Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Research in Tropical Microbiology and Parasitology (CIMPAT), University of Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Sci Rep. 2021 Sep 20;11(1):18656. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-98076-8.
Studies on the feeding behavior of hematophagous insects, particularly those of medical importance, are relevant for tracking possible pathogen transmission routes and identifying biases in the choice of vertebrates. We evaluated host selection of blood-feeding mosquitoes in a disturbed forest in the Magdalena Medio valley in Colombia from March 2017 to April 2018, after the introduction of Zika virus to the Americas from the 2015-2016 outbreak. We estimated vertebrate diversity and collected blood-engorged female mosquitoes. Genomic DNA/RNA was extracted from the mosquito's abdomen for vertebrate host identification and pathogen detection. We performed conventional PCR and sequencing, using universal primers targeting vertebrate regions of the eukaryotic mitochondrial genome to determine bloodmeal host. Additionally, we tested for the presence of flaviviruses in all mosquito samples with RT-PCR. Based on the identity and quantity of detected bloodmeals, we performed mosquito-vertebrate interaction network analysis and estimated topology metrics. In total, we collected 292 engorged female mosquitoes representing 20 different species. Bloodmeal analyses identified 26 vertebrate species, the majority of which were mammals (N = 16; 61.5%). No flaviviruses of medical importance were detected from the samples. Although feeding patterns varied, network analyses showed a high degree of specialization by mosquitoes and revealed ecological and phylogenetic relationships among the host community. We conclude that host selection or preference by mosquitoes is species specific.
吸血昆虫（特别是具有医学重要性的吸血昆虫）的摄食行为研究对于追踪可能的病原体传播途径和识别脊椎动物选择中的偏差具有重要意义。我们在哥伦比亚 Magdalena Medio 山谷的一片受干扰的森林中评估了 2015-2016 年寨卡病毒爆发后美洲引入寨卡病毒期间吸血性蚊子的宿主选择。我们估计了脊椎动物的多样性，并收集了吸血后膨胀的雌性蚊子。从蚊子的腹部提取基因组 DNA/RNA ，用于脊椎动物宿主鉴定和病原体检测。我们使用针对真核线粒体基因组脊椎动物区域的通用引物进行常规 PCR 和测序，以确定血餐的宿主。此外，我们用 RT-PCR 测试所有蚊子样本中是否存在黄病毒。根据检测到的血餐的身份和数量，我们进行了蚊子-脊椎动物相互作用网络分析，并估计了拓扑学度量。总共收集了 292 只膨胀的雌性蚊子，代表 20 个不同的物种。血餐分析鉴定出 26 种脊椎动物，其中大多数是哺乳动物（N=16；61.5%）。从样本中未检测到具有医学重要性的黄病毒。尽管摄食模式有所不同，但网络分析表明蚊子具有高度的专业化程度，并揭示了宿主群落之间的生态和系统发育关系。我们得出结论，蚊子的宿主选择或偏好是特定于物种的。
