An improved method for in vitro feeding of adult female Dermanyssus gallinae (poultry red mite) using Baudruche membrane (goldbeater’s skin)

Abstract Background Dermanyssus gallinae, or poultry red mite (PRM), is an important ectoparasite in laying hen, having a significant effect on animal welfare and potentially causing economic loss. Testing novel control compounds typically involves in vitro methodologies before in vivo assessments. Historically, in vitro methods have involved PRM feeding on hen blood through a membrane. The use of hen blood requires multiple procedures (bleeds) to provide sufficient material, and the use of a larger species (e.g. goose) could serve as a refinement in the use of animals in research. Methods The in vitro feeding device used was that which currently employs a Parafilm™ M membrane (Bartley et al.: Int J Parasitol. 45:819–830, 2015). Adult female PMR were used to investigate any differences in mite feeding, egg laying and mortality when fed goose or hen blood. Effects on these parameters when PRM were fed through either the Parafilm™ M membrane or the Baudruche membrane alone or through a combination of the membrane with an overlaid polyester mesh were tested using goose blood. Results Poultry red mites fed equally well on goose or hen blood through the Parafilm™ M membrane, and there were no significant differences in mortality of PRM fed with either blood type. A significant increase (t test: t = 3.467, df = 4, P = 0.03) in the number of eggs laid per fed mite was observed when goose blood was used. A 70% increase in PRM feeding was observed when the mites were fed on goose blood through a Baudruche membrane compared to when they were fed goose blood through the Parafilm™ M membrane. The addition of an overlaid polyester mesh did not improve feeding rates. A significant increase (analysis of variance: F(3, 20) = 3.193, P = 0.04) in PRM egg laying was observed in mites fed on goose blood through the Baudruche membrane compared to those fed goose blood through the Parafilm™ M membrane. A mean of 1.22 (standard error of the mean ± 0.04) eggs per fed mite was obtained using the Baudruche feeding device compared to only 0.87 (SEM ± 0.3) eggs per fed mite using the Parafilm™ M device when neither was combined with a polyester mesh overlay. Conclusion The in vitro feeding of adult female PRM can be readily facilitated through the use of goose blood in feeding devices with the Baudruche membrane.

Download Full-text

An Improved Method for in Vitro Feeding of Dermanyssus Gallinae (Poultry Red Mite) Using Baudruche Membrane (Goldbeater’s Skin).

10.21203/rs.3.rs-57341/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Francesca G Nunn ◽

Jessica Baganz ◽

Kathryn Bartley ◽

Sarah Hall ◽

Stewart Burgess ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Egg Laying ◽

Blood Type ◽

Dermanyssus Gallinae ◽

Feeding Rates ◽

Poultry Red Mite ◽

Polyester Mesh ◽

Mite Feeding ◽

In Vitro Feeding

Abstract Background: Dermanyssus gallinae, or poultry red mite (PRM), is one of the most economically important ectoparasites in laying hens worldwide with infestations leading to both welfare and economic issues. Research into the testing and validation of novel vaccines and systemic acaricides to control PRM initially requires the use of in vitro methodologies before using in vivo assessments. In vitro methods to date have either involved PRM feeding on hen blood through biological membranes such as chick skin, which can be difficult to obtain and variable in quality, or through synthetic membranes that are unsatisfactory due to breakage and lack of natural feeding cues. The use of hen blood in these systems also requires multiple procedures (bleeds) to provide sufficient material for experimental replicates and the potential for using other species, from which larger blood volumes can be withdrawn in a single procedure (e.g. geese), could improve this technique as a refinement in the use of animals in research.Methods: Using adult female PRM, an initial experiment with an existing in vitro feeding device employing a Parafilm™ M membrane [1] was used to investigate any differences in mite feeding, egg laying and mortality when fed goose or hen blood. Subsequently, any effects on these parameters when PRM were fed through two different membranes; Parafilm™ M and Baudruche membrane, and a combination of these membranes with an overlaid polyester mesh to promote mite attachment, were then tested using goose blood as the food source.Results: PRM fed equally well on goose or hen blood through a Parafilm™ M membrane and there were no statistically significant differences in mortality of PRM fed with either blood type, although a significant increase (p = 0.03) in eggs laid per fed mite when using goose blood was demonstrated, indicating that goose blood is a satisfactory replacement for hens blood. A 70% increase in PRM feeding was observed when mites were fed on goose blood through a Baudruche membrane when compared to the Parafilm™ M membrane. Addition of an overlaid polyester mesh did not further improve feeding rates on either membrane. A significant increase (p = 0.04) in PRM egg laying was observed in mites fed on goose blood through Baudruche membrane, compared to those fed through Parafilm™ M. A mean of 1.22 eggs per fed mite was obtained using the Baudruche feeding device compared to only 0.87 eggs per fed mite using the Parafilm™ M device when neither had a polyester mesh overlay. It was noted that PRM feeding through Baudruche membrane had fed to repletion when compared to those fed through Parafilm™ M.Conclusion: The in vitro feeding of poultry red mite can be readily facilitated through the use of goose blood in feeding devices with Baudruche membrane.

Download Full-text

An improved method for in vitro feeding of adult female Dermanyssus gallinae (poultry red mite) using Baudruche membrane (goldbeater’s skin).

10.21203/rs.3.rs-57341/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Francesca G Nunn ◽

Jessica Baganz ◽

Kathryn Bartley ◽

Sarah Hall ◽

Stewart Burgess ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adult Female ◽

Egg Laying ◽

Impact Testing ◽

Blood Type ◽

Dermanyssus Gallinae ◽

Feeding Rates ◽

Poultry Red Mite ◽

Polyester Mesh ◽

In Vitro Feeding

Abstract Background Dermanyssus gallinae , or poultry red mite (PRM), is an important ectoparasite in laying hens, having a significant welfare and economic impact. Testing novel control compounds typically involves in vitro methodologies before in vivo assessments. Historically, in vitro methods have involved PRM feeding on hen blood through a membrane. The use of hen blood requires multiple procedures (bleeds) to provide sufficient material and the use of a larger species (e.g. geese), could serve as a refinement in the use of animals in research. Methods The existing in vitro feeding device, employing a Parafilm™ M membrane [1] and adult females was used to investigate any differences in mite feeding, egg laying and mortality when fed goose or hen blood. Effects on these parameters when PRM were fed through either; Parafilm™ M, Baudruche membrane, and a combination of these with an overlaid polyester mesh were then tested using goose blood. Results PRM fed equally well on goose or hen blood through a Parafilm™ M membrane, no significant differences in mortality of PRM fed with either blood type was demonstrated. A significant increase (t-test: t =3.467, df =4, P = 0.03). in eggs laid per fed mite when using goose blood was demonstrated. A 70% increase in PRM feeding was observed when mites were fed on goose blood through a Baudruche membrane when compared to the Parafilm™ M membrane. Addition of an overlaid polyester mesh did not improve feeding rates. A significant increase (ANOVA: F (3, 20) =3.193, P = 0.04) in PRM egg laying was observed in mites fed on goose blood through Baudruche membrane, compared to those fed through Parafilm™ M. A mean of 1.22 (SEM ± 0.04) eggs per fed mite was obtained using the Baudruche feeding device compared to only 0.87 (SEM ±0.3) eggs per fed mite using the Parafilm™ M device when neither had a polyester mesh overlay. Conclusion The in vitro feeding of adult female poultry red mite can be readily facilitated through the use of goose blood in feeding devices with Baudruche membrane.

Download Full-text

Comparison of in vivo and in vitro survival and fecundity rates of the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae

Research in Veterinary Science ◽

10.1016/j.rvsc.2009.08.002 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 88 (2) ◽

pp. 279-280 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

S. Arkle ◽

D.R. George ◽

J.H. Guy ◽

O.A.E. Sparagano

Keyword(s):

Dermanyssus Gallinae ◽

Poultry Red Mite ◽

In Vitro Survival

Download Full-text

Transcriptomic Analysis of The Poultry Red Mite, Dermanyssus Gallinae, Across All Stages of The Lifecycle.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-135081/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kathryn Bartley ◽

Wan Chen ◽

Richard Lloyd Mills ◽

Francesca Nunn ◽

Daniel Price ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Adult Female ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Blood Feeding ◽

Egg Laying ◽

House Dust Mites ◽

Dermanyssus Gallinae ◽

Economic Damage ◽

Poultry Red Mite ◽

Temporal Gene Expression

Abstract Background: The blood feeding poultry red mite (PRM), Dermanyssus gallinae, causes substantial economic damage to the egg laying industry worldwide, and is serious welfare concern for laying hens and poultry house workers. In this study we have investigated the temporal gene expression across the 6 stages/sexes (egg, larvae, protonymph and deutonymph, adult male and adult female) of this neglected parasite in order to understand the temporal expression associated with development, parasitic lifestyle, reproduction and allergen expression. Results: RNA-seq transcript data for the 6 stages was mapped to the PRM genome creating a publicly available gene expression atlas (on the OrcAE platform in conjunction with the PRM genome). Network analysis and clustering of stage-enriched gene expression in PRM resulted in 17 superclusters with stage-specific or multi-stage expression profiles. The 6 stage specific superclusters were clearly demarked from each other and the adult female supercluster contained the most stage specific transcripts (2,725), whilst the protonymph supercluster the fewest (165). Fifteen pairwise comparisons performed between the different stages resulting in a total of 6025 Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) (P>0.99). These data were evaluated alongside a Venn/Euler analysis of the top 100 most abundant genes in each stage. An expanded set of cuticle proteins and enzymes (chitinase and metallacarboxypeptidases) were identified in larvae and underpin cuticle formation and ecdysis to the protonymph stage. Two mucin/peritrophic-A salivary proteins (DEGAL6771g00070, DEGAL6824g00220) were highly expressed in the blood-feeding stages, indicating peritrophic membrane formation during feeding. Reproduction-associated vitellogenins were the most abundant transcripts in adult females, whilst in adult males, an expanded set of serine and cysteine proteinases and an epididymal protein (DEGAL6668g00010) were highly abundant. Assessment of the expression patterns of putative homologues of 32 allergen groups described for the house dust mites indicated a bias in expression towards the non-feeding larval stage.Conclusions: This study is the first evaluation of temporal gene expression across all stages of PRM and has provided insight into developmental, feeding, reproduction and survival strategies employed by this mite. The publicly available PRM resource on OrcAE offers an invaluable tool for researchers investigating the biology and novel interventions of this parasite.

Download Full-text

Comparison of synthetic membranes in the development of an in vitro feeding system for Dermanyssus gallinae

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485309006865 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 100 (2) ◽

pp. 127-132 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

D.W.J. Harrington ◽

J.H. Guy ◽

K. Robinson ◽

O.A.E. Sparagano

Keyword(s):

Feeding Rate ◽

Storage Conditions ◽

Dermanyssus Gallinae ◽

Skin Extract ◽

Proof Of Concept ◽

Ethical Considerations ◽

Poultry Red Mite ◽

Synthetic Membranes ◽

In Vitro Feeding

AbstractAlthough artificial feeding models for the poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) most frequently use biological membranes consisting of day-old chick skin, there are ethical considerations associated with the use of skin. The few studies reported in the literature that have investigated the use of synthetic membranes to feed D. gallinae in vitro have reported limited success. The current study describes an investigation into the use of synthetic membranes made from either Nescofilm® or rayon and silicone, used either alone or in combination with different feather or skin extracts, as well as the use of capillary tubes. In all, 12 different treatments were used, and the feeding rate of D. gallinae was compared to that of day-old chick skin. Allowing mites to feed on a membrane consisting of Nescofilm with a skin extract resulted in the highest proportion of mites feeding (32.3%), which was not significantly different to the feeding rate of mites on day-old chick skin (38.8%). This study confirms that synthetic membranes can be used to feed D. gallinae artificially. Further optimization of the membrane and mite storage conditions is still necessary, but the study demonstrates a proof of concept.

Download Full-text

The evaluation of feeding, mortality and oviposition of poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) on aging hens using a high welfare on-hen feeding device

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.26398.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. 1266

Author(s):

Francesca Nunn ◽

Kathryn Bartley ◽

Javier Palarea-Albaladejo ◽

Alasdair J. Nisbet

Keyword(s):

Adult Female ◽

Life Stage ◽

Positive Association ◽

Dermanyssus Gallinae ◽

Life Stages ◽

Feeding Rates ◽

Poultry Red Mite ◽

Clear Trend ◽

Mite Feeding ◽

High Welfare

A study was performed to examine any effect of hen age on the feeding ability and mortality of different life-stages of Dermanyssus gallinae [Poultry Red Mite (PRM)] when fed using a high welfare, on-hen mite feeding device. Mite feeding assays were carried out every two weeks on a cohort of five Lohman Brown hens with devices containing adult and deutonymph PRM or adult and protonymph PRM. Feeding rates and mortality of each PRM life stage and oviposition of adult female PRM were evaluated over an 18-week period. There was a significant reduction in oviposition rates of female PRM as they fed on hens of increasing age. However, no clear trend was detected between the feeding rates of all three haematophagous life stages and hen age. The same conclusion was reached regarding mite mortality post-feeding in both deutonymph and adult female PRMs, although a weak positive association was apparent between hen age and protonymph PRM mortality. This study shows that the on-hen feeding device can be used both for short term studies to assess novel anti-PRM products (new acaricides, vaccines etc.) and longer, longitudinal studies to determine longevity of the effects of such novel anti-PRM products. It also demonstrates that blood feeding by mites on older hens is less able to sustain PRM populations than feeding on younger hens. This on-hen mite feeding device directly impacts upon reduction and refinement by greatly reducing the numbers of birds required per experimental group compared to traditional PRM challenge infestation models and by eliminating the need for birds to be exposed to large numbers of mites for extended periods of time that can cause welfare concerns. This paper describes the methodology for these studies and how to assemble pouches and handle mites both before and after feeding assays.

Download Full-text

Ability of a proteinase inhibitor mixture to kill poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae in an in vitro feeding system

Veterinary Parasitology ◽

10.1016/j.vetpar.2006.05.013 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 141 (3-4) ◽

pp. 380-385 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

R. McDevitt ◽

A.J. Nisbet ◽

J.F. Huntley

Keyword(s):

Proteinase Inhibitor ◽

Dermanyssus Gallinae ◽

Feeding System ◽

Poultry Red Mite ◽

In Vitro Feeding

Download Full-text

In vitro and in vivo acaricidal activity and residual toxicity of spinosad to the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae

Veterinary Parasitology ◽

10.1016/j.vetpar.2010.06.035 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 173 (3-4) ◽

pp. 307-316 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

D.R. George ◽

R.S. Shiel ◽

W.G.C. Appleby ◽

A. Knox ◽

J.H. Guy

Keyword(s):

Acaricidal Activity ◽

Dermanyssus Gallinae ◽

Poultry Red Mite ◽

Residual Toxicity

Download Full-text

Transcriptomic analysis of the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae, across all stages of the lifecycle

BMC Genomics ◽

10.1186/s12864-021-07547-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kathryn Bartley ◽

Wan Chen ◽

Richard I. Lloyd Mills ◽

Francesca Nunn ◽

Daniel R. G. Price ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Adult Female ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Blood Feeding ◽

Egg Laying ◽

House Dust Mites ◽

Dermanyssus Gallinae ◽

Economic Damage ◽

Poultry Red Mite ◽

Temporal Gene Expression

Abstract Background The blood feeding poultry red mite (PRM), Dermanyssus gallinae, causes substantial economic damage to the egg laying industry worldwide, and is a serious welfare concern for laying hens and poultry house workers. In this study we have investigated the temporal gene expression across the 6 stages/sexes (egg, larvae, protonymph and deutonymph, adult male and adult female) of this neglected parasite in order to understand the temporal expression associated with development, parasitic lifestyle, reproduction and allergen expression. Results RNA-seq transcript data for the 6 stages were mapped to the PRM genome creating a publicly available gene expression atlas (on the OrcAE platform in conjunction with the PRM genome). Network analysis and clustering of stage-enriched gene expression in PRM resulted in 17 superclusters with stage-specific or multi-stage expression profiles. The 6 stage specific superclusters were clearly demarked from each other and the adult female supercluster contained the most stage specific transcripts (2725), whilst the protonymph supercluster the fewest (165). Fifteen pairwise comparisons performed between the different stages resulted in a total of 6025 Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) (P > 0.99). These data were evaluated alongside a Venn/Euler analysis of the top 100 most abundant genes in each stage. An expanded set of cuticle proteins and enzymes (chitinase and metallocarboxypeptidases) were identified in larvae and underpin cuticle formation and ecdysis to the protonymph stage. Two mucin/peritrophic-A salivary proteins (DEGAL6771g00070, DEGAL6824g00220) were highly expressed in the blood-feeding stages, indicating peritrophic membrane formation during feeding. Reproduction-associated vitellogenins were the most abundant transcripts in adult females whilst, in adult males, an expanded set of serine and cysteine proteinases and an epididymal protein (DEGAL6668g00010) were highly abundant. Assessment of the expression patterns of putative homologues of 32 allergen groups from house dust mites indicated a bias in their expression towards the non-feeding larval stage of PRM. Conclusions This study is the first evaluation of temporal gene expression across all stages of PRM and has provided insight into developmental, feeding, reproduction and survival strategies employed by this mite. The publicly available PRM resource on OrcAE offers a valuable tool for researchers investigating the biology and novel interventions of this parasite.

Download Full-text