title: Feeding patterns of Haemagogus janthinomys (Diptera: Culicidae) in different regions of Brazil.
abstract: New data on the feeding patterns of Haemagogus (Haemagogus) janthinomys Dyar from different geographical regions of Brazil, by using the precipitin test as the bloodmeal-identifying tool, are presented. The following antisera were used: bird, dog, human, rodent, cattle, horse, and opossum. The origins of 287 bloodmeals were identified, whereas 33 specimens were negative to the antiserums tested. Among the reactive specimens, 174 (60.6%) fed on only one food source, of which 35.1% originated from birds, 19.5% from rodents, 12.6% from humans, 10.3% from cattle, 10.3% from opossums, 7.5% from dogs, and 4.6% from horses. One hundred six (37.0%) mosquitoes fed on two sources, of which the most common combinations were bird + rodent (16.0%), bird + human (10.4%), and horse + human (9.4%). Seven (2.4%) mosquitoes fed on three different hosts. Our results suggest that Hg. janthinomys is more eclectic and opportunist than previously known in relation to its hosts and that such patterns are probably highly adaptive to a temporally and spatially variable environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. jalencar@ioc.fiocruz.br
authors.forename: Jeronimo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alencar
authors.forename: Elias Seixas
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Lorosa
authors.forename: l Nicolas
authors.initials: lN
authors.lastname: Dégallier
authors.forename: Nicolau Maués
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Serra-Freire
authors.forename: Juliana Barreto
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Pacheco
authors.forename: Anthony Erico
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Guimarães
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D001938:Brazil; D002417:Cattle; D009033:Culicidae / Q000502:physiology*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D004285:Dogs; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000502:physiology*; D009893:Opossums; D011233:Precipitin Tests / Q000379:methods; D012377:Rodentia