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Title:
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Mosquitoes in an urban zoo: identification of blood meals, flight distances of engorged females, and avian malaria infections
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Author:
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Martínez-de la Puente, Josué; Soriguer, Ramon; Senar, Juan Carlos; Figuerola, Jordi; Bueno-Mari, Rubén; Montalvo, Tomás
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Abstract:
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Zoological gardens are home to a large number of vertebrate species and as such are
suitable sites for both mosquito breeding and maintenance. They are excellent places for
entomological studies of mosquito phenology, diversity, and blood-feeding patterns, as
well as for xenomonitoring. During 2016, we sampled mosquitoes in Barcelona Zoo and
used molecular methods to determine their blood-feeding patterns and the prevalence
and diversity of avian malaria parasites. We also estimated the flight distance of engorged
mosquitoes in the area. Overall, 1,384 adult Culex pipiens s.l., Culiseta longiareolata, and
Aedes albopictus were captured. Birds dominated the diet of Cx. pipiens s.l. (n = 87)
and Cs. longiareolata (n = 6), while humans were the only blood-meal source of Ae.
albopictus (n = 3). Mosquitoes had a mean flight distance of 95.67 m after feeding
on blood (range 38.71–168.51 m). Blood parasites were detected in the abdomen of
13 engorged Cx. pipiens s.l., eight of which had fed on magpies. Four Plasmodium
lineages and a single lineage of the malaria-like parasite Haemoproteus were identified.
These results suggest that Cx. pipiens s.l. is involved in the local transmission of avian
Plasmodium, which potentially affects the circulation of parasites between and within
wildlife and enclosed animals. Vigilance regarding possible mosquito breeding sites in
this zoo is thus recommended.
Keywords: Aedes albopictus, avian Plasmodium, Culex pipiens, malaria, vectors |
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Publication date:
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2020-08-21 |
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Subject (UDC):
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59 - Zoologia |
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Subject(s):
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Mosquits
Parcs zoològics
Malalties dels ocells
Malària |
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Rights:
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L'accés als continguts d'aquest document queda condicionat a l'acceptació de les condicions d'ús establertes per la següent llicència Creative Commons:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© 2020 Martínez-de la Puente, Soriguer, Senar, Figuerola, Bueno-Mari and Montalvo. T |
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Pages:
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6 p. |
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Document type:
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Article
Article - Published version |
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DOI:
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10.3389/fvets.2020.00460
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Publish at:
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Frontiers in veterinary science, vol. 7 (Aug. 2020), article 460
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Share:
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