Date of Award:

5-1956

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Biology

Department name when degree awarded

Entomology

Committee Chair(s)

Donald W. Davis

Committee

Donald W. Davis

Abstract

Mosquitoes are one of the most important groups of insects, because of their blood-sucking habit and their ability to transmit a number of serious diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue, encephalitis, and filiariasis.

The most important mosquito-borne disease in Utah is probably equine encephalomyelitis, which is a serious disease in man, horses, and mules. According to Spendlove and others (1953), this disease occurs every year in Utah:

Cases among horses usually are scattered, but severe horse epidemics in past years have destroyed hundreds of animals. Since this disease in humans is difficult to distinguish from other similar diseases, such as some cases of infantile paralysis, the exact number of persons affected is not known. However, since 1940 there have been 22 recorded deaths in Utah due to encephalitis. Outbreaks such as those which occurred during the summer of 1952 in California, Colorado, and elsewhere have not been reported in Utah. However, in 10 western states there were 4,000 human cases during the 1941 epidemic.

Four species of native Utah mosquitoes--Culex tarsalis, Aedes dorsalis, Aedes nigromaculis, and Aedes vexans--are reported to be capable of transmitting equine encephalomyelitis (Knowlton, et al. 1934; Rees, 1941; and Spendlove, et al. 1953).

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