Culex pipiens s.l. (Diptera: Culicidae)’nin Türkiye’nin Kuzeydoğusundaki Konak Tercihleri ve Kuş Kökenli Arbovirüslerin Bulaşma Ekolojisine Yansımaları

Year 2025, Volume: 10 Issue: 6, 972 - 977, 30.11.2025

Muhammet Mustafa Akıner , Murat Öztürk , Rıdvan Demirtaş , Fatih Şaban Beriş

https://doi.org/10.35229/jaes.1807148

Abstract

Culex pipiens’in konakla beslenme örüntülerinin anlaşılması, bu türün zoonotik bulaşma döngülerindeki rolünün aydınlatılması açısından önemlidir. Bu çalışmada, 2022 yılı Haziran–Eylül ayları arasında Türkiye’nin kuzeydoğu illerindeki 14 lokaliteden kanla beslenmiş Culex pipiens dişileri toplanmıştır. Toplam 42 kanla beslenmiş örnek üzerinde DNA ekstraksiyonu yapılmış; omurgalı konak türlerinin tanımlanması, mitokondriyal sitokrom c oksidaz alt birimi I (COI) geninin PCR amplifikasyonu ve bunu izleyen dizi analizi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir.
Sonuçlar, Culex pipiens’in baskın olarak kuş konaklardan beslendiğini ve özellikle Fringilla coelebs, Turdus pilaris, Corvus corax ve Cyanistes caeruleus gibi yerel ve göçmen kuş türlerini tercih ettiğini ortaya koymuştur. Ayrıca Rattus norvegicus, Canis lupus ve Homo sapiens gibi memeli konaklar da tespit edilmiştir; bu durum, türün fırsatçı bir beslenme davranışı sergilediğini göstermektedir. COI dizilerinin filogenetik analizi, konak tanımlamasının doğruluğunu teyit etmiş ve kuş ile memeli taksonları arasında belirgin kümelenme örüntülerini ortaya koymuştur.
Bu çalışma, Türkiye’nin kuzeydoğusunda Culex pipiens’in konak tercihleri üzerine yapılan ilk moleküler bulguları sunmaktadır. Elde edilen sonuçlar, türün baskın ornitofilik eğilimini vurgularken aynı zamanda kuş ve memeli konaklar arasında potansiyel bir köprü vektör rolü üstlenebileceğini de ortaya koymaktadır. Kanla beslenmiş örnek sayısının azlığı ve DNA elde etme süresinin kısıtlı olması gibi sınırlılıklara rağmen, bu çalışma bölgesel düzeyde değerli veriler sağlamış ve Türkiye’deki (ve ötesindeki) vektör–konak etkileşimlerinin gelecekteki ekolojik ve epidemiyolojik değerlendirmelerine katkı sunmuştur.

Keywords

Culex pipiens , Vektör tür , COI

Host Preferences of Culex pipiens s.l. (Diptera: Culicidae) in Northeastern Turkiye and Theır Implications for the Transmission Ecology of Avian Arboviruses

Abstract

Understanding the host-feeding patterns of Culex pipiens is essential to elucidate its role in zoonotic transmission cycles. In this study, blood-fed Culex pipiens females were collected from 14 localities across the northeastern provinces of Türkiye between June and September 2022. A total of 42 blood-fed specimens were subjected to DNA extraction, and vertebrate host identification was performed through PCR amplification of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, followed by sequence analysis. The results revealed that Culex pipiens predominantly fed on avian hosts, particularly on both local and migratory bird species such as Fringilla coelebs, Turdus pilaris, Corvus corax, and Cyanistes caeruleus. Mammalian hosts were also detected, including Rattus norvegicus, Canis lupus, and Homo sapiens, suggesting opportunistic feeding behavior. Phylogenetic analysis of COI sequences confirmed accurate host identification and demonstrated clear clustering patterns among avian and mammalian taxa.
This study provides the first molecular insights into the host preferences of Culex pipiens in northeastern Türkiye. The findings highlight the species’ predominant ornithophilic tendency while emphasizing its potential bridge-vector capacity between avian and mammalian hosts. Despite limitations due to the small number of blood-fed specimens and the narrow time window for DNA retrieval, this study contributes valuable regional data and supports future ecological and epidemiological assessments of vector–host interactions in Türkiye and beyond.

Keywords

Culex pipiens , Vector species , COI

Ethical Statement

This study does not require any ethics committee approval

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