Mosquitoes, Not Birds, Made West Nile National

March 5, 2010, 9:40 am by Scientific American: Health

In 1999, West Nile virus infected its first American, in New York. By 2004, the disease had spread across the country. Researchers speculated that, for the disease to spread so far so quickly, birds must have helped. Some species could carry the disease and pass it on to mosquitoes, which would then infect humans. But a report published March 2nd in the journal Molecular Ecology [not available online as this episode was posted] says mosquitoes didn’t need a middleman. Or in this case, a middle bird. [More]

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