| does the roosting behavior of birds affect transmission dynamics of west nile virus? | the potential role of many urban passerine birds in the transmission of west nile virus (wnv) is well-documented by studies on host competency, seroprevalence in wild birds, and identification of vector blood meal source. in contrast, the impact of bird behavior on transmission dynamics is largely unexplored. bird roosting (perching) behavior may be a critical component regulating wnv transmission because of the crepuscular/nocturnal feeding behavior of culex mosquitoes, the primary vectors of w ... | 2006 | 16896147 |
| avian host community structure and prevalence of west nile virus in chicago, illinois. | vertebrate host diversity has been postulated to mediate prevalence of zoonotic, vector-borne diseases, such that as diversity increases, transmission dampens. this "dilution effect" is thought to be caused by distribution of infective bites to incompetent reservoir hosts. we quantified avian species richness, avian seroprevalence for antibodies to west nile virus (wnv), and infection of wnv in culex mosquitoes, in the chicago metropolitan area, illinois, usa, a region of historically high wnv a ... | 2009 | 19034529 |
| west nile virus antibody decay rate in free-ranging birds. | antibody duration, following a humoral immune response to west nile virus (wnv) infection, is poorly understood in free-ranging avian hosts. quantifying antibody decay rate is important for interpreting serologic results and for understanding the potential for birds to serorevert and become susceptible again. we sampled free-ranging birds in chicago, illinois, us, from 2005 to 2011 and atlanta, georgia, us, from 2010 to 2012 to examine the dynamics of antibody decay following natural wnv infecti ... | 2015 | 25919465 |
| west nile virus infection rates and avian serology in east-central illinois. | understanding the geographic role of different species of mosquito vectors and vertebrate hosts in west nile virus (wnv) transmission cycles can facilitate the development and implementation of targeted surveillance and control measures. this study examined the relationship between wnv-antibody rates in birds and mosquito infection rates and bloodfeeding patterns in east-central illinois. the earliest detection of wnv-rna by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction taqman was from culex r ... | 2013 | 23923325 |
| the culex pipiens complex in the mississippi river basin: identification, distribution, and bloodmeal hosts. | members of the culex pipiens complex are the primary vectors of st. louis encephalitis virus and west nile virus in the mississippi river basin (mrb). the cx. pipiens complex in the mrb is composed of 4 taxa: cx. p. pipiens form pipiens, cx. p. quinquefasciatus, hybrids between cx. p. pipiens f. pipiens and cx. p. quinquefasciatus, and cx. p. pipiens form molestus. three studies on bloodmeal hosts with large sample sizes have been conducted on members of the cx. pipiens complex in the mrb includ ... | 2012 | 23401948 |