Potential Vectors of Japanese Encephalitis in the Caroline Islands

Summary and Conclusions 1. Tests were made to determine whether the mosquitoes, Culex quinquefasciatus Say and Culex annulirostris Skuse are able to transmit the virus of Japanese encephalitis to mice. 2. The mosquitoes were infected by being fed an emulsion of infected mouse brain. Young mice bitten by these mosquitoes developed symptoms typical of encephalitis. The brains of these mice were shown to contain the virus of Japanese encephalitis in high titer by passage and by neutralization tests. 3. These two species of mosquitoes bite man commonly and it is concluded that they should be considered potential vectors of Japanese encephalitis which is now known to occur on Guam and is possibly present on other tropical islands of the Pacific.