title: Mosquito vectors of West Nile Fever in Israel.
abstract: West Nile fever (WNF) is endemic in Israel. In 1999, country-wide adult mosquito surveys were initiated and intensified after the 2000 country-wide outbreak of WNF in humans. In 8 consecutive yr, groups of male and female specimens of different species and from different locations were tested for infection with West Nile virus (WNV). Three species made up >87% of the total catch: Culex pipiens L. (52%), with an infection rate (IR) of 0.5; Cx. perexiguus Theobald (20%), with an IR of 2.7; and Aedes caspius Pallas (15%), with an IR of 0.6. The geographical and temporal distribution of WNV-infected mosquitoes was similar but was not parallel to the seasonal abundance of the populations. The seasonal occurrence of human cases is in correlation with the finding of WNV-positive mosquito specimens reaching a peak 1 mo later than the mosquito peak. The relative importance of the mosquito species in the epidemiology of WNF is discussed. Cx. perexiguus is considered the major vector of WNF in Israel.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Entomology, Central Laboratories, Ministry of Health, Yaakov Eliav St., 9 Jerusalem 94467, P.O. Box 34410, Jerusalem 91342, Israel. Laor.Orshan@eliav.health.gov.il
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Orshan
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bin
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schnur
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaufman
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valinsky
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shulman
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mendelson
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pener
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003465:Culex / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011156:Population Density; D012621:Seasons; D013045:Species Specificity; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000302:isolation & purification