0000000000217688
AUTHOR
Roland Kuhn
showing 3 related works from this author
Transmission studies of a European Sindbis virus in the floodwater mosquito Aedes vexans (Diptera: Culicidae)
2002
Abstract Sindbis viruses are arthropod-borne viruses, which are maintained in nature in a Culex mosquitobird associated transmission cycle, but Aedes species have been suspected as playing a role in infecting humans. In this study, we addressed the question whether or not Germany's most abundant floodwater mosquito species Aedes vexans (Diptera, Culicidae) can serve as an efficient vector for Sindbis viruses. Firstly, the overall susceptibility of Ae. vexans was tested by intrathoracic inoculation of 40 plaque forming units (PFU) Karelian fever virus (KFV, an European Sindbis virus isolate) per female mosquito. Viral titres rose after inoculation reaching a maximum (about a 350-fold increas…
Reproductive Physiology ofAedes(Aedimorphus)vexans(Diptera: Culicidae) in Relation to Flight Potential
2001
Total protein, lipid, and glycogen of Aedes vexans (Meigen) were related linearly to body size at eclosion. Starvation after emergence led to the determination of minimal irreducible amounts of protein, lipid, and glycogen and the availability of the teneral reserves, whereas access to sucrose revealed the potential for reserve synthesis. Glycogenesis and lipogenesis increased reserves approximately 10-fold the teneral value within 1 and 2 wk after emergence, respectively. Carbohydrate feeding was an essential behavior before blood feeding and oogenesis commenced. Female flight was tested on a flight mill. Maximal flights of 10-17 km in a single night occurred at 2 wk posteclosion and paral…
Usutu virus activity in Austria, 2001–2002
2003
Usutu virus (USUV), a member of the mosquito-borne clade within the Flaviviridae family, was responsible for avian mortality in Austria in 2001. In 2002, the virus continued to kill birds, predominantly blackbirds. High numbers of avian deaths were recorded within the city of Vienna and in surrounding districts of the federal state of Lower Austria, while single die-offs were noticed in the federal states of Styria and Burgenland. A total of 72 birds were submitted for laboratory examination, 30 of which tested positive for USUV by immunohistochemistry and/or polymerase chain reaction. Laboratory-confirmed cases of USUV infection originated from the federal states of Vienna and Lower Austri…