BLOOD FEEDING BEHAVIOR OF ANOPHELES QUADRIMACULATUS AND ANOPHELES PUNCTIPENNIS FROM EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS FOCI IN NORTHEASTERN USA

BLOOD FEEDING BEHAVIOR OF ANOPHELES QUADRIMACULATUS AND ANOPHELES PUNCTIPENNIS FROM EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS FOCI IN NORTHEASTERN USA

G. MOLAEI¹, A. FARAJOLLAHI², P. M. ARMSTRONG¹,J. OLIVER³, J. J. HOWARD³, and T. G. ANDREADIS¹

¹The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, P.O. Box 1106, New Haven, CT 06504

²Mercer County Mosquito Control, 300 Scotch Road, West Trenton, NJ 08628

³New York State Department of Health, 217 S. Salina St., Syracuse, NY 13202

Goudarz.Molaei@po.state.ct.us

ABSTRACT

The host-feeding patterns of Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say and Anopheles punctipennis (Say) were examined in order to evaluate their potential contributions to transmission of eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEv) and other arboviruses in northeastern USA. Engorged mosquitoes of the two species were collected from EEEv foci in central New York (NY), and throughout New Jersey (NJ), and their blood meals were identified using a PCR-based assay and sequencing portions of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Analysis of 131 An. quadrimaculatus and 107 An. punctipennis from NY revealed that 97.7% and 97.2%, respectively, acquired blood solely from mammalian hosts. Similarly, examination of 288 An. quadrimaculatus and 127 An. punctipennis from NJ showed 100% and 96.0%, respectively, mammalian-derived blood meals. Mosquitoes containing mixed-blood meals from both avian and mammalian hosts were detected in 1.6% of An. quadrimaculatus in NY, whereas, An. punctipennis acquired 2.8% and 4.0% mixed blood meals in NY and NJ, respectively. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) constituted the most common vertebrate host for these anopheline mosquitoes, comprising 85.8% to 97.7% of all blood meals identified. Predominance of white-tailed deer as a source of blood meals supports enzootic amplification of deer-associated arboviruses in this region, including Jamestown Canyon, Cache Valley, and Potosi viruses. One horse- and two human-derived blood meals were also detected from An. quadrimaculatus collected in NJ. Limited avian-derived blood meals were detected from mourning dove (Zenaida macroura), sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus), and house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus), mostly in mixed blood meals. Occasional feeding on avian hosts suggests that these mosquitoes, may participate as epidemic/epizootic bridge vectors of EEEv from viremic birds to mammalian hosts of concern including horses and humans. An isolate of EEEv was recovered from the head and thorax of an An. punctipennis mosquito collected in NY.

Key words. Anopheles quadrimaculatus, Anopheles punctipennis, mosquito blood-feeding behavior, eastern equine encephalitis virus, arboviruses, northeastern USA.