Demonstration of vector competence of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) for Setaria digitata.
In Taiwan, Setaria digitata infection causes a lumber paralysis in increasing number of cattle. Culex quinquefasciatus is one of the predominant mosquitoes, and it has been suspected that C. quinquefasciatus acts as a vector to Setaria nematodes prevalence but this was not confirmed. C. quinquefasciatus, Aedes albopictus and A. aegypti of various strains were investigated using an artificial infection system to evaluate their vector competence. After blood feeding at day 14, the number of larvae (stage III) per infected mosquito in A. aegypti (Liverpool strain), A. aegypti (Kaohsiung strain), A. aegypti (Tungan strain), C. quinquefasciatus (Taichung strain) and A. albopictus (Taichung strain) was 1.3 +/- 0.1, 1.3 +/- 0.1, 1.4 +/- 0.1, 1.0 +/- 0.0 and 0 +/- 0.0 (mean +/- S.E.M), respectively. The vector efficiency index of A. aegypti (Liverpool) was the highest among mosquitoes whereas A. albopictus showed a complete refractoriness to the infection. In conclusion, C. quinquefasciatus demonstrates its potential competence for serving as a transmission vector of S. digitata. This mosquito might therefore be responsible, at least in part, for the prevalence of cattle lumbar paralysis in Taiwan. This is the first report of C. quinquefasciatu demonstrating its vector competence for S. digitata.
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, 250-1 Kuo Kuang Road, Taichung, Taiwan.
Kwong-Chung
KC
Tung
Feng-Pang
FP
Cheng
Cheng-Hung
CH
Lai
Kai-Sung
KS
Wang
Jiunn-Shiow
JS
Wang
Wei-Ming
WM
Lee
D000330:Aedes / Q000469:parasitology; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000635:transmission; D003465:Culex / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology*; D010243:Paralysis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D017182:Setaria Nematode / Q000254:growth & development*; D012719:Setariasis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D013624:Taiwan