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8 July 2019 Identification of Host Blood Meals of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) Collected at the Aripo Savannas Scientific Reserve in Trinidad, West Indies
David S. Kang, Ray Martinez, Aliya Hosein, Rachel Shui Feng, Lester James, Diane D. Lovin, Joanne M. Cunningham, Cally S. T. Miller, Matthew W. Eng, Dave D. Chadee, David W. Severson
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Abstract

Surveillance for blood-fed female mosquitoes was performed between August 2015 and February 2016 at sites along the periphery of the Aripo Savannas Environmentally Reserve (ASSR) located in northeastern Trinidad, West Indies. We collected engorged female mosquitoes representing 13 species. DNA extractions from dissected abdomens were subjected to PCR amplification with three primer pairs targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and cytochrome b gene sequences. High-quality sequence information and host identification were obtained for 42 specimens representing eight mosquito species with at least one primer combination. A broad range of vertebrates including humans were identified, but the majority were nonhuman mammals, both domestic and wild. Domestic dogs were the most common host and may represent potential sentinel species for monitoring local enzootic arbovirus activity in Trinidad. Culex declarator Dyer and Knab and Culex nigripalpus Theobald were the most common blood-fed mosquito species comprising 79.1% of the total number identified. These species obtained blood meals from birds, nonhuman mammals, and human hosts, and therefore pose significant risks as potential bridge vectors for epizootic arbovirus transmission in the ASSR area as well as other sylvan areas in Trinidad. These data represent the first such results for Trinidad.

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
David S. Kang, Ray Martinez, Aliya Hosein, Rachel Shui Feng, Lester James, Diane D. Lovin, Joanne M. Cunningham, Cally S. T. Miller, Matthew W. Eng, Dave D. Chadee, and David W. Severson "Identification of Host Blood Meals of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) Collected at the Aripo Savannas Scientific Reserve in Trinidad, West Indies," Journal of Medical Entomology 56(6), 1734-1738, (8 July 2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjz113
Received: 29 May 2019; Accepted: 12 June 2019; Published: 8 July 2019
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KEYWORDS
bloodmeal identification
epizootic arbovirus transmission
mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and cytochrome b
mosquito
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