Sampling of Culex tritaeniorhynchus for virus isolation in Karachi and Haleji Lake, a suburb of Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Mosquito collections were performed 10 times in and around Karachi, Pakistan using a bed net and dry ice from 1985 to 1994. A total of 208, 395 (1, 017 pools) female Culex tritaeniorhynchus were collected and processed for virus isolation. Japanese encephalitis virus could not be detected in these mosquitoes. However, four strains of West Nile virus were detected in Cx. tritaeniorhynchus collected in 1986. It was concluded that the Japanese encephalitis virus does not usually come from Southeast Asia and is uncommon in the Karachi area.