Word: culex
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...soon developed that Japanese B is transmitted to humans by the bite of a mosquito, Culex tritaeniorhynchus. Only the females are venomous bloodsuckers; the gentle males stick to flower nectar. All well and good, but mosquitoes disappear in winter. Where did they fill up with encephalitis virus in the early summer to pump it into humans? The answer was an animal, no doubt, with seasonal habits-one easily infected with the virus but not made seriously ill or killed by it. That pointed to young animals, which would promptly develop antibodies. The only creatures that fitted these specifications were birds...
Meanwhile, because the virus is carried by a mosquito (Culex tarsails) which breeds in stagnant water, valley residents were going all out to put oil on pools and spray everything in sight...