, researchers collected data on the incidences of dengue, chikungunya and Zika, as well as climate, gross domestic product and tourism, in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Temperature affects how often mosquitoes bite, the amount of time it takes for them to ingest a virus from one human and inject it into another, and their life cycle.

"Given that the predominant thinking was that transmission was most likely to peak at very hot temperatures, which would mostly limit the diseases to the tropics, we were certainly surprised that the model and the field data suggested that high rates of transmission could occur at lower temperatures, possibly impacting more northern regions in the future," Cohen said.

To read the full study, click here.