| 英文摘要: | Female mosquitoes typically cannot reproduce without taking blood from a vertebrate host, making them effective vectors of disease-causing pathogens such as malaria parasites, West Nile virus and Zika virus. For this reason, mosquitoes have an enormous impact on humanity, as illustrated by the recent episodes of local Zika virus transmission in Florida and Texas, and the epidemic in Latin America. Preventing and mitigating the effects of mosquito-borne pathogens requires a detailed understanding of the interactions between mosquitoes and hosts. Globally, there are around 3,500 mosquito species, each with distinct preferences for certain hosts. Some take blood from any available vertebrate, but most prefer only certain animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, even fish). By understanding these relationships, researchers can assess how a pathogen moves through an ecosystem, and predict the risk of human infection. To investigate mosquito-host interactions, researchers use a method called blood meal analysis. Mosquito blood meals contain the DNA of their hosts, which is used to determine the host animal's identity. While these data provide insight on pathogen transmission, they can also improve understanding of vertebrate host communities. Results from this research will be disseminated via social media platforms and published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. A graduates student will be trained and involved in all aspects of this work.
The taxonomic composition of host DNA within a sample of mosquito blood meals reflects the vertebrate host community. Data generated through mosquito blood meal analysis are traditionally collected, analyzed, and interpreted under an epidemiological context. Following the emergence of methods for molecular species detection and environmental DNA analysis, host DNA derived from the blood meals of hematophagous invertebrates has been recognized as a source of molecular data that is informative to vertebrate conservation. This research integrates epidemiological methods of mosquito blood meal analysis and vertebrate diversity assessment, with the aim of generating datasets that are simultaneously valuable to both conservation and the characterization of mosquito-borne pathogen transmission networks. Current blood meal analysis approaches rely largely on polymerase chain reaction amplification and Sanger sequencing of the DNA barcoding regions of host genes. Because host DNA derived from the mosquito gut is inherently degraded by digestion, next generation sequencing approaches are likely to enhance the ability of making successful identifications. This research will identify the hosts of mosquitoes collected at two sites in Florida, Everglades National Park and the University of Florida campus, through next generation sequencing. Mosquito blood meals will be used to characterize the host communities of both sites, detect the presence of Burmese pythons and other invasive vertebrates in the Everglades, and enhance the understanding of relationships between mosquito species and host communities. |