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ANTIBODY RESPONSE TO CULEX TARSALIS SALIVARY GLAND ANTIGENS AMONG SENTINEL CHICKENS IN CALIFORNIA

The arboviral surveillance program in California depends in part on sentinel chickens to detect western equine encephalomyelitis virus, St. Louis encephalitis virus, and West Nile virus activity. From 2000 through 2002, 1,578 serum specimens from 34 sentinel flocks in northern and southern California were tested for antibodies to Culex tarsalis salivary gland antigens. Sentinel chickens that were seropositive for mosquito salivary gland antigens were more likely to seroconvert to St. Louis encephalitis virus than those seronegative for salivary gland antigens. Flocks with mosquito traps located < 50 feet away had a reduced antibody response to mosquito salivary gland antigens. The use of sentinel chickens and mosquito traps for arboviral surveillance should be standardized to ensure that surveillance data from different sites are comparable and that flocks have comparable opportunities for mosquito exposure. Sentinel chickens should be accessible to potential mosquito vectors to maximize their sensitivity for detecting arboviral activity.

Received June 15, 2004. Accepted for publication September 4, 2004.

Acknowledgments: Dr. Reeves passed away on September 19, 2004, prior to the publication of this manuscript. He will always be remembered for his remarkable contributions to the field of medical entomology, and his role as a mentor to numerous graduate students. I thank the staff of the following districts for their invaluable assistance with this project: Coachella Valley MVCD, Imperial County MVCD, Marin-Sonoma MVCD, Sacramento-Yolo MVCD, Shasta MVCD, Sutter-Yuba MVCD, and Yuma County, Arizona. I am especially grateful to Ken Boyce, David Brown, and Glenn Yoshimura of the Sacramento-Yolo MVCD for providing laboratory space and access to their mosquito colonies. I also thank Chris Barker, Robert Chiles, Bruce Eldridge, Hugh Lothrop, Bill Reisen, and Tom Scott (University of California, Davis) for their assistance with this project. Lastly, I thank Robert Lane, Arthur Reingold, and Steve Selvin (University of California, Berkeley) for their valuable advice on this manuscript.

Financial support: This project was supported by the University of California Mosquito Research Program.

^* Deceased.

Author’s address: Rosalie T. Trevejo, College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, 309 East Second Street, Pomona, CA 91766-1854, Telephone: 909-469-5313, Fax: 909-469-5635, E-mail: rtrevejo{at}westernu.edu.

Reprint requests: Rosalie T. Trevejo, College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, 309 East Second Street, Pomona, CA 91766-1854.