Host-Feeding Patterns of Potential Mosquito Vectors in Connecticut, USA: Molecular Analysis of Bloodmeals from 23 Species of Aedes, Anopheles, Culex, Coquillettidia, Psorophora, and Uranotaenia

Abstract

We evaluated the blood-feeding patterns in several mosquito species that may serve as vectors of disease agents in the northeastern United States. Blood-fed mosquitoes were collected from 91 different sites throughout Connecticut over a 6-yr period (June-October 2002-2007), and the host-feeding patterns of 23 mosquito species representing six genera were examined by using a polymerase chain reaction-based assay and sequencing portions of the cytochrome b gene of mitochondrial DNA. This study was part of a statewide surveillance program and for some of the mosquito species a limited number of specimens were examined [e.g., Aedes communis (De Geer) (1), Anopheles barberi Coquillett (1), Uranotaenia sapphirina (Osten Sacken) (5)]. With the exception of Culex territans Walker that acquired bloodmeals from all four classes of vertebrates--birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals--all species of Aedes, Anopheles, Coquillettidia, Psorophora, and to a lesser degree, Uranotaenia, were found to feed predominately upon mammalian hosts. Fourteen mammalian species were identified as sources of blood, but the majority of feedings were taken from the white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus. Human-derived bloodmeals were identified from 13 of the 23 mosquito species. Limited avian-derived bloodmeals were detected in Aedes canadensis (Theobald), Aedes cantator (Coquillett), Aedes cinereus Meigen, Aedes triseriatus (Coquillett), Aedes trivittatus (Coquillett), Coquillettidia perturbans (Walker) Cx. territans, Psorophoraferox (von Humboldt), and Ur. sapphirina. American robin, Turdus migratorius, was the most common source of avian blood, followed by a few other mostly Passeriformes birds. We conclude that the white-tailed deer serve as the main vertebrate host for these mammalophilic mosquitoes in this region of the United States. This feeding pattern supports enzootic amplification of arboviruses, including Jamestown Canyon, Cache Valley, and Potosi viruses that perpetuate in cervid hosts. Occasional feeding on avian hosts suggests that some of these mosquito species, such as Cq. perturbans, also could facilitate transmission of West Nile and eastern equine encephalitis viruses from viremic birds to mammalian hosts.

Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Cache Valley Virus (Bunyaviridae:Orthobunyavirus) Infection in Anopheline and Culicine Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Northeastern United States, 1997–2012

“…Similar findings were obtained in concurrent investigations on the prevalence and distribution of JCV in the state (Andreadis et al 2008) that also amplifies in white-tailed deer (Grimstad 2008b). This likely reflects the overall abundance and saturation of white-tailed deer throughout the region that have increased substantially from an estimated population of 49,472 in 199349,472 in to 62,189 in 200649,472 in /200749,472 in (Gregonis 2007.…”

“…inornata (Corner et al 1980), a species that also overwinters as an adult, but the observed filial infection rate was relatively low for a bunyavirus, infecting only 0.2% of progeny from experimentally infected females. In either case, if CVV overwintered to any great degree in diapusing Anopheles females, regardless of whether it was acquired horizontally or vertically, one might anticipate some early to midseason isolation of the virus from field populations, as occurs with JCV (Andreadis et al 2008), unless of course infection rates are excessively low and below detectable levels given our trapping methodology. In the present study, we did isolate CVV from field-collected An.…”

Bloodmeal identification and feeding habits of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) collected at five islands in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan

“…Information on host-feeding patterns of mosquitoes in nature is an essential component for evaluating their vectorial capacities and for assessing the role of individual vertebrates as potential reservoir hosts involved in maintenance and amplification of zoonotic agents of human and animal diseases (Molaei et al, 2008;Miyagi et al, 2010). It is a well-known that mosquitoes obtain their bloodmeals from a wide variety of hosts.…”

“…Recent advances in molecular techniques for bloodmeal analyses by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assay, permits the identification of host species with a higher accuracy than previous serologic techniques. These molecular techniques have been used to examine the host-feeding patterns of vectors of the West Nile virus (WNV) (Molaei et al, 2008;Kent et al, 2009;Sawabe et al, 2010), avian malaria (Ejiri et al, 2008;Kim et al, 2009a, b) and Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) (Cupp et al, 2004).…”

Host compatibility rather than vector–host-encounter rate determines the host range of avian Plasmodium parasites

“…Mosquito-feeding networks may also be compartmentalized [17], with certain vector species using a distinct subset of available host species [14,[18][19][20][21]. For instance, in the northeastern United States, Culex restuans, Culex pipiens, and Culiseta melanura obtain blood meals from birds, while the sympatric Aedes vexans, Ochlerotatus and Anopheles species rely primarily on mammals for blood meals [18,22,23].…”