Host Selection of Potential West Nile Virus Vectors in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, 2007

Abstract

Abstract. The selection of vertebrate hosts by Culex mosquitoes relative to West Nile virus (WNV) transmission in neotropical countries such as Guatemala is not described. This study determined the feeding patterns of Cx. quinquefasciatus and Cx. nigripalpus and estimated the relative contribution of two common and frequently infected wild bird species, Turdus grayi and Quiscalus mexicanus, to WNV transmission. Engorged mosquitoes were collected from rural and urban habitats after the dry and wet seasons in the Department of Izabal in 2007. Host selection by Cx. nigripalpus varied significantly between urban and rural habitats. Both Cx. quinquefasciatus and Cx. nigripalpus fed predominantly on chickens and other domestic animals. Blood meals from wild birds were rare, accounting for 1.1% of blood meals identified from Cx. quinquefasciatus and 6.5% of blood meals from Cx. nigripalpus. Transmission of WNV by these two mosquito species may be dampened by extensive feeding on reservoir-incompetent hosts.

Reduced West Nile Virus Transmission Around Communal Roosts of Great-Tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)

“…quinquefasciatus and Cx. tarsalis have observed that blood meals from grackles and other icterids are detected with lower frequency than expected from the relative abundance of these birds within the broader avian community, suggesting reduced host selection of icterids by these mosquitoes (Kent et al 2009; Thiemann et al 2012; Kading et al 2013). However, whether this is due to reduced host preference or to low survival of mosquitoes that select icterids for blood meals is difficult to determine.…”

Mammalophilic feeding behaviour of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes collected in the cities of Chetumal and Cancun, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

“…In contrast, in the United States, Guatemala and Mexico, a much higher prevalence of avian blood was found in Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes (59.9%, 85% and 82%, respectively) captured outside houses . A large number of factors influence the feeding behaviour of Cx.…”

Report of natural Mayaro virus infection in Mansonia humeralis (Dyar & Knab, Diptera: Culicidae)

“…humeralis in this region [ 25 ]. Nonhuman vertebrates such as chickens [ 29 , 30 ] also contribute to the persistence of these viruses, as they usually serve as reservoirs for various arboviruses. In this work, an increase in the population of Mansonia spp.…”