Supplementary data from: Xenomonitoring reveals mosquito-host feeding patterns in Serbia

Many mosquito species act as vectors for zoonotic pathogens, transmitting
them between natural amplifying hosts and dead-end hosts. Determining the
relationship between mosquitoes and their hosts is crucial for
understanding the lifecycle dynamics of such pathogens. The aim of this
research was to assess the host-feeding patterns of mosquitoes inhabiting
natural and semi-natural environments of Vojvodina Province, Serbia, using
the invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) from blood-fed female mosquitoes.
Mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae) belonging to four genera were
identified, based upon morphological characteristics. A segment of the 16S
rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced, allowing for ten different
vertebrate host species to be identified. Culex specimens collected in
this study primarily fed on birds, while mammal species constituted about
a third of their bloodmeals. Species of Anopheles and Aedes overwhelmingly
took bloodmeals from a single host species, the red deer, but also fed on
other mammal species from diverse families. Our results indicate that
enzootic and bridge vectors are active in the study area, feeding upon the
respective host groups that could sustain transmission of
mosquito-transmitted viruses, highlighting the need for continued
surveillance of the region.