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Vector Competence Of Aedes Sierrensis And Culex Pipiens Complex (Diptera: Culicidae) For Dirofilaria Immitis (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) In Northern California, Jeffrey Allan Kurosaka

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Dirofilaria immitis Leidy (dog heartworm) is a life-threatening parasite transmitted by mosquitoes to domestic dogs. Endemic in the eastern United States, cases have become more prevalent over the last few decades. While prevalence in California is generally low, Lake and San Joaquin Counties have reported rates comparable to the East Coast at 3.73% and 0.71%(CAPC 2017), respectively. Aedes sierrensis is thought to be responsible for transmission in California, but in some cases, it exists in inadequate quantities and temporal ranges to explain parasite activity. Based on Huang et al. (2013) and Tran (2016), bloodfeeding patterns, and other vector criteria, Culex …