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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #299954
Title: Blood Meal Analysis of Mosquitoes Involved in a Rift Valley fever Outbreak

Author
item LUTOMIAH, J - Kenya Medical Research Institute
item OMONDI, D - International Centre Of Insect Physiology And Ecology
item MASIGA, D - International Centre Of Insect Physiology And Ecology
item MUTAI, C - Kenya Medical Research Institute
item MIREJI, P - Egerton University
item ONGUS, J - Jomo Kenyatta University
item Linthicum, Kenneth - Ken
item SANG, ROSEMARY - Kenya Medical Research Institute

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/31/2013
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Background: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonosis of domestic ruminants in Africa. Bloodfed mosquitoes collected during the 2006-2007 RVF outbreak in Kenya were analyzed to determine the virus infection status and animal source of the bloodmeals. Bloodmeals from individual mosquito abdomens were screened for viruses using Vero cells and RT-PCR. DNA was also extracted and the cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) and cytochrome b (cytb) genes amplified by PCR. The predominant species in Garissa were Ae. ochraceus, (n=561, 76%) and Ae. mcintoshi, (n=176, 24%), and Ma. uniformis, (n=24, 72.7%) in Baringo. Ae. ochraceus fed on goats (37.6%), cattle (16.4%), donkeys (10.7%), sheep (5.9%) and humans (5.3%). Ae. mcintoshi fed on the same animals in almost equal proportions. In Baringo, Ma. uniformis fed on sheep (38%), frogs (13%), duikers (8%), cattle (4%), goats (4%) and unidentified hosts (29%); with infection and dissemination rates of 25% (6/24) and 83.3% (5/6) respectively. This study has demonstrated that during the RVFVoutbreak sheep and goats were the main amplifiers of these viruses respectively.