Host-Feeding Preference of the Mosquito,Culex quinquefasciatus, in Yucatan State, Mexico

The cestode Micrasomacanthus rectacantha and the trematode Psilostomum brevicolle are the two most common intestinal helminths of oystercatchers, Haematopus ostralegus, on the Exe estuary, England. Each was present in 57 of 60 birds, in numbers ranging from 1 to 9833 and from 1 to 182, respectively. Cockles (Cerastoderma edule) were used as paratenic host by M. rectacantha and as second intermediate host by P. brevicolle. Over 90% of the transmission of M. rectacantha from intermediate hosts occurred in winter, between cockles and juvenile birds. Exposure to M. rectacantha was highest in cockles from muddy sites, where up to 80% of older cockles were infected with 1–14 larvae. Exposure to P. brevicolle was similarly high at one sandy site. Juveniles also made up > 90% of the birds present on the estuary in summer, when significantly more worms were gravid. Estimates based on the numbers of uterine eggs per individual P. brevicolle showed that 8 % of the total Exe population of oystercatchers (ca. 200) contributed 51% of the eggs to the estuary. The results implicate host age, host feeding preference, and host population structure as important factors determining variation in helminth abundance in birds.

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Prior host feeding experience influences ovipositional but not feeding preference in a polyphagous insect herbivore

Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata ◽

10.1111/j.1570-7458.2010.01083.x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 138 (2) ◽

pp. 137-145 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

David R. Coyle ◽

Katherine E. Clark ◽

Kenneth F. Raffa ◽

Scott N. Johnson

Keyword(s):

Feeding Preference ◽

Insect Herbivore ◽

Host Feeding ◽

Feeding Experience ◽

Polyphagous Insect

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Modeling host-feeding preference and molecular systematics of mosquitoes in different ecological niches in Canada

Acta Tropica ◽

10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105734 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 213 ◽

pp. 105734

Author(s):

Nariman Shahhosseini ◽

Christina Frederick ◽

Trina Racine ◽

Gary P. Kobinger ◽

Gary Wong

Keyword(s):

Molecular Systematics ◽

Feeding Preference ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Host Feeding

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Host Feeding Pattern of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) and Its Role in Transmission of West Nile Virus in Harris County, Texas

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene ◽

10.4269/ajtmh.2007.77.73 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 77 (1) ◽

pp. 73-81 ◽

Cited By ~ 112

Author(s):

Goudarz Molaei ◽

Robert B. Tesh ◽

Hilda Guzman ◽

Yvonne Randle ◽

Susan V. Real ◽

...

Keyword(s):

West Nile Virus ◽

Culex Quinquefasciatus ◽

Feeding Pattern ◽

Host Feeding ◽

Harris County ◽

West Nile

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Host-feeding preference of Phlebotomus orientalis (Diptera: Psychodidae) in an endemic focus of visceral leishmaniasis in northern Ethiopia

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-015-0883-5 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Araya Gebresilassie ◽

Ibrahim Abbasi ◽

Essayas Aklilu ◽

Solomon Yared ◽

Oscar David Kirstein ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visceral Leishmaniasis ◽

Feeding Preference ◽

Northern Ethiopia ◽

Host Feeding ◽

Endemic Focus ◽

Phlebotomus Orientalis

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Vector within-host feeding preference mediates transmission of a heterogeneously distributed pathogen

Ecological Entomology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2311.2010.01189.x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 360-366 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

MATTHEW P. DAUGHERTY ◽

JOAO LOPES ◽

RODRIGO P. P. ALMEIDA

Keyword(s):

Feeding Preference ◽

Host Feeding

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Host-Feeding Preference and Diel Activity of Mosquito Vectors of the Japanese Encephalitis Virus in Rural Cambodia

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10030376 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 376

Author(s):

Sébastien Boyer ◽

Benoit Durand ◽

Sony Yean ◽

Cécile Brengues ◽

Pierre-Olivier Maquart ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Japanese Encephalitis Virus ◽

Japanese Encephalitis ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Mosquito Species ◽

Feeding Preference ◽

Encephalitis Virus ◽

Diel Activity ◽

Host Feeding ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Dog Blood

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is the most important cause of human encephalitis in Southeast Asia, and this zoonosis is mainly transmitted from pigs to human by mosquitoes. A better understanding of the host-feeding preference of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) major vectors is crucial for identifying risk areas, defining bridge vector species and targeting adapted vector control strategies. To assess host-feeding preference of JE vectors in a rural Cambodian area where JE is known to circulate, in 2017, we implemented four sessions of mosquito trapping (March, June, September, December), during five consecutive nights, collecting four times a night (6 p.m. to 6 a.m.), and using five baited traps simultaneously, i.e., cow, chicken, pig, human, and a blank one for control. In addition, blood meals of 157 engorged females trapped at the same location were opportunistically analyzed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using cow, pig, human, and dog blood primers. More than 95% of the 36,709 trapped mosquitoes were potential JE vectors. These vectors were trapped in large numbers throughout the year, including during the dry season, and from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Despite the apparent host-feeding preference of Culex vishnui, Cx. gelidus, and Cx. tritaenhyorhincus for cows, statistical analysis suggested that the primary target of these three mosquito species were pigs. Dog blood was detected in eight mosquitoes of the 157 tested, showing that mosquitoes also bite dogs, and suggesting that dogs may be used as proxy of the risk for human to get infected by JE virus.

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Vertebrate-Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera)-arbovirus transmission networks: Non-human feeding revealed by meta-barcoding and next-generation sequencing

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽

10.1371/journal.pntd.0008867 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (12) ◽

pp. e0008867

Author(s):

José Guillermo Estrada-Franco ◽

Nadia A. Fernández-Santos ◽

Adeniran A. Adebiyi ◽

María de J. López-López ◽

Jesús A. Aguilar-Durán ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aedes Aegypti ◽

Human Blood ◽

Culex Quinquefasciatus ◽

Host Species ◽

Transmission Dynamics ◽

Host Feeding ◽

Next Generation ◽

Northern Mexico ◽

Single Host ◽

Blood Meals

Background Aedes aegypti mosquito-borne viruses including Zika (ZIKV), dengue (DENV), yellow fever (YFV), and chikungunya (CHIKV) have emerged and re-emerged globally, resulting in an elevated burden of human disease. Aedes aegypti is found worldwide in tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate areas. The characterization of mosquito blood meals is essential to understand the transmission dynamics of mosquito-vectored pathogens. Methodology/principal findings Here, we report Ae. aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus host feeding patterns and arbovirus transmission in Northern Mexico using a metabarcoding-like approach with next-generation deep sequencing technology. A total of 145 Ae. aegypti yielded a blood meal analysis result with 107 (73.8%) for a single vertebrate species and 38 (26.2%) for two or more. Among the single host blood meals for Ae. aegypti, 28.0% were from humans, 54.2% from dogs, 16.8% from cats, and 1.0% from tortoises. Among those with more than one species present, 65.9% were from humans and dogs. For Cx. quinquefasciatus, 388 individuals yielded information with 326 (84%) being from a single host and 63 (16.2%) being from two or more hosts. Of the single species blood meals, 77.9% were from dogs, 6.1% from chickens, 3.1% from house sparrows, 2.4% from humans, while the remaining 10.5% derived from other 12 host species. Among those which had fed on more than one species, 11% were from dogs and humans, and 89% of other host species combinations. Forage ratio analysis revealed dog as the most over-utilized host by Ae. aegypti (= 4.3) and Cx. quinquefasciatus (= 5.6) and the human blood index at 39% and 4%, respectively. A total of 2,941 host-seeking female Ae. aegypti and 3,536 Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes were collected in the surveyed area. Of these, 118 Ae. aegypti pools and 37 Cx. quinquefasciatus pools were screened for seven arboviruses (ZIKV, DENV 1–4, CHIKV, and West Nile virus (WNV)) using qRT-PCR and none were positive (point prevalence = 0%). The 95%-exact upper limit confidence interval was 0.07% and 0.17% for Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus, respectively Conclusions/significance The low human blood feeding rate in Ae. aegypti, high rate of feeding on mammals by Cx. quinquefasciatus, and the potential risk to transmission dynamics of arboviruses in highly urbanized areas of Northern Mexico is discussed.

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