Aedes albopictus host odor preference does not drive observed variation in feeding patterns across field populations.

ABSTRACT: Laboratory and field-based studies of the invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus demonstrate its competency to transmit over twenty different pathogens linked to a broad range of vertebrate hosts. The vectorial capacity of Ae. albopictus to transmit these pathogens remains unclear, partly due to knowledge gaps regarding its feeding behavior. Blood meal analyses from field-captured specimens have shown vastly different feeding patterns, with a wide range of anthropophagy (human feeding) and host diversity. To address this knowledge gap, we asked whether differences in innate host preference may drive observed variation in Ae. albopictus feeding patterns in nature. Low generation colonies (F2-F4) were established with field-collected mosquitoes from three populations with high reported anthropop

SUBMITTER: Fikrig K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9813369 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature