title: Host feeding patterns of potential vectors of eastern equine encephalitis virus at an epizootic focus in Tennessee.
abstract: In 2006, 2,817 blood-fed mosquitoes were collected from the site of a 2005 eastern equine encephalitis outbreak in Chester County, TN. Using a polymerase chain reaction-based assay, 264 vertebrate hosts were identified from seven mosquito species. Culex erraticus and Cx. nigripalpus fed on a diversity of mammalian, avian, and reptilian hosts, whereas Anopheles quadrimaculatus and An. punctipennis were predominantly mammalophagic. Overall, 27% of Cx. nigripalpus, 16% of Cx. erraticus, and 7% of An. quadrimaculatus blood meals were acquired from avian hosts. No avian-derived blood meals were identified from An. punctipennis. The house finch, Carolina wren, and mourning dove were the most commonly identified avian host species. By incorporating this study with flight range, vector competence, and virus field isolation data, we assessed certain aspects of the enzootic and epizootic vectorial capacity of the mosquito species present at this outbreak site.
authors.affiliation: Vector-Borne Diseases Section, Communicable and Environmental Diseases, Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville, Tennessee 37216, USA. Sara.Cohen@tn.gov
authors.forename: Sara B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lewoczko
authors.forename: Dora B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Huddleston
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moody
authors.forename: Sudeshna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Timothy F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Abelardo C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Moncayo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000097:blood; D009033:Culicidae / Q000502:physiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D004663:Encephalitis Virus, Eastern Equine; D004683:Encephalomyelitis, Equine / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000502:physiology*; D008322:Mammals / Q000097:blood; D012104:Reptiles / Q000097:blood; D013045:Species Specificity; D013714:Tennessee / Q000453:epidemiology