BioOne.org will be down briefly for maintenance on 17 December 2024 between 18:00-22:00 Pacific Time US. We apologize for any inconvenience.
How to translate text using browser tools
7 April 2023 Blood meal source identification and RNA virome determination in Japanese encephalitis virus vectors collected in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, show distinct avian/mammalian host preference
Astri Nur Faizah, Daisuke Kobayashi, Ryo Matsumura, Mamoru Watanabe, Yukiko Higa, Kyoko Sawabe, Haruhiko Isawa
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

In Asia, Culex mosquitoes are of particular interest because of their role in maintaining endemic mosquito-borne viral diseases, including the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). Nonetheless, host-feeding preferences, along with naturally infecting RNA viruses in certain Culex species, remain understudied. In this study, selected blood-fed mosquitoes were processed for avian and mammalian blood meal source identification. Concurrently, cell culture propagation and high-throughput sequencing (HTS) approaches were used to determine the RNA virome of Culex mosquitoes collected in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. The identification of blood meal sources from wild-caught Culex spp. revealed that Culex (Culex) tritaeniorhynchus Giles, 1901, has a robust preference toward wild boar (62%, 26/42), followed by heron (21%, 9/42). The other two species, Culex (Oculeomyia) bitaeniorhynchus Giles, 1901, and Culex (Culex) orientalis Edwards, 1921, showed a distinct preference for avian species, including migratory birds. From the HTS results, 34 virus sequences were detected, four of which were newly identified virus sequences of unclassified Aspiviridae, Qinviridae, Iflaviridae, and Picornaviridae. The absence of observable cytopathic effects in mammalian cells and phylogenetic analysis suggested that all identified virus sequences were insect-specific. Further investigations involving other mosquito populations collected in different areas are warranted to explore previously unknown vertebrate hosts that may be linked to JEV dispersal in nature.

Astri Nur Faizah, Daisuke Kobayashi, Ryo Matsumura, Mamoru Watanabe, Yukiko Higa, Kyoko Sawabe, and Haruhiko Isawa "Blood meal source identification and RNA virome determination in Japanese encephalitis virus vectors collected in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, show distinct avian/mammalian host preference," Journal of Medical Entomology 60(3), 620-628, (7 April 2023). https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjad028
Received: 5 January 2023; Accepted: 6 March 2023; Published: 7 April 2023
JOURNAL ARTICLE
9 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
blood meal source
Culex
Culex tritaeniorhynchus
high-throughput sequencing
Japanese encephalitis virus
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top