title: Transmission of a Venezuelan equine encephalitis complex Alphavirus by Culex (Melanoconion) gnomatos (Diptera: Culicidae) in northeastern Peru.
abstract: Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) complex alphaviruses are serious health threats in the Americas and regularly infect humans living in or near Amazonian rain forests. As part of a larger surveillance program, we placed six hamster-baited mosquito traps in a disturbed white sand forest of northeastern Peru for 3 d. Virus isolations from hamster serum and trapped mosquito pools demonstrated that a VEE subtype IIIC alphavirus was transmitted to a hamster by the mosquito Culex (Melanoconion) gnomatos Sallum, Hutchings & Ferreira. This species, like the other seven proven VEE complex alphavirus vectors, is a member of the Spissipes section of this subgenus. The composition of mosquitoes collected at the site over the sampling period was typical for the region.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555-0609, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Yanoviak
authors.forename: Patricia V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.forename: L Philip
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Lounibos
authors.forename: Scott C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Weaver
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D003465:Culex / Q000821:virology*; D004666:Encephalitis Virus, Venezuelan Equine / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004685:Encephalomyelitis, Venezuelan Equine / Q000635:transmission*; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D008647:Mesocricetus / Q000821:virology; D010568:Peru; D010802:Phylogeny; D014766:Viremia / Q000821:virology