Hosts of Lutzomyia shannoni (Diptera: Psychodidae) in relation to vesicular stomatitis virus on Ossabaw Island, Georgia, U.S.A.
Hosts of Lutzomyia shannoni Dyar, a suspected biological vector of the New Jersey serotype of vesicular stomatitis (VSNJ) virus, were determined using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of 333 blood-fed female sandflies collected from their diurnal resting shelters on Ossabaw Island, Georgia, U.S.A. Sandflies had fed primarily on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) (81%) and to a lesser extent on feral swine (Sus scrofa) (16%), two species of host infected annually with VSNJ. Other hosts were raccoons (Procyon lotor) and horses (Equus caballus) or donkeys (E. asinus), with only two (< 1%) mixed bloodmeals from deer/raccoon and deer/swine. A larger proportion of feedings on feral swine was detected in maritime live oak forests than in mixed hardwood forests. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that L.shannoni is a primary vector of VSNJ virus on Ossabaw Island.
Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens 30602.
J A
JA
Comer
W S
WS
Irby
D M
DM
Kavanaugh
D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D003670:Deer / Q000469:parasitology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D006736:Horses / Q000469:parasitology; D007303:Insect Vectors; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology*; D011821:Raccoons / Q000469:parasitology; D013552:Swine / Q000469:parasitology; D018116:Vesiculovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*