A species of mosquito common in the eastern U.S. and capable of carrying the West Nile virus has made its way to the Midwest for the first time, a finding made by a college undergraduate, Washington University officials said Monday.
Stephanie Gallitano, a Washington University junior chemistry major from Chicago, was studying the egg-laying habits of mosquitoes native to Missouri this summer at the Tyson Research Center in Eureka, Mo. She took eggs to a lab and some developed into a type of insect she didn't recognize.
"Under the microscope, they looked completely different than anything I'd ever seen before," Gallitano said. "It had different proportions for its body. I looked through all of the books and could find nothing like it."
It turned out to be an invasive Asian mosquito known as Ochlerotatus japonicus, and marked the farthest west the species has been seen in the central United States, according to the Chevy Chase, Md.-based Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Gallitano's field work was part of an HHMI summer research project.
Jonathan Chase, associate professor of biology at Washington University, said the potential impact on humans is not yet known. He noted that the mosquito is a forest species "and we know little about its ecology or feeding preferences."
Wild populations have tested positive for West Nile, he said. "But has this mosquito ever transmitted it to a human? That we don't know."
| • | Invasive Mosquito Species Found in Midwest
Washington Post, Monday, Sept. 26, 2005 Byline: Jim Salter, Associated Press |
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| • | Asian mosquito has made its way here, scientists say
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2005 Byline: Tina Hesman, St. Louis Post-Dispatch |
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