Quantitative Experiments on the Vector Capability of Culex (Culex) Univittatus Theobald with West Nile and Sindbis Viruses1
- 30 May 1970
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Medical Entomology
- Vol. 7 (3) , 371-373
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jmedent/7.3.371
Abstract
Mosquitoes from a laboratory colony of Culex univittatus originating from material collected near Johannesburg, South Africa, were given infective blood meals consisting of four 10-fold graded doses of either West Nile or Sindbis viruses. Transmission of virus by individual mosquitoes to individual chicks was attempted on the 18th or 19th day after the infective feed. Soon after attempted transmission mosquitoes were tested individually for virus. For West Nile virus it was found that 1.7 logs of virus were necessary to infect 10% of mosquitoes and 12 of 13 infected mosquitoes transmitted the virus. For Sindbis virus the value obtained for the 10% infectivity threshold was 2.6–3.7 logs while 14 of 26 infected mosquitoes transmitted the virus. These results confirm those previously found in epidemiological field studies, indicating that UNIVITTATUS is an important vector of both viruses but a more efficient vector of West Nile virus in the highveld region of South Africa.Keywords
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