In Florida, mosquitoes are the vectors of numerous zoonotic parasites and pathogens, many of which are poorly known. Resulting sequencing chromatograms were examined for quality and edited to truncate ambiguous terminal stretches from the sequence using the software Geneious® Version R10 [44]. erraticus was significantly (P = 0.0002) more likely to feed on P. bivittatus than any other identified host.

Currently, there are limited data on abundance trends of the rodent reservoir hosts of Everglades virus. (2018) Interactions between the invasive Burmese python, Python bivittatus Kuhl, and the local mosquito community in Florida, USA. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190633.g001. Arrangement (from above) of pens (light gray shaded boxes) housing Burmese (Python bivittatus) or Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae) where blood fed mosquitoes were collected in resting shelter traps (stars) at the USDA National Wildlife Research Center in Gainesville, Florida, USA. Our results also illustrate the potential of detecting the presence of P. bivittatus in the field through screening mosquito blood meals for their DNA. Areas that are shaded darker gray indicate areas of natural, unmaintained vegetation. The intent of this study is to determine if local mosquito communities interact with P. bivittatus, an introduced host. In North America, Eastern equine encephalitis virus is circulated and amplified among bird populations by the primary vector, Culiseta melanura, which is ornithophilic and largely specializes on passerines. Currently, at least 180 non-native herpetofaunal taxa have been introduced to the state and 63 are established, more than in any other U.S. state or global region [12]. The diversity, host range, vectors, and transmission dynamics of many mosquito-vectored reptile pathogens are poorly known. Future research should work towards understanding these impacts, particularly on Everglades virus, as environmental change has been hypothesized to promote the epizootic emergence of other Venezuelan equine encephalitis strains [79]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190633.t002. Although blood fed mosquitoes cannot be obtained as easily as water samples, one advantage of screening mosquito blood meals for python DNA is that host DNA is more concentrated and less degraded, potentially providing the ability to attribute DNA sequences to individual snakes [76], which may enable estimations of population size. Introduced vertebrates also can have indirect effects on pathogen transmission networks if they influence or restructure host communities. Conceptualization, erraticus, Cx. The trash bag was secured tightly to the frame with duct tape. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190633.g002. No, Is the Subject Area "Pythons" applicable to this article? This species was not collected in our sample from northern Florida, but may feed from P. bivittatus in the Everglades, as it is known to feed from reptiles elsewhere [78]. The habitats, mosquito and vertebrate host communities, and climatic conditions of southern Florida differ from those in northern Florida, where this research was performed. pilosus and Aedes albopictus also were common, together representing 24% of the total sample. Five resting shelter traps were placed inside the larger enclosure. In southern Florida, where there are >50 species of native and introduced mosquitoes, interactions between mosquitoes and the introduced P. bivittatus have not been previously documented.

Conceptualization,

In the southeastern U.S., Cx.

Ten vertebrate host species representing the classes Reptilia, Aves, and Mammalia were identified (Table 2). Three blood meal sequences from Cx. No, Is the Subject Area "Mammals" applicable to this article? While little is known about wildlife pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes, there are records of Cx. McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America, Roles In southern Florida, they are sympatric with established populations of P. bivittatus [26].

cedecei feeds largely on rodents, it also feeds on other mammals including raccoons, opossums, deer, and rabbits [52]. Culex quinquefasciatus is ornithophilic, and feeds predominantly from birds, especially passerines [49, 57], although reports of frequent mammalian, and occasionally reptilian host use exist [58].

PLoS ONE 13(1): The presence of introduced vertebrate species has direct and indirect implications for mosquito-vectored pathogens [8]. These mosquitoes are likely to co-occur with P. bivittatus in the hardwood hammocks and coniferous forests with substantial canopy cover that are preferred by pythons [77]. ciliata, Psorophora ferox, and an Aedes (Ochlerotatus) species) searching for hosts or feeding from humans at the site, but these species were absent from our resting shelter samples. Mosquito populations may be substantially denser in southern Florida, which may be beneficial to P. bivittatus detection. here. This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. At this site, where P. bivittatus was an available host, Cx. To test this concept, we used mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I DNA barcoding to determine the hosts of blood fed mosquitoes collected at a research facility in northern Florida where captive P. bivittatus and Argentine black and white tegu, Salvator merianae (Duméril and Bibron), are maintained in outdoor enclosures, accessible to local mosquitoes. An introduced species that is a competent host for a pathogen may serve as a reservoir of infection, facilitating its transmission to native hosts. This mosquito feeds opportunistically; previous studies have reported either birds or mammals as frequent hosts, with smaller proportions of reptilian, and to a lesser extent, amphibian hosts recorded [27, 52–56]. The Burmese python, Python bivittatusKuhl, is a well-established invasive species in the greater Everglades ecosystem of southern Florida, USA.

Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field. For blood fed females, a sterile pipette tip was used to apply pressure to the abdomen, releasing the blood meal onto the card. No, Is the Subject Area "Blood" applicable to this article? No, Is the Subject Area "Reptiles" applicable to this article? The blood meal was spread over the sampling area of the FTA card with the pipette tip until all viscous droplets were absorbed. [50] suggested that the cavity-roosting habits of woodpeckers make them less susceptible to mosquito feeding. For each FTA card-preserved blood meal, a hole punch was used to remove two circular 1 mm diameter sections of the FTA card sampling area. The virus can escape bird-mosquito transmission to infect mammals and reptiles through competent, more generalist mosquito species. We collected a total of 511 adult female mosquitoes using resting shelter traps (325 traps nights) from the USDA NWRC. Through mosquito feeding, there is potential that pythons are exposed to mosquito-vectored parasites and pathogens and it is possible that P. bivittatus is now directly involved in the transmission of endemic parasites and pathogens. Forty Cx. erraticus in southern Florida, where the species co-occur. To confirm that these blood meals were derived from A. carolinensis, their sequences were subsequently aligned to corresponding sequences obtained from A. carolinensis museum specimens (UF-Herpetology 170869, 170871), resulting in ≥99% homology. Edited sequences were searched on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/) using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST). A first step towards characterizing these interactions is a determination of the mosquito species that are likely to feed on P. bivittatus. Culex erraticus is also a vector of the lizard malaria parasite Plasmodium floridense [67]. Our results demonstrate that local mosquito communities use P. bivittatus as a host. erraticus, the number of blood meals derived from P. bivittatus was greater than those from all other hosts combined. pilosus specimens were ~95% homologous to NCBI-referenced Anolis carolinensis sequences. Yes Aedes albopictus, Ae. Further, by dramatically restructuring the vertebrate host community and eliminating some host taxa through predation, the establishment of P. bivittatus may have broader implications for mosquito-borne pathogen transmission in Florida. Twelve blood meals had been acquired from other hosts, including humans. We collected mosquitoes from one to three times per week, between 0800 and 0900 and immediately transported them 10.8 km to the Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. The Burmese python is an invasive species in the Florida Everglades. Culex erraticus conclusively (P = 0.001; Fisher’s Exact Test) took more blood meals from P. bivittatus than from any other available host. Project administration, Statistical analyses were performed in the statistical program R® Version 3.2.0 using the stats package [46]. broad scope, and wide readership – a perfect fit for your research every time. Rows of tegu pens were approximately 4 m apart. No, Is the Subject Area "Pathogens" applicable to this article? However, direct or indirect interactions with native pathogens or parasites similarly may lead to damaging impacts and may go undetected. PLOS ONE promises fair, rigorous peer review, Methodology, Aedes taeniorhynchus, in particular, reaches high abundances at sites where P. bivittatus is common.

Publication of this article was funded in part by the University of Florida Open Access Publishing Fund. Introduced mosquito species may affect vertebrate hosts and the transmission of local pathogens [68]. Each collected mosquito was given a unique identifying number (ID). Some of these species, such as the Burmese python, Python bivittatus, and Argentine black and white tegu, Salvator merianae, are high profile invasive species that have attracted public attention and scientific interest [13].

pilosus, Cx.

The hole was positioned over the opening of the trap and a battery-powered aspirator, made from a modified 12V vacuum (BioQuip Products, Rancho Domiguez, CA), was turned on and held parallel to the hole, immediately outside the trap.

Writing – review & editing. National Wildlife Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America, Roles Yes quinquefasciatus may be a vector for Zika virus [62], but others have found contradictory results [63, 64].

In the United States, Florida is particularly susceptible to species introductions [9, 10]. Methodology, These results demonstrate that local mosquitoes will feed on invasive P. bivittatus, a recently introduced host.

The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.

Everglades virus circulates in an enzootic transmission cycle between reservoir rodent hosts via the mosquito Culex cedecei [70]. We thank Kandy L. Keacher and the staff of the USDA National Wildlife Research Center for assistance with collecting mosquito specimens, Lois Wood of the University of Florida Veterinary Entomology Lab, and Leroy Nuñez of the Florida Museum of Natural History Herpetology Division.

e0190633. Supervision, These factors facilitate the introduction and establishment of many non-native species, particularly, amphibian and reptile taxa. No, PLOS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, #C2354500, based in San Francisco, California, US, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190633, Things that eat things you wouldn't expect them to. Python bivittatus is an opportunistic predator of mammals, birds and reptiles.