Infection of a field population of Aedes cantator with a polymorphic microsporidium, Amblyospora connecticus via release of the intermediate copepod host, Acanthocyclops vernalis.

The microsporidium Amblyospora connecticus was successfully introduced into a larval field population of Aedes cantator via the release of the infected intermediate copepod host, Acanthocyclops vernalis. The tests were conducted in 3 steel drums that were centrally placed within a salt marsh pool that supports breeding populations of both hosts. A total of 2.7 X 10(4) 2nd-instar Ae. cantator larvae were exposed to spore doses ranging from 2.0 X 10(3) to 2.8 X 10(4) spores/larva through the release of more than 2,000 live infected copepods. The majority of infections were acquired by 2nd- and 3rd-instar larvae during the first 3 weeks of exposure, and maximum infection rates ranging from 16 to 24% were obtained by the time of pupation.