Page 520 - The Veterinary Laboratory and Field Manual 3rd Edition

Arthropod vectors and arthropod-borne diseases 457

• length of trapping season important mosquito-transmitted viruses, the
• frequency and duration of trapping events geographic location, the species that transmit
• type of collection (dry / in alcohol / in formalin) them and important diagnostic techniques. The
• storage of sample. three stages of a mosquito life cycle are larvae,
pupae and adults. Not all mosquitoes are blood
feeding, and of the ones that are, only the adult
Mosquitoes and other biting flies females consume blood before oviposition.
Trapping of mosquitoes, midges and other
Mosquitoes are the most important arthropod biting flies is usually performed by the use of
vectors for viral diseases and other pathogens. baited traps, in which case carbon dioxide and
Table 14.1 gives an overview of the most light/black light are most commonly used as

Table 14.1 Important mosquito-borne viruses.

Pathogen distribution Mosquito species Vertebrate hosts diagnostic
methods
Alphaviruses
EEE North America Ochlerotatus Passerine birds Virus isolation
(east) sollicitans (mosquito or
Culex nigripalpus mammalian cell
Culiseta melanura lines, suckling mice)
Coquilletidia Haemagglutination /
perturbans Haemagglutination
Inhibition
antigen ELISA
RT-PCR, qRT-PCR
from blood / CSF
during viremia
Serology (ELISA,
IFT)
Central & South Melanoconion spp Rodents, birds
America
WEE North America Culex tarsalis Passerine birds
(west)
California, Utah, Ochlerotatus Jackrabbits
Colorado melanimon
Ochlerotatus
dorsalis
Central & South Melanoconion spp Rodents, birds
America
Argentina Aedes albifasciatus
VEE Central America Culex panocossa Rodents
Central & South Anopheles spp Rodents
America Aedes /
Ochlerotatus spp
Culex ocossa

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