Blood feeding and oviposition by Culex nigripalpus (Diptera: Culicidae) before, during, and after a widespread St. Louis encephalitis virus epidemic in Florida.

A widespread epidemic of St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) virus was reported from central Florida from late July through December 1990 with 226 clinical cases and 11 deaths in humans. The abundance of blood-fed and gravid Culex nigripalpus Theobald females, the vector of SLE in Florida, was monitored at a resting site in Indian River County, FL, for the 3 yr before the epidemic, the epidemic year, and for 1 yr following the epidemic. Each study year was divided into four 3-mo periods that depict the subtropical SLE transmission cycle; a January-March maintenance phase, an April-June amplification phase, a July-September early transmission phase, and an October-December late transmission phase. The abundance of blood-fed and gravid females was significantly greater during the amplification, early transmission, and late transmission phases of the 1990 SLE epidemic when compared with the 3 pre-epidemic years. Throughout the study, Cx. nigripalpus blood feeding and oviposition was driven by epic (> 50 mm) rainfall events. The abundance of gravid females decreased, whereas the number of blood-fed females increased following heavy rainfalls. Epizootic and epidemic transmission of SLE to sentinel chickens and humans in Indian River County was greatest immediately following heavy rainfalls that synchronized Cx. nigripalpus oviposition and blood feeding.