title: Blood-feeding preferences of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in urban and rural settings within the province of Rome, Italy.
abstract: We here report the results of field trials carried out in Rome with the aim to obtain data on the feeding behaviour of Aedes albopictus, in relation to different availability and abundance of putative hosts. Human Blood Index values were found higher than 75% in urban areas, where humans represented the most abundant hosts, and lower than 60% in rural areas, where host alternative to humans were frequent. The overall results confirm the generalist feeding-behaviour shown by this species in its original range of distribution and highlighting its high potential as vector of human pathogens in urban areas of Italy.
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Unit, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rome "Sapienza", Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Valerio
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bongiorno
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Facchinelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pombi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Caputo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maroli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: della Torre
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D002415:Cats; D004285:Dogs; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000502:physiology*; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D012424:Rural Population; D014505:Urban Population