Abstract
Eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus (EEEV) is endemic in Michigan, showing an upsurge in human cases and in infections of white-tailed deer, horses, and other animals in the past decade (2010-2020). However, blood-host associations of the enzootic mosquito vector Culiseta melanura in the Great Lakes region are poorly known compared with other better-studied regions. Vertebrate sources of blood meals of Cs. melanura collected from resting boxes were determined through sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome B gene generated from polymerase chain reaction. Thirty-six unique avian species were detected in the samples, and 42% of the blood meals originated from only two species (American robin and northern cardinal). This result shows that although the Cs. melanura population investigated here used a wide range of avian hosts, American robin and northern cardinal are the main hosts in southwestern Michigan.