Fig. 2.

C. pipiens biotype pipiens and C. torrentium mosquitoes display high dissemination rates at 18 and 25 °C incubation temperature.

(A–B) Adult females were sorted into small plastic containers 5–10 days after emergence and feed over night with human blood containing 1–1.5 × 10⁷ PFU WNV lineage 1 strain NY99. Fully engorged females were separated and incubated at 25 °C or 18 °C and 80% humidity in a climate chamber for 14 to 35 days.

Graphs represent the dissemination rate (in percentage) of C. pipiens biotype pipiens (panel A) and C. torrentium (panel B), at 25 °C (dark grey bars) and 18 °C (light grey bars) as determined via WNV-specific qRT-PCR (cut-off = 35 cycles). Detailed numbers of individuals and numbers of independent experiments used for analysis are listed in Table 1. Data presented in these graphs are pooled data from North and South populations collected in 2013. Statistical analyses were performed using the GraphPad Prism software and Fischer's exact test (p < 0.05).