Abstract
The study of host associations of mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) provides valuable information to assist in our understanding of a variety of related issues, from their life-history to the entomological surveillance of pathogens. In this study, we identified and characterized mosquito blood meals from both urban and forested areas in the city of Paranaguá, state of Paraná, Brazil, by analyzing the amplification of host DNA ingested by mosquitoes under different storage conditions and digestion levels. Host DNA preservation was evaluated in fresh blood meals according to storage duration (30 to 180 days) and temperature (-20°C / -80°C) and, in digested blood, according the degree of digestion classified on the Sella scale. Molecular analysis of blood meals was based on DNA extraction and amplification of a fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene. We determined that, up to180 days of storage, the evaluated temperatures did not influence the preservation of fresh blood meals DNA, whereas the amplification success was increasingly reduced over the course of the digestion process. The species Anopheles cruzii, Aedes fluviatilis, Aedes scapularis, Psorophora ferox, Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex mollis, and Culex intrincatus, together with specimens representing four subgenera and one genus of Culicidae [Ae. (Ochlerotatus), Cx. (Culex), Cx. (Melanoconion), Cx. (Microculex), and Limatus, respectively] had their blood meals identified. Their diverse host use was evidenced by the identification of 19 species of vertebrate host, namely two amphibians, three mammals and 14 birds. Birds were the most commonly identified host in blood meals. These results not only show the diversity of mosquito hosts, but also underscore the challenges involved in monitoring arboviruses of public health importance, given potential combinations of host use for each mosquito species.
Highlights
Hematophagy is shared by females of most mosquito species [1], which use energy from blood digestion mainly for egg production and maturation, increasing their reproductive efficiency [2]
We identified and characterized mosquito blood meals from both urban and forested areas in the city of Paranagua, state of Parana, Brazil, by analyzing the amplification of host DNA ingested by mosquitoes under different storage conditions and digestion levels
Over the past few decades, it has been shown that DNA detection and amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are more efficient for engorged mosquitoes kept at temperatures equal or below -70 ̊C [50]
Summary
Hematophagy is shared by females of most mosquito species [1], which use energy from blood digestion mainly for egg production and maturation, increasing their reproductive efficiency [2]. Understanding the host use patterns of mosquitoes can help in our understanding of their life-history, as well as the impact of host choice on their survival, reproduction, and in the transmission ecology of mosquito-vectored pathogens [12,13,14,15]. This knowledge is crucial for efforts related to entomological surveillance [16], providing information that can help monitoring vectors, in the context of environmental disturbance [17]
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