Febbre del Nilo, caso sospetto a Catania: apprensione per l’esito delle analisi

epa03367655 A handout image made available on 22 August 2012 from the Centers for Disease Control showing a Culex quinquefaciatus female mosquito feeding on human blood. This species is a known vector for West Nile Virus. The female C. quinquefasciatus mosquito is known as one of the many arthropodal vectors responsible for spreading the West Nile virus to human beings through their bite when obtaining a blood meal. Mosquitoes of the Culex species lay their eggs in the form of egg rafts that float in still or stagnant water. The mosquito lays the eggs one at a time sticking them together in the shape of a raft. An egg raft can contain from 100 to 400 eggs. The eggs go through larval and pupal stages and feed on micro-organisms before developing into flying mosquitoes. The CDC is reporting that there have currently been 1,100 cases of West Nile Virus reported in the US in 2012, more than ever reported at this point in the year since the virus was first recorded in the US in 1999. EPA/JIM GATHANY / CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL / HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES