Blood fed Culex quinquefasciatus were collected from residential and wetland sites in Tucson, Arizona for three years using CDC gravid traps. An ELISA distinguishing human, bird, dog, cat, and rabbit blood meals was used. In residential areas, approximately 47% of all identified blood meals were from humans, with fewer blood meals from bird, dog, cat, and rabbit. At Sweetwater Wetland, humans were also the most common host, with 11 (41%) identified blood meals. Birds were the hosts of 19% blood meals. Ten (seven residential, three wetland) mosquitoes were identified to have blood from both bird and human hosts. Since the transmission of West Nile Virus to humans is dependent on mosquitoes feeding both on birds and humans, this finding is particularly relevant. These data only describe the feeding choices of the mosquitoes collected from a limited number of sites in Tucson, and therefore, may not reflect feeding preferences more generally.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/292083 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Zinser, Margaret Leah |
| Contributors | Willott, Elizabeth |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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