Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 200 9th St. SE, Vero Beach, FL, 32962, USA.
Entomology and Nematology Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 1881 Natural Area Drive, Steinmetz Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Sci Rep. 2020 Jul 31;10(1):12971. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-69942-8.
Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), including those vectored by mosquitoes, have recently been cited as potential emerging health threats to marine mammals. Despite the fully aquatic habits of cetaceans, immunologic exposure to arboviruses including West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis virus has been detected in wild Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, and captive orcas have been killed by West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus. Currently, there is no evidence of direct interactions between mosquitoes and marine mammals in nature, and it remains unknown how wild cetaceans are exposed to mosquito-vectored pathogens. Here, we report the first evidence of direct interactions between an aquatic mammal, the West Indian manatee, a federally threatened species, and mosquitoes in nature. Observations of manatees in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA, indicate that mosquitoes of three genera, Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex are able to locate and land on surface-active manatees, and at minimum, penetrate and probe manatee epidermis with their mouthparts. Whether mosquitoes can successfully take a blood meal is not known; however, an arbovirus-infected mosquito can inoculate extravascular host tissues with virus-infected saliva during probing. These observations suggest that it is possible for marine mammals to be exposed to mosquito-vectored pathogens through direct interactions with mosquitoes.
虫媒病毒（arboviruses），包括由蚊子传播的病毒，最近被认为是对海洋哺乳动物潜在的新出现的健康威胁。尽管鲸目动物（cetaceans）完全生活在水中，但在野生大西洋宽吻海豚中已检测到西尼罗河病毒和东部马脑炎病毒等虫媒病毒的免疫暴露，并且圈养的虎鲸已被西尼罗河病毒和圣路易斯脑炎病毒杀死。目前，尚无证据表明蚊子与海洋哺乳动物在自然界中存在直接相互作用，也不知道野生鲸目动物是如何接触到蚊子传播的病原体的。在这里，我们报告了第一个直接证据，证明了水生哺乳动物西印度海牛与自然界中的蚊子之间存在直接相互作用。在美国佛罗里达州大沼泽地国家公园对海牛的观察表明，三种属的蚊子（Aedes、Anopheles 和 Culex）能够定位和降落在活跃的海牛身上，并且至少可以用它们的口器穿透和探查海牛的表皮。目前尚不清楚蚊子是否能够成功吸食血液；但是，感染 arbovirus 的蚊子在探查时可以用感染病毒的唾液接种血管外宿主组织。这些观察结果表明，海洋哺乳动物有可能通过与蚊子的直接相互作用而接触到蚊子传播的病原体。
