| identification of reptilian and amphibian blood meals from mosquitoes in an eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus focus in central alabama. | uranotaenia sapphirina, culex erraticus, and cx. peccator were collected in an enzootic eastern equine encephalomyelitis (eee) virus focus in central alabama (tuskegee national forest) from 2001 to 2003 and analyzed for virus as well as host selection. eee virus was detected in each species every year except 2003, when pools of cx. peccator were negative. most (97%) of the 130 cx. peccator blood meals identified were from ectothermic hosts; 3% were from birds. among blood meals from reptiles (ap ... | 2004 | 15381805 |
| entomopathogenic fungi for mosquito control: a review. | fungal diseases in insects are common and widespread and can decimate their populations in spectacular epizootics. virtually all insect orders are susceptible to fungal diseases, including dipterans. fungal pathogens such as lagenidium, coelomomyces and culicinomyces are known to affect mosquito populations, and have been studied extensively. there are, however, many other fungi that infect and kill mosquitoes at the larval and/or adult stage. the discovery, in 1977, of the selective mosquito-pa ... | 2004 | 15861235 |
| preference of female mosquitoes for natural and artificial resting sites. | at a wetland study site in tuskegee national forest, al, resting female mosquitoes were collected from natural and artificial resting sites to identify species-specific resting sites and to evaluate various artificial resting sites for their utility in collecting resting mosquitoes. natural resting sites included small tree cavities, large tree cavities, and understory vegetation. artificial resting sites included resting boxes, fiber pots, and plastic trash cans. we collected 12,888 female mosq ... | 2008 | 18666530 |
| developing gis-based eastern equine encephalitis vector-host models in tuskegee, alabama. | a site near tuskegee, alabama was examined for vector-host activities of eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus (eeev). land cover maps of the study site were created in arcinfo 9.2 from quickbird data encompassing visible and near-infrared (nir) band information (0.45 to 0.72 microm) acquired july 15, 2008. georeferenced mosquito and bird sampling sites, and their associated land cover attributes from the study site, were overlaid onto the satellite data. sas 9.1.4 was used to explore univariat ... | 2010 | 20181267 |
| blood feeding patterns of mosquitoes: random or structured? | abstract: | 2010 | 20205866 |
| temporal analysis of feeding patterns of culex erraticus in central alabama. | host blood meals in seven mosquito species previously shown to be infected with eastern equine encephalitis virus at a site in the tuskegee national forest in southcentral alabama were investigated. of 1374 blood meals derived from 88 different host species collected over 6 years from these seven mosquito species, 1099 were derived from culex erraticus. analysis of the temporal pattern of cx. erraticus meals using a runs test revealed that the patterns of feeding upon avian and mammalian hosts f ... | 2011 | 21395423 |
| host reproductive phenology drives seasonal patterns of host use in mosquitoes. | seasonal shifts in host use by mosquitoes from birds to mammals drive the timing and intensity of annual epidemics of mosquito-borne viruses, such as west nile virus, in north america. the biological mechanism underlying these shifts has been a matter of debate, with hypotheses falling into two camps: (1) the shift is driven by changes in host abundance, or (2) the shift is driven by seasonal changes in the foraging behavior of mosquitoes. here we explored the idea that seasonal changes in host ... | 2011 | 21408172 |
| winter biology of wetland mosquitoes at a focus of eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus transmission in alabama, usa. | at temperate latitudes, vectors and pathogens must possess biological mechanisms for coping with cold temperatures and surviving from one transmission season to the next. mosquitoes that overwinter in the adult stage have been proposed as winter maintenance hosts for certain arboviruses. in the cases of west nile virus (family flaviviridae, genus flavivirus) and st. louis encephalitis virus (family flaviviridae, genus flavivirus), discovery of infected overwintering females lends support to this ... | 2011 | 21936314 |
| Competency of reptiles and amphibians for eastern equine encephalitis virus. | Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is endemic throughout most of the eastern United States. Although it is transmitted year round in Florida, transmission elsewhere is seasonal. The mechanism that enables EEEV to overwinter in seasonal foci remains obscure. In previous field studies, early season EEEV activity was detected in mosquito species that feed primarily upon ectothermic hosts, suggesting that reptiles and amphibians might represent overwintering reservoir hosts for EEEV. To determ ... | 2011 | 21896798 |
| ecology of culiseta melanura and other mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) from walton county, fl, during winter period 2013-2014. | winter ecology of putative vectors of eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus (eeev) in northern florida was investigated at field locations with evidence of historic eeev winter transmission. light traps and resting shelters were used to sample the mosquito community in the vicinity of eight sentinel flocks throughout the winter period (november-april) of 2013 and 2014 in walton county, fl. overall mosquito activity was relatively low, although mosquitoes were captured during each week of the st ... | 2015 | 26336227 |
| field investigations of winter transmission of eastern equine encephalitis virus in florida. | studies investigating winter transmission of eastern equine encephalitis virus (eeev) were conducted in hillsborough county, florida. the virus was detected in culiseta melanura and anopheles quadrimaculatus in february 2012 and 2013, respectively. during the winter months, herons were the most important avian hosts for all mosquito species encountered. in collections carried out in the summer of 2011, blood meals taken from herons were still common, but less frequently encountered than in winte ... | 2014 | 25070997 |
| detection of eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus rna in north american snakes. | the role of non-avian vertebrates in the ecology of eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus (eeev) is unresolved, but mounting evidence supports a potential role for snakes in the eeev transmission cycle, especially as over-wintering hosts. to determine rates of exposure and infection, we examined serum samples from wild snakes at a focus of eeev in alabama for viral rna using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. two species of vipers, the copperhead (agkistrodon contortr ... | 2012 | 23033405 |
| alphaviruses: population genetics and determinants of emergence. | alphaviruses are responsible for several medically important emerging diseases and are also significant veterinary pathogens. due to the aerosol infectivity of some alphaviruses and their ability to cause severe, sometimes fatal neurologic diseases, they are also of biodefense importance. this review discusses the ecology, epidemiology and molecular virology of the alphaviruses, then focuses on three of the most important members of the genus: venezuelan and eastern equine encephalitis and chiku ... | 2012 | 22522323 |
| serosurveillance of eastern equine encephalitis virus in amphibians and reptiles from alabama, usa. | eastern equine encephalitis virus (eeev) is among the most medically important arboviruses in north america, and studies suggest a role for amphibians and reptiles in its transmission cycle. serum samples collected from 351 amphibians and reptiles (27 species) from alabama, usa, were tested for the presence of antibodies against eeev. frogs, turtles, and lizards showed little or no seropositivity, and snakes had high seropositivity rates. most seropositive species were preferred or abundant host ... | 0 | 22403333 |
| predicting the mosquito species and vertebrate species involved in the theoretical transmission of rift valley fever virus in the united states. | rift valley fever virus (rvfv) is a mosquito-borne virus in the family bunyaviridiae that has spread throughout continental africa to madagascar and the arabian peninsula. the establishment of rvfv in north america would have serious consequences for human and animal health in addition to a significant economic impact on the livestock industry. published and unpublished data on rvfv vector competence, vertebrate host competence, and mosquito feeding patterns from the united states were combined ... | 2014 | 25211133 |
| blood feeding patterns of potential arbovirus vectors of the genus culex targeting ectothermic hosts. | reptiles and amphibians constitute a significant portion of vertebrate biomass in terrestrial ecosystems and may be important arbovirus reservoirs. to investigate mosquito preference for ectothermic hosts, feeding indices were calculated from data collected in tuskegee national forest, alabama, usa. four mosquito species fed upon ectothermic hosts, with culex peccator and cx. territans feeding primarily upon ectotherms. these two species appeared to target distinct species with little overlap in ... | 0 | 18981528 |
| sex-biased avian host use by arbovirus vectors. | prevalence of arthropod-borne parasites often differs drastically between host sexes. this sex-related disparity may be related to physiological (primarily hormonal) differences that facilitate or suppress replication of the pathogen in host tissues. alternately, differences in pathogen prevalence between host sexes may be owing to differential exposure to infected vectors. here, we report on the use of pcr-based assays recognizing bird sex chromosomes to investigate sex-related patterns of avia ... | 2014 | 26064562 |
| diversity of mosquitoes and the aquatic insects associated with their oviposition sites along the pacific coast of mexico. | the abundance, richness and diversity of mosquitoes and aquatic insects associated with their oviposition sites were surveyed along eight states of the pacific coast of mexico. diversity was estimated using the shannon index (h'), similarity measures and cluster analysis. | 2014 | 24450800 |
| reciprocal trophic interactions and transmission of blood parasites between mosquitoes and frogs. | the relationship between mosquitoes and their amphibian hosts is a unique, reciprocal trophic interaction. instead of a one-way, predator-prey relationship, there is a cyclical dance of avoidance and attraction. this has prompted spatial and temporal synchrony between organisms, reflected in emergence time of mosquitoes in the spring and choice of habitat for oviposition. frog-feeding mosquitoes also possess different sensory apparatuses than do their mammal-feeding counterparts. the reciprocal ... | 2012 | 26466534 |