Abstract
BackgroundThe transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens is strongly influenced by the contact rates between mosquitoes and susceptible hosts. The biting rates of mosquitoes depend on different factors including the mosquito species and host-related traits (i.e. odour, heat and behaviour). However, host characteristics potentially affecting intraspecific differences in the biting rate of mosquitoes are poorly known. Here, we assessed the impact of three host-related traits on the biting rate of two mosquito species with different feeding preferences: the ornithophilic Culex pipiens and the mammophilic Ochlerotatus (Aedes) caspius. Seventy-two jackdaws Corvus monedula and 101 house sparrows Passer domesticus were individually exposed to mosquito bites to test the effect of host sex, body mass and infection status by the avian malaria parasite Plasmodium on biting rates.ResultsOchlerotatus caspius showed significantly higher biting rates than Cx. pipiens on jackdaws, but non-significant differences were found on house sparrows. In addition, more Oc. caspius fed on female than on male jackdaws, while no differences were found for Cx. pipiens. The biting rate of mosquitoes on house sparrows increased through the year. The bird infection status and body mass of both avian hosts were not related to the biting rate of both mosquito species.ConclusionsHost sex was the only host-related trait potentially affecting the biting rate of mosquitoes, although its effect may differ between mosquito and host species.
Highlights
The transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens is strongly influenced by the contact rates between mosquitoes and susceptible hosts
630 (9.9%) Cx. pipiens and 633 (22.9%) Oc. caspius fed on blood (Table 2), including 294 (46.7%) Cx. pipiens and 436 (68.9%) Oc. caspius which fed on jackdaws and 336 (53.3%) Cx. pipiens and 197 (31.1%) Oc. caspius which fed on house sparrows (Table 2)
The biting rate of Oc. caspius on jackdaws was higher than on house sparrows (χ2 = 15.43, df = 1, P < 0.001), while no differences were found for Cx. pipiens (χ2 = 0.04, df = 1, P = 0.84; Fig. 1)
Summary
The transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens is strongly influenced by the contact rates between mosquitoes and susceptible hosts. Mosquitoes show different innate feeding preferences, with some species feeding mostly on mammals (mammophilic species, and some of them can be characterized as anthropophilic), while others preferring to bite birds (ornithophilic species), or even amphibians or reptiles, yet other species show a more opportunistic behaviour [4,5,6,7,8]. In addition to this broad tendency for particular host classes, mosquitoes bite certain host species at higher rates than those expected from. Some individuals may receive most mosquito bites and, as a result, they may play a role as superspreaders when infected with vector-borne pathogens [13]
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