We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Blood meal sources of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in domestic and open green environments from two urbanisations of temperate Argentina.
- Authors
Melgarejo-Colmenares, Karelly; Vezzani, Darío; Gallego, Alejandra; Cardo, María V
- Abstract
Understanding the blood-feeding patterns of mosquitoes is essential for evaluating their potential as disease vectors, especially in urban areas where mosquitoes coexist with humans, domestic animals and wildlife. This study aimed to bridge a substantial gap in regional knowledge by identifying the blood meal sources of field-collected mosquitoes in domestic and open green environments from two urbanisations of temperate Argentina, the Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (AMBA) and Tandil, using molecular techniques. Female mosquitoes were collected from November 2019 to March 2020 and April–May 2021. A bipartite network analysis was performed for each environment and urbanisation. A total of 103 blood meals from Aedes (2 species) and Culex (7 species) were identified. Among these, five mammal and 18 bird species were recognised as hosts. Aedes mosquitoes exclusively fed on mammals, while Culex mosquitoes exhibited a broader host range including both birds and mammals. In AMBA, the open green environments were composed by more mosquito species than the domestic environments, while both presented similar numbers of vertebrate species. In contrast, in open green environments from Tandil only blood-fed Aedes albifasciatus were collected. For open green environments of AMBA and domestic environments of Tandil, results suggested some degree of host selection. For the three main vectors of diseases in the region, Aedes aegypti , Ae. albifasciatus and Culex pipiens molestus , we present the first molecular evidence of human blood meals in South America. Epidemiological significance of the present findings is discussed.
- Subjects
ARGENTINA; DIPTERA; CULEX pipiens; DOMESTIC animals; AEDES aegypti; CULEX; AEDES; MOSQUITOES
- Publication
Bulletin of Entomological Research, 2024, Vol 114, Issue 1, p30
- ISSN
0007-4853
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1017/S0007485323000573