Laboratory transmission of eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus to chickens by chicken mites (Acari: Dermanyssidae).
Pools of adult female chicken mites, Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer), were allowed to feed on chicks that had been inoculated with eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus and that had a viremia level of 10(6.2)-10(6.6) plaque-forming units per milliliter of blood. Virus remained detectable by plaque assay in samples of these mites for 30 d after the infectious blood meal. Virus was not recovered from any of 151 progeny of virus-exposed female mites. Mites that had fed on viremic chicks were allowed to feed on naive chicks 3, 7, 11, 15, or 30 d later. EEE virus was transmitted to chicks by these mites on days 3 (one transmission in four trials) and 7 (one transmission in four trials). Both transmissions were confirmed by the presence of virus in chick blood 24-72 h after mites had fed, and by plaque-reduction neutralization assays of 21-d convalescent chick sera against the original viral strain.
Durden
L A
LA
Virology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702.
Linthicum
K J
KJ
Monath
T P
TP
D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000469:parasitology*; D004663:Encephalitis Virus, Eastern Equine / Q000502:physiology*; D004683:Encephalomyelitis, Equine / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D008924:Mite Infestations / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary; D008925:Mites / Q000382:microbiology*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000635:transmission; D014766:Viremia / Q000662:veterinary