Eared dove (Zenaida auriculata, Columbidae) as host for St. Louis encephalitis virus (Flaviviridae, Flavivirus).

St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) is an emerging Flavivirus in South American countries. Its ecology and biological transmission cycles are scarcely known. Eared doves (Zenaida auriculata) have frequently been found infected by SLEV, and therefore, could be suspected as SLEV hosts. Thirty post-hatch-year eared doves were subcutaneously inoculated with the genotype V SLEV 78V-6507 viral strain and subsequently bled. No deaths or clinical signs of illness were observed in the inoculated doves. The viremia titers ranged from 2 to 5.5 log(10) plaque-forming units (PFU)/mL during 1-7 days postinoculation (dpi), the highest being observed on the 4th dpi. Mosquitoes were collected using can traps baited with chicken and eared doves for comparison. A total of 2792 mosquitoes belonging to 5 species were collected. Ninety percent of the mosquitoes collected in eared dove-baited can traps were Culex quinquefasciatus. Statistical differences were not observed in either Cx. quinquefasciatus (Chi(2) = 0.86; df = 1; p = 0.354) or in Cx. interfor (Chi(2) = 0.63; df = 1; p = 0.426) mosquitoes collected in both chicken- and eared dove-baited can traps. Considering that eared doves were frequently found naturally infected by SLEV, that they developed viremia titers higher than the minimum infection threshold needed to infect Cx. quinquefasciatus, and that these mosquitoes also fed on eared doves, they could be considered competent hosts for SLEV.