2nd Place: The relationship between Aedes albopictus host preference and feeding patterns around the world

Monday, November 14, 2022

12:06 PM – 12:18 PM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 205

Presenting Author(s)

Kara M. Fikrig

PhD candidate
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Co-Author(s)

NR

Noah Rose

Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
NB

Nathan Burkett-Cadena

University of Florida
Vero Beach, Florida
BK

Basile Kamgang

The Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases
Yaoundé, Centre, Cameroon
Paul T. Leisnham

University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
Alongkot Ponlawat

Chief, Vector Biology and Control section
Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand
Sarah Rothman (she/her/hers)

Graduate Assistant
University of Maryland
Riverdale, Maryland
TS

Tanise Stenn

Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory
Vero Beach, Florida
LM

Lindy McBride

Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
Laura C. C. Harrington

Professor
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Aedes albopictus is a widespread mosquito vector capable of transmitting over 20 different pathogens spanning a variety of reservoir host species. Understanding its host feeding behavior is critical to assessing the risk of reservoir host contact and onward transmission in nature. This species has vastly different feeding patterns at different geographic locations, including a large range of anthropophagy (human feeding) and host diversity levels. The factors underlying these differences are not clear, so we investigated whether innate host preference drives observed feeding patterns in nature. Aedes albopictus colonies were established with field-collected mosquitoes from 3 locations with high reported anthropophagy (Thailand, Cameroon, and Florida) and 3 locations with low reported anthropophagy (New York, Maryland, and Virginia). These mosquitoes were compared against anthropophilic (Thai Ae. aegypti) and zoophilic (Ugandan Ae. aegypti) control colonies. Host preference between human and guinea pig was assessed via dual-port olfactometer. All Ae. albopictus colonies were significantly less likely (P < 0.05) to choose human than Thai Ae. aegypti (anthropophilic control) and did not exhibit significantly different host choice from the Ugandan Ae. aegypti (zoophilic control). There were no significant differences in host choice between low anthropophagy and high anthropophagy Ae. albopictus colonies. Our results suggest that differences in Ae. albopictus feeding patterns were not driven by differences in innate host preference and are more likely the result of differences in host availability. Our work is the first to directly compare Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti host preference, providing insight into their differential vectorial capacity.