A Multi-Year Study of Mosquito Feeding Patterns on Avian Hosts in a Southeastern Focus of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus

Laura K. Estep Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington

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Christopher J. W. McClure Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington

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Nathan D. Burkett-Cadena Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington

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Hassan K. Hassan Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington

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Tyler L. Hicks Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington

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Thomas R. Unnasch Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington

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Geoffrey E. Hill Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington

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Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that cycles in birds but also causes severe disease in humans and horses. We examined patterns of avian host use by vectors of EEEV in Alabama from 2001 to 2009 using blood-meal analysis of field-collected mosquitoes and avian abundance surveys. The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) was the only preferred host (fed on significantly more than expected based on abundance) of Culiseta melanura, the enzootic vector of EEEV. Preferred hosts of Culex erraticus, a putative bridge vector of EEEV, were American robin (Turdus migratorius), Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis), barred owl (Strix varia), and northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottis). Our results provide insight into the relationships between vectors of EEEV and their avian hosts in the Southeast and suggest that the northern cardinal may be important in the ecology of EEEV in this region.

Author Notes

*Address correspondence to Laura K. Estep, Department of Biological Sciences, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849. E-mail: lke0001@auburn.edu

Financial support: Financial support for this study was provided by a grant from the Walter F. Coxe Research Fund of the Birmingham Audubon Society (to Christopher J. W. McClure) and a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Project R01AI049724 (to Thomas R. Unnasch and Geoffrey E. Hill).

Authors' addresses: Laura K. Estep, Christopher J. W. McClure, and Geoffrey E. Hill, Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, E-mails: lke0001@auburn.edu, chrimcc@gmail.com, and hillgee@auburn.edu. Nathan D. Burkett-Cadena, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, E-mail: burkend@auburn.edu. Hassan. K. Hassan and Thomas R. Unnasch, Global Health Infectious Disease Research Program, Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, E-mails: hhassan@health.usf.edu and tunnasch@health.usf.edu. Tyler L. Hicks, Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, WA, E-mail: tyler_hicks@wsu.edu.

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