Feeding Preferences of Mosquitoes (Culicidae) from the Eastern Balkans and Their Role in Transmission of Avian Malaria.

Abstract

Research on the feeding preference of mosquitoes and the malaria parasites they transmit to vertebrate hosts is crucial for understanding the host-vector-parasite relationships in this complex system. In order to contribute to the growing data on these associations, and focusing on avian malaria, we collected mosquitoes at regular intervals between April and October for 2 years (2017 and 2019) in a deciduous forest and reedbeds. Collected engorged mosquitoes were identified morphologically. Total DNA was extracted from the abdomen and head-thorax parts of the vectors and was used to identify blood meal origin as well as avian haemosporidian parasites. Vertebrate hosts were identified in 75 individuals. Forty-four of the blood meals (58.7%) had avian origin, belonging to 25 bird species, 30 (40.0%) were from mammals (13 species), and one (1.3%) from a reptile. The highest number of bird hosts were recorded in Culex pipiens. Culex modestus was found to feed on the greatest variety of blood sources-birds, mammals, and а reptile, whereas Aedes vexans, Anopheles maculipennis, and Anopheles hyrcanus were predominantly mammophilic. Avian haemosporidian parasites were isolated from 11 abdominal (11.6%) and four head-thorax (4.2%) samples. The most prevalent cytochrome b lineage in abdomens was SGS1 (Plasmodium relictum (Grassi & Feletti, 1891), n = 4), whereas CXPIP23 (Plasmodium sp.) was recorded in two of the mosquito head-thoraxes. Implementing an experimental approach focused on parasite development in the vectors will be an important next step in order to confirm the validity of the observed associations.