Survey of Mississippi Mosquito Blood Meals for Vertebrate Host Identification

ORCID

Goddard: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2617-7141

MSU Affiliation

College of Arts and Sciences; Department of Biological Sciences; College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology

Creation Date

2026-10-30

Abstract

Exploring particular mosquito and vertebrate relationships provide insight to potential transmission of several agents of disease. In the current study, the relationship between white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mosquitoes was explored by identifying blood meals within mosquitoes captured throughout Mississippi between June and September of 2013 and 2017. We captured 72 bloodfed mosquitoes between 2 collection years, with a majority of specimens identified as Culex erraticus or Psorophora mathesoni. Seventy-nine percent (26/33) of blood meals in Cx. erraticus originated from the white-tailed deer. These findings implicate mosquitoes may primarily be feeding on white-tailed deer in rural areas of Mississippi.

Keywords

Aedes vexans, blood meal, Culex erraticus, white-tailed deer

Publication Date

11-23-2021

Publication Title

Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association

Publisher

The American Mosquito Control Association

First Page

283

Last Page

285

Rights

© 2021 The American Mosquito Control Association, Inc.

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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.2987/21-7004