Aedes triseriatus(Say) population density patterns and La Crosse encephalitis virus infection rates were evaluated in relation to a variety of habitat parameters over a 14-wk period. Ovitraps and landing collections were used in a La Crosse virus-enzootic area in Nicholas County, WV. Study sites were divided into categories by habitat type and by proximity to the residences of known La Crosse encephalitis cases. Results demonstrated thatAe. triseriatuspopulation densities were higher in sugar maple/red maple habitats than in hemlock/mixed hardwood habitats or in a site characterized by a large number of small red maple trees. Sites containing artificial containers had higher population densities than those without. La Crosse virus minimum infection rates in mosquitoes collected as eggs ranged from 0.4/1,000 to 7.5/1,000 in the 12 study sites, but did not differ significantly among sites regardless of habitat type or proximity to human case residences. La Crosse virus infection rates in landingAe. triseriatusmosquitoes ranged from 0.0/1,000 to 27.0/1,000. La Crosse virus was also isolated from host-seekingAe. canadensis(Theobald) in two study sites, at rates similar to those found in theAe. triseriatuspopulations. TheAe. triseriatusoviposition patterns and La Crosse virus infection rates suggest that this mosquito species disperses readily in the large woodlands of central West Virginia. The La Crosse enzootic habitats in Nicholas County, WV, are contrasted with those studied in other geographic regions where La Crosse virus is found.
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1 July 2000
La Crosse Encephalitis Virus Habitat Associations in Nicholas County, West Virginia
R. S. Nasci,
C. G. Moore,
B. J. Biggerstaff,
N. A. Panella,
H. Q. Liu,
N. Karabatsos,
B. S. Davis,
E. S. Brannon
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Journal of Medical Entomology
Vol. 37 • No. 4
July 2000
Vol. 37 • No. 4
July 2000
Aedes canadensis
Aedes triseriatus
habitat structure
La Crosse encephalitis virus
mosquito ecology