Sentinel chickens, commonly used for arbovirus surveillance in the United States, have not been effective for detecting West Nile virus (WNV) activity in the Northeast prior to the onset of human cases. I tested the hypothesis that WNV vector mosquitoes are more likely to feed on passerine birds in the canopy rather than standard sentinel chickens placed at or just above ground level. Carbon dioxide CDC-style miniature light traps and bird-baited traps, placed at 1.5 meters (ca. eye level) and 9 meters in the canopy, were evaluated in several locations in upstate New York. To determine if passerine birds were more effective than domestic chickens as bait animals for WNV surveillance, I compared domestic chicken-baited traps with European house sparrow-baited traps. The effect of trap type, trap placement and bird species was evaluated. These results have significant implications for future West Nile sentinel bird surveillance programs.
Species 1: Diptera Culicidae
Keywords: host-seeking behavior
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