Ecological Evidence Against Vertical Transmission of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus by Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) on the Delmarva Peninsula, USA1

Abstract

Studies designed to test the hypothesis that EEE virus was transmitted transovarially by Culiseta melanura, Aedes cantator, and Coquillettidia perturbans were conducted on the Delmarva Peninsula, USA. In 1982, transmission of EEE virus to sentinel quail was detected concurrently with the isolation of EEE virus from female Cs. melanura. During the same season, virus was not obtained from 4,504 larval and 5,689 male Cs. melanura, 5,559 female Ae. cantator, and 1,044 female Cq. perturbans. Similarly, evidence of EEE virus was not detected in 6,441 female and 33,427 field-collected, laboratory-reared Ae. cantator during 1984 in the same vicinity. Despite suggestions to the contrary, no evidence was found of any role for these 3 mosquito species in the transovarial/transstadial maintenance of EEE virus.