Identification of blood meals from potential arbovirus mosquito vectors in the peruvian amazon basin

Pedro M. Palermo, Patricia V. Aguilar, Juan F. Sanchez, Víctor Zorrilla, Carmen Flores-Mendoza, Anibal Huayanay, Carolina Guevara, Andrés G. Lescano, Eric S. Halsey

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The transmission dynamics of many arboviruses in the Amazon Basin region have not been fully elucidated, including the vectors and natural reservoir hosts. Identification of blood meal sources in field-caught mosquitoes could yield information for identifying potential arbovirus vertebrate hosts. We identified blood meal sources in 131 mosquitoes collected from areas endemic for arboviruses in the Peruvian Department of Loreto by sequencing polymerase chain reaction amplicons of the cytochrome b gene. Psorophora (Janthinosoma) albigenu, Psorophora (Grabhamia) cingulata, Mansonia humeralis, Anopheles oswaldoi s.l., and Anopheles benarrochi s.l. had mainly anthropophilic feeding preferences; Aedes (Ochlerotatus) serratus, and Aedes (Ochlerotatus) fulvus had feeding preferences for peridomestic animals; and Culex (Melanoconion) spp. fed on a variety of vertebrates, mainly rodents (spiny rats), birds, and amphibians. On the basis of these feeding preferences, many mosquitoes could be considered as potential enzootic and bridge arbovirus vectors in the Amazon Basin of Peru.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1026-1030
Number of pages5
JournalAmerican Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume95
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2016

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Virology
  • Parasitology

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