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Blood Feeding Patterns of Potential Arbovirus Vectors of the Genus Culex Targeting Ectothermic Hosts

Reptiles and amphibians constitute a significant portion of vertebrate biomass in terrestrial ecosystems and may be important arbovirus reservoirs. To investigate mosquito preference for ectothermic hosts, feeding indices were calculated from data collected in Tuskegee National Forest, Alabama, USA. Four mosquito species fed upon ectothermic hosts, with Culex peccator and Cx. territans feeding primarily upon ectotherms. These two species appeared to target distinct species with little overlap in host choice. Culex peccator was a generalist in its feeding patterns within ectotherms, and Cx. territans appeared to be a more specialized feeder. Six of eleven ectotherm species fed upon by Cx. territans were fed upon more often than predicted based upon abundance. Spring peepers were highly preferred over other host species by Cx. territans. Blood meals taken from each host species varied temporally, with some hosts being targeted fairly evenly throughout the season and others being fed upon in seasonal peaks.

Received May 9, 2008. Accepted for publication July 26, 2008.

Acknowledgments: We thank Nathan Click and Katherine Gray for their help with mosquito collections, Geoffrey Sorrell and Matthew McCurdy for assisting in ectotherm surveys, and David Bayne for graciously allowing access to his land, where a portion of the mosquitoes were collected.

Financial support. This study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Project # R01AI049724 to Thomas R. Unnasch.

^* Address correspondence to Thomas R. Unnasch, Global Health Infectious Disease Research Program, Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Boulevard, Suite 304, Tampa, FL 33612. E-mail: tunnasch{at}health.usf.edu

Authors’ addresses: Nathan Burkett-Cadena, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, 301 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849. Sean Graham and Craig Guyer, Department of Biological Sciences, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849. Hassan K. Hassan and Thomas R. Unnasch, Global Infectious Disease Research Program, Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Boulevard, Suite 304, Tampa, FL 33612. Micky D. Eubanks, Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, TAMU 2475, College Station, TX 77843-2475. Charles R. Katholi, Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, RPHB 327 Birmingham, AL 35294.

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