A Three-Year Study of the Feeding Habits of Culex Tarsalis in Kern County, California *

Vector-Host Interactions Governing Epidemiology of West Nile Virus in Southern California

“…tarsalis sampled from Kern County, the Sacramento Valley, and the Los Angeles Basin in California, in addition to analyses in Colorado and Texas. 8,38,[50][51][52][53][54][55][56] In host preference studies, where a number of vertebrates, including birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, were exposed to hostseeking mosquitoes in bait trap settings, birds were the most attractive hosts for Cx. tarsalis 57,58 ; a similar host preference investigation found that Cx.…”

Avian phenotypic traits related to feeding preferences in two Culex mosquitoes

“…Some WNVcompetent bird species may harbor high viral loads, which leads to greater transmission of this pathogen between mosquitoes and birds. However, when amplification reaches a peak, incidental transmission to humans and livestock may occur, possibly facilitated by opportunistic mosquito species capable of shifting their feeding patterns, such as some Culex species (e.g., Muñoz et al 2012, Tempelis et al 1965Thiemann et al 2011). Therefore, the host community ecology and feeding behavior of mosquitoes and the epidemiology of vector-borne pathogens are closely linked, which makes the improved understanding of mosquito feeding patterns in natural communities a crucial issue that needs to be addressed.…”

Ecology of West Nile Virus Transmission and Its Impact on Birds in the Western Hemisphere

“…pipiens in Colorado (Tempelis et al 1967), Cx. tarsalis in California (Tempelis et al 1965), and Cx. erraticus in Alabama (Hassan et al 2003), and this is likely to intensify WNV epidemics in humans in these regions (Kilpatrick et al 2006d).…”