Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2002 Dec;8(12):1385-91.
doi: 10.3201/eid0812.020536.

Vector competence of California mosquitoes for West Nile virus

Laura B Goddard  1 , Amy E Roth, William K Reisen, Thomas W Scott
Affiliations

Vector competence of California mosquitoes for West Nile virus

Laura B Goddard et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2002 Dec.

Erratum in

  • Emerg Infect Dis. 2003 Mar;9(3):406

Abstract

To identify the mosquito species competent for West Nile virus (WNV) transmission, we evaluated 10 California species that are known vectors of other arboviruses or major pests: Culex tarsalis, Cx. pipiens pipiens, Cx. p. quinquefasciatus, Cx. stigmatosoma, Cx. erythrothorax, Ochlerotatus dorsalis, Oc. melanimon, Oc. sierrensis, Aedes vexans, and Culiseta inornata. All 10 became infected and were able to transmit WNV at some level. Ochlerotatus, Culiseta, and Aedes were low to moderately efficient vectors. They feed primarily on mammals and could play a secondary role in transmission. Oc. sierrensis, a major pest species, and Cx. p. quinquefasciatus from southern California were the least efficient laboratory vectors. Cx. tarsalis, Cx. stigmatosoma, Cx. erythrothorax, and other populations of Cx. pipiens complex were the most efficient laboratory vectors. Culex species are likely to play the primary role in the enzootic maintenance and transmission of WNV in California.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. West Nile virus activity–United States, September 5–11, and Texas, January 1–September 9, 2002. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2002;51:812–23. - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Update: West Nile virus activity–eastern United States, 2000. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2000;49:1044–7. - PubMed
    1. Hayes CG. West Nile fever. In: Monath TP, editor. The arboviruses: epidemiology and ecology. Vol 5. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press; 1989. p. 59–88.
    1. Smithburn KC, Hughes TP, Burke AW, Paul JH. A neurotropic virus isolated from the blood of a native of Uganda. Am J Med Hyg. 1940;20:471–92.
    1. Hubalek Z, Halouzka J. West Nile fever—a reemerging mosquito-borne viral disease in Europe. Emerg Infect Dis. 1999;5:643–50. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources