West Nile Virus Mosquito Information
The West Nile virus (WNV) is maintained in nature when an arthropod vector transmits the virus between vertibrate hosts. The primary vector for WNV in the United States is the Culex pipiens mosquito that commonly breeds in urban areas and prefers to feed on birds. At least 43 mosquito species in the U.S., including other Culex, Aedes, Anopheles, and Psorophora mosquito species, have tested positive for WNV. Mosquitoes acquire WNV when feeding on infected birds. The virus is then stored in the mosquito's salivary glands and transmitted to humans and other incidental hosts when the mosquito takes a blood meal (view transmission cycle). The virus has been detected in many wild bird species, including the American crow. Humans, horses, and most other mammals are generally considered incidental or dead-end hosts, as they are not known to develop a high enough viral load to either transmit, or become a reservoir for West Nile virus (see our Veterinary/Wildlife page for additional information).
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This summary is based on information available from the following links:
