Blood-feeding patterns of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) collected in an area of high arbovirus transmission in West-Central Brazil.

Abstract

Mosquitoes target a wide range of vertebrate species for blood meal and study of these vector-host interactions enhances our knowledge of how vector-borne viruses are transmitted. In the last decades, West-Central Brazil has faced the emergence and reemergence of several arboviruses, with a great public health impact. In addition to the well-known Aedes-borne viruses, such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, other arboviruses have spread throughout the country and constitute a continuous public health concern. We report results of blood meal analysis of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) collected in urbanized areas of West-Central Brazil during a Zika virus surveillance between 2017 and 2018. Amplification and sequencing of mitochondrial DNA were used to determine vertebrate origin. A total of 284 blood-engorged mosquitoes belong to 6 genera and 12 species were collected. Of these, we successfully identified blood meal in 146 (51.4%). Collections of blood-fed individuals were dominated by species of Culex (65.8%) and Aedes (25.4%). Overall, blood meal profiles demonstrated that humans were the main source (56.8%). Despite anthropophilic preferences, Aedes aegypti also fed on domestic (12.5%) and wild mammals (8.3%). Culex spp. showed an ornithophilic pattern. Humans made up 80% (n = 20) of blood meals from Aedes albopictus while 20% (n = 5) were from horses. Our results expand the knowledge regarding the vertebrate species used as hosts by mosquitoes in urbanized areas of Brazil. The variety of vertebrate species, including rodents, bats, and humans used by the local mosquitoes, highlights the continuous risk for spillover events.