# Bloodmeal metabarcoding reveals host feeding patterns for Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus in Jutiapa, Guatemala and Texas, USA

## TL;DR

This study used DNA analysis of mosquito bloodmeals to understand their feeding preferences in Guatemala and Texas, revealing significant differences in host selection between regions.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the host feeding patterns of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus in tropical regions using bloodmeal metabarcoding.

## Key findings

- Aedes aegypti in Guatemala strongly preferred human hosts, while in Texas, they preferred dogs over humans.
- Culex quinquefasciatus in Guatemala showed a strong preference for humans.
- Mixed bloodmeals with multiple host species were common in both species and locations.

## Abstract

Mosquito host contact determines arboviral transmission efficiency. Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus are important vectors of dengue, Zika, chikungunya, West Nile virus, and other arboviruses, yet their feeding patterns remain poorly characterized in many tropical regions. We used bloodmeal metabarcoding to detect DNA from multiple vertebrate species within individual blood-fed mosquitoes collected from rural Guatemala and south Texas, USA. Mosquitoes were collected using aspiration in Guatemala and BG-Sentinel traps in south Texas. We calculated forage ratios (FR) to assess host utilization relative to availability. In Guatemala, Ae. aegypti exhibited strong anthropophilic behavior (human DNA: 90.2% of bloodmeals and FR = 3.62 (95% CI: 2.70–4.54), indicating significant over-utilization. In south Texas, Ae. aegypti strongly over-utilized dogs (88.2% of bloodmeals; FR = 4.65, 95% CI: 2.43–6.87) while under-utilizing humans (FR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.25–0.81). In Guatemala, Cx. quinquefasciatus displayed high anthropophilic behavior (85.3% of bloodmeals; FR = 2.60, 95% CI: 2.24–2.97). Mixed bloodmeals were common in both species at both sites (19.5–85.3%), with up to four host species detected in single mosquitoes. These results demonstrate that mosquito host selection is variable and context-dependent and underscore the need for location-specific surveillance to inform vector control strategies.