Ascogregarina taiwanensis as a Pathogen of Aedes aegypti and Its Association with the Spread of Aedes albopictus in the Southern United States
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Authors
Monovich, Edward Alexander
Issue Date
1992
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Recently, Aedes albopictus has been incriminated as a vector in
transmission of the rarest mosquito-borne arboviral encephalitides
Eastern Equine Encephalitis, which has a case-fatality rate of
approximately 30%. This, coupled with the rapid distribution of A e.
albopictus throughout the Eastern United States, makes the ecology
of this mosquito a crucial topic for study in the field of medical
entomology. This experiment supports the hypothesis that
Ascogregarina taiwanensis, a species-specific parasite of A e.
albopictus, causes mortality when infecting Aedes aegypti. This
mortality helps explain the rapid spread of Ae. albopictus and the
decline of its competitor Ae. aegypti, in sympatric locations. A e.
albopictus and Ae. aegypti were given three treatments: A.
taiwanensis, A. culicis, and no parasites. All strains of mosquito
and parasite used originated from Indian River County, Florida.
Treatments were periormed at two temperatures: 21º C, 80% RH
and 30º C, 80% RH. Infection rate was determined through parasite
count in dissected larval midguts. Ae. aegypti treated with A.
taiwanensis showed higher mortality at both temperatures than Ae.
albopictus treated with A. taiwanensis. In the cool insectary, Ae.
aegypti treated with A. culicis showed higher mortality than the
same infection in the cool insectary and Ae. albopictus infected
with A. culicis at both temperatures.
Description
iii, 34p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo College
License
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