121 - Measuring blood meal degradation in the primary La Crosse virus vector Aedes triseriatus

Abstract: La Crosse virus is a significant cause of mosquito-borne disease in children. Despite its public health importance, little is known about the host-seeking behaviors of the primary vector (Aedes triseriatus) as DNA barcoding attempts have been stymied by sample size and quality. Thus, we assessed blood-meal degradation using human DNA loci, revealing that DNA degradation is notable between 24-36 hours post-feeding. Field collections should be categorized by blood meal visibility to improve PCR success.