New records of mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae) from Catamarca and Santa Fe provinces, Argentina

RESUMEN. Se extiende la distribución geográfica de Culex acharistus, C. bidens, C. chidesteri, C. dolosus, C. interfor, C. maxi, C. saltanensis y Ochlerotatus scapu- laris, incrementando el número de especies de mosquitos citadas de las provincias de Catamarca, de 14 a 20, y de Santa Fe, de 57 a 59.ABSTRACT. The geographical distribution of Culex acharistus, C. bidens, C. chidesteri, C. dolosus, C. interfor, C. maxi, C. saltanensis and Ochlerotatus scapu- laris is extended, increasing the number of mosquito species in the provinces of Catamarca, from 14 to 20, and Santa Fe, from 57 to 59.Fil: Laurito, Magdalena. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicas y Naturales. Centro de Invest.Entomologicas de Cba; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Invest.cientif.y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnol.conicet - Cordoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biologicas y Tecnologicas, Argentina;Fil: Visintin, Andrés Mario. Universidad Nacional de la Rioja; Argentina;Fil: Lorenzo, Pablo R.. Universidad Nacional de la Rioja; Argentina;Fil: Berrón, Clara Inés. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Virología; Argentina;Fil: Diez, Natalia. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; Argentina;Fil: Almiron, Walter Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Invest.cientif.y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnol.conicet - Cordoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biologicas y Tecnologicas, Argentina

Comparison of Argentinean Saint Louis Encephalitis Virus Non-Epidemic and Epidemic Strain Infections in an Avian Model

St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV, Flavivirus, Flaviviridae) is an emerging mosquito-borne pathogen in South America, with human SLEV encephalitis cases reported in Argentina and Brazil. Genotype III strains of SLEV were isolated from Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes in Cordoba, Argentina in 2005, during the largest SLEV outbreak ever reported in South America. The present study tested the hypothesis that the recent, epidemic SLEV strain exhibits greater virulence in birds as compared with a non-epidemic genotype III strain isolated from mosquitoes in Santa Fe Province 27 years earlier. The observed differences in infection parameters between adult House sparrows (Passer domesticus) that were needle-inoculated with either the epidemic or historic SLEV strain were not statistically significant. However, only the House sparrows that were infected with the epidemic strain achieved infectious-level viremia titers sufficient to infect Cx. spp. mosquitoes vectors. Furthermore, the vertebrate reservoir competence index values indicated an approximately 3-fold increase in amplification potential of House sparrows infected with the epidemic strain when pre-existing flavivirus-reactive antibodies were present, suggesting the possibility that antibody-dependent enhancement may increase the risk of avian-amplified transmission of SLEV in South America

Classification of immature stage habitatordoba, argentina

In order to classify mosquito immature stage habitats, samples were taken in 42 localities of Cordoba Province, Argentina, representing the phytogeographic regions of Chaco, Espinal and Pampa. Immature stage habitats were described and classified according to the following criteria: natural or artificial; size; location related to light and neighboring houses; vegetation; water: permanence, movement, turbidity and pH. Four groups of species were associated based on the habitat similarity by means of cluster analysis:{/I}Aedes albifasciatus, Culex saltanensis, Cx. mollis, Cx. brethesi, Psorophora ciliata, Anopheles albitarsis, and Uranotaenia lowii (Group A); Cx. acharistus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. bidens, Cx. dolosus, Cx. maxi and Cx. apicinus (Group B); Cx. coronator, Cx. chidesteri, Mansonia titillans and Ps. ferox (Group C); Ae. fluviatilis and Ae. milleri (Group D).{I} The principal component analysis (ordination method) pointed out that the different types of habitats, their nature (natural or artificial), plant species, water movement and depth are the main characters explaining the observed variation among the mosquito species. The distribution of mosquito species by phytogeographic region did not affect the species groups, since species belonging to different groups were collected in the same region

Taxonomy and biology of Culex (Culex) maxi Dyar (Diptera: Culicidae) in South America

Culex (Culex) maxi Dyar is described in the adult, pupal and larval stages, and the male genitalia and parts of the fourth-instar larva are illustrated. The larva is described for the first time. The paper includes a summary of available information on the taxonomy, bionomics and distribution of the species. The taxonomy and identification of the species are reviewed in light of current knowledge of the subgenus Culex in the New World

Two new mosquito species and six new provincial records in Argentina

The geographical distribution of Aedes pennai, Anopheles galvaoi, Coquillettidia albicosta, Cq. nigricans, Culex usquatissimus, Cx. apicinus, Cx. chidesteri, Cx. coronator s.l., Cx. interfor, Cx. maxi, Cx. pipiens, Cx. saltanensis, Cx. educator, Cx. serratimarge, Cx. theobaldi, Psorophora cyanescens, Ps. cilipes, Ps. cingulata, Ps. pallescens, Uranotaenia lanei, Ur. nataliae, Wyeomyia diabolica, and Wy. melanocephala is extended, including new records for 6 provinces and 2 new records for the country, increasing the number of species in Argentina from 226 to 228.Fil: Visintin, Andrés Mario. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Laurito, Magdalena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Stein, Marina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Instituto de Medicina Regional. Área de Entomología; ArgentinaFil: Ramirez, Patricia Graciela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Instituto de Medicina Regional. Área de Entomología; ArgentinaFil: Molina, Gustavo. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Lorenzo, Pablo R.. Universidad Nacional de La Rioja; ArgentinaFil: Almiron, Walter Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentin

St. Louis encephalitis virus viremia detected in House sparrows inoculated with epidemic and non-epidemic strains.

<p>Group A: 79V-2533/naïve, Group B: CbaAr-4005/naïve, Group C: CbaAr-4005/Flavivirus +. DPI: days post-inoculation.</p

Potential transmission by House sparrows for epidemic and non-epidemic St. Louis encephalitis strains from Argentina.

a<p><i>s</i> = mean ratio of viremic individuals/inoculated individuals.</p>b<p><i>d</i> = mean duration of viremia in days.</p>c<p><i>Ci</i> (host competence index) = <i>s</i> * <i>i</i> * <i>d</i>. <i>i</i> = infectiousness for a given bird species.</p>d<p>House sparrows with previous anti-flavivirus antibodies.</p