Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association (2004) 20, 277-282

Farida Mahmood, Robert E. Chiles, Ying Fang and William K. Reisen (2004)
Methods for studying the vector competence of Culex tarsalis for Western Equine encephalomyelitis virus
Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 20 (3), 277-282
Abstract: Female Culex tarsalis fed heparinized chicken blood-western equine encephalomyelitis virus (WEEV) mixtures through a biomembrane feeder were compared with females fed sweetened blood-virus mixtures presented in pledgets or as hanging drops or to restrained chickens with natural or artificial viremias. Results indicated that sodium heparin did not adversely affect the infection of Culex tarsalis with WEEV. Overall advantages of the biomembrane system included 1) increased blood feeding frequency, 2) control of the infectious virus dose, and 3) greater or similar infection rates and body titers to females taking blood meals from viremic chickens. Anesthetizing females with triethylamine for in vitro transmission assessment using the capillary tube method produced results similar to immobilization using cold or CO₂ + cold. Our research provided insight into tools useful to investigate the infection and transmission of WEEV by Cx. tarsalis.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): William K. Reisen

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 tarsalis