Journal of Medical Entomology (2000) 37, 835-839

M.J. Turell, J.W. Jones, M.R. Sardelis, D.J. Dohm, R.E. Coleman, D.M. Watts, R. Fernandez, C. Calampa and T.A. Klein (2000)
Vector competence of Peruvian mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) for epizootic and enzootic strains of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus
Journal of Medical Entomology 37 (6), 835-839
Abstract: Mosquitoes collected in the Amazon Basin, near Iquitos, Peru, were evaluated for their susceptibility to epizootic (IAB and IC) and enzootic (ID and IE) strains of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus. After feeding on hamsters with a viremia of ~10⁸ plaque-forming units of virus per milliliter, Culex (Melanoconion) gnomatus Sallum, Huchings, and Ferreira, Culex (Melanoconion) vomerifer Komp, and Aedes fulvus (Wiedemann) were highly susceptible to infection with all four subtypes of VEE virus (infection rates >87%). Likewise, Psorophora albigenu (Peryassu) and a combination of Mansonia indubitans Dyar and Shannon and Mansonia titillans (Walker) were moderately susceptible to all four strains of VEE virus (infection rates >50%). Although Psorophora cingulata (Fabricius) and Coquillettidia venezuelensis (Theobald) were susceptible to infection with each of the VEE strains, these two species were not efficient transmitters of any of the VEE strains, even after intrathoracic inoculation, indicating the presence of a salivary gland barrier in these species. In contrast to the other species tested, both Culex (Melanoconion) pedroi Sirivanakarn and Belkin and Culex (Culex) coronator Dyar and Knab were nearly refractory to each of the strains of VEE virus tested. Although many of the mosquito species found in this region were competent laboratory vectors of VEE virus, additional studies on biting behavior, mosquito population densities, and vertebrate reservoir hosts of VEE virus are needed to incriminate the principal vector species.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Michael J. Turell, Terry A. Klein, David J. Dohm, James W. Jones

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Culex coronator		Peru
	Mansonia titillans		Peru
	Coquillettidia venezuelensis		Peru
	Culex vomerifer		Peru
	Culex gnomatos		Peru
	Aedes fulvus		Peru