title: Vector-host interactions in avian nests: do mosquitoes prefer nestlings over adults?
abstract: The hypothesis that nestlings are a significant driver of arbovirus transmission and amplification is based upon findings that suggest nestlings are highly susceptible to being fed upon by vector mosquitoes and to viral infection and replication. Several previous studies have suggested that nestlings are preferentially fed upon relative to adults in the nest, and other studies have reported a preference for adults over nestlings. We directly tested the feeding preference of nestling and adult birds in a natural setting, introducing mosquitoes into nesting boxes containing eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis), collecting blood-fed mosquitoes, and matching the source of mosquito blood meals to individual birds using microsatellite markers. Neither nestlings nor adults were fed upon to an extent significantly greater than would be predicted based upon their relative abundance in the nests, although feeding upon mothers decreased as the age of the nestlings increased.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Burkett-Cadena
authors.forename: Russell A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ligon
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hassan K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Geoffrey E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Micky D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Eubanks
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Unnasch
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000635:transmission; D003465:Culex / Q000502:physiology*; D004247:DNA / Q000097:blood; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000502:physiology*; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D046109:Passeriformes / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology*; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D004247:DNA