Hybrid forms of the common house mosquito may serve as vectors between birds and humans
Tuesday, April 26, 2016 - 08:01
in Biology & Nature
Researchers from Vetmeduni Vienna collected quantified data on hybrid forms of two species of the northern house mosquito in eastern Austria. The reproductive hybrid feeds on the blood of both birds and humans, in contrast to the two known species of house mosquito. Hybrid mosquitoes could therefore serve as a vector for the transmission of avian diseases to people. Identification of the three forms is only possible through molecular biology. Morphologically they are indistinct. The study was published in the journal Parasites & Vectors.