Hosts of Lutzomyia shannoni (Diptera: Psychodidae) in relation to vesicular stomatitis virus on Ossabaw Island, Georgia, U.S.A. |
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| Authors: | JAMES A COMER WILLIAM S IRBY DARRELL M KAVANAUGH |
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| Institution: | Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Statesboro, Georgia, U.S.A;*Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, U.S.A |
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| Abstract: | Abstract. Hosts of Lutzomyia shannoni Dyar, a suspected biological vector of the New Jersey serotype of vesicular stomatitis (VSNJ) virus, were determined using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of 333 blood-fed female sandflies collected from their diurnal resting shelters on Ossabaw Island, Georgia, U.S.A. Sandflies had fed primarily on white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) (81%) and to a lesser extent on feral swine ( Sus scrofa ) (16%), two species of host infected annually with VSNJ. Other hosts were raccoons ( Procyon lotor ) and horses ( Equus caballus ) or donkeys ( E. asinus ), with only two (<1%) mixed bloodmeals from deer/raccoon and deer/swine. A larger proportion of feedings on feral swine was detected in maritime live oak forests than in mixed hardwood forests. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that L. shannoni is a primary vector of VSNJ virus on Ossabaw Island. |
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| Keywords: | Lutzomyia shannoni sandflies bloodmeal analysis white-tailed deer feral swine vesicular stomatitis virus arbovirus vector U S A |
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