PARENT SESSION
Poster Session # 19: Insect and Invertebrate Ecology.

Thursday, August 7 Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. SITCC Exhibit Hall B.

Ecology of larval mosquitoes in New Mexico and transovarial transmission of West Nile virus.

Hatton, Elizabeth^*,1, Bueno, Rudy^{1, 2}, Parmenter, Robert¹, ¹ University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico² Albuquerque Environmental Health Department, Albuquerque, New Mexico

ABSTRACT- The state of New Mexico has implemented a comprehensive surveillance program in anticipation of possible outbreaks of West Nile virus. This program not only provides detection of WNV if present but also provides valuable information on the ecology of mosquito species. Surveillance for WNV is conducted in various ways. Adult mosquitoes are collected using CDC light traps and gravid traps and specimens are forwarded for WNV testing. In 2003, mosquito larvae will also be collected and tested for WNV. If WNV is found in larval specimens, this will provide further evidence that WNV can be transovarially transmitted, i.e. transmission from the female mosquito to the offspring. Preliminary data collected in 2002 show that mosquito species identified and collected from adult and larval surveillance in the same area are different. More data will help to demonstrate the efficacy of various trapping methods for various mosquito species. This information will also aid in determining the typical distances female mosquitoes in this specific environment travel between breeding site, blood meal, and egg deposition, and can ultimately help to predict whether occurrence of mosquito-borne disease will be localized or dispersed and the impact that specific ecological parameters of New Mexico have on disease transmission. These data can then be used to maximize the effectiveness of integrated pest management in the event of a disease outbreak, and to gain improved understanding of the ecology of the regions mosquitoes, specifically as it relates to the epidemiology of the West Nile virus.

Key words: arbovirus, mosquito ecology, vector, surveillance