Host preference and seasonal feeding patterns of Culex spp. mosquitoes in Nebraska

The host-feeding behavior of Culex spp. mosquitoes is important in the maintenance and transmission of West Nile Virus (WNV).  Avian species are the most important reservoirs of WNV as they serve to maintain and amplify the virus.  Most Culex species are ornithophilic, while others are opportunistic and serve as bridge vectors for the virus to humans and other mammals primarily in the late summer months.  This study was performed to determine the host preference and seasonal feeding patterns of Culex mosquitoes in Nebraska during the 2010 and 2011 summers.  Blood-fed Culex mosquitoes were collected using CDC-miniature light traps baited with either carbon dioxide or 1-octen-3-ol.  Mosquitoes were individually extracted and processed, then tested using PCR and compared with the GenBank database entries by the BLAST program to identify the vertebrate host on which each mosquito had fed.  We will present our results at the meeting.