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MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF BLOOD-MEAL SOURCES IN CULISETA MELANURA AND CULISETA MORSITANS FROM AN ENDEMIC FOCUS OF EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS IN NEW YORK

Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus perpetuates in an enzootic cycle involving ornithophilic mosquito vectors, principally Culiseta melanura (Coquillett) and avian amplification hosts. To better understand the role of Cs. melanura and Culiseta morsitans (Theobald) in the epizootiology of EEE virus, we collected blood-fed mosquitoes between 31 May and 15 October 2004 at two sites associated with an EEE virus focus in central New York and identified the source of vertebrate blood by nucleotide sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of the cytochrome b gene. Analysis of 484 Cs. melanura and 122 Cs. morsitans revealed that 94.2% and 86.9%, respectively, acquired blood solely from avian hosts. Blood meals derived exclusively from mammals were detected in 0.8% of Cs. melanura and 1.6% of Cs. morsitans. Individual mosquitoes containing mixed-blood meals from both avian and mammalian hosts were also detected in 5.0% of Cs. melanura and 11.5% of Cs. morsitans. Wood thrush constituted the most common vertebrate host for Cs. melanura (23.6%) and Cs. morsitans (30.9%), followed by American robin, song sparrow, ovenbird, red-eyed vireo, and common yellowthroat. Mammalian-derived blood meals were identified as white-tailed deer, horse, domestic cat, and eastern pipistrelle bat. There were three isolations of EEE virus from Cs. melanura and one from Cs. morsitans. These results suggest that wood thrush and a few other passerine birds may play key roles in supporting EEE virus transmission in the northeast and possibly throughout the geographic range of EEE in North America. The frequency of mammalian feedings also suggests that Cs. melanura and Cs. morsitans may play a role in the transmission of EEE virus to equines, in addition to maintaining enzootic transmission among avian hosts. We report the first isolation of arboviruses from mosquito vectors concomitant with the identifications of their blood meal sources.

Received March 27, 2006. Accepted for publication August 17, 2006.

Acknowledgment: We are grateful for the technical assistance of our support staff: John Sheppard, Michael Thomas, Shannon Finan, and summer research assistant, Alberto Distefano.

Financial support: Funding for this research was provided by Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Disease Cooperative Agreement U50/CCU6806-01-1 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Specific Cooperative Agreement 58-6615-1-218, and USDA-administered Hatch funds CONH00768.

^* Address correspondence to Goudarz Molaei, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT 06504. E-mail: Goudarz.Molaei{at}po.state.ct.us

Authors’ addresses: Goudarz Molaei, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington St., New Haven, CT 06504, Telephone: 203-974-8487, Fax: 203-974-8502, E-mail: Goudarz.Molaei{at}po.state.ct.us. JoAnne Oliver, Arthropod-Borne Disease Program, New York State Department of Health, Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, Telephone: 607-253-4297, Fax: 607-253-3907, E-mail: jo59{at}cornell.edu. Theodore G. Andreadis, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington St., New Haven, CT 06504, Telephone: 203-974-8510, Fax: 203-974-8502, E-mail: theodore.andreadis{at}po.state.ct.us. Philip M. Armstrong, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington St., New Haven, CT 06504, Telephone: 203-974-8461, Fax: 203-974-8502, E-mail: philip.armstrong{at}po.state.ct.us. John J. Howard, Arthropod-Borne Disease Program, New York State Department of Health, Office of Public Health, 217 South Salina St., Syracuse, NY 13202, Telephone: 315-477-8157, Fax: 315-477-8581, E-mail: jjh08{at}health.state.ny.us.

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