Pre-mating Blood Feeding by Anopheles pharoensis (Diptera: Culicidae) and Its Effects on Mating, Longevity and Egg Production

1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-63
Author(s):  
Adel S. El-Akad ◽  
J. G. Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Blood Meal ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Ovarian Development ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
The Third ◽  
Anopheles Pharoensis ◽  
Blood Meals

Field observations and laboratory studies were conducted to determine the effects of a pre-mating blood meal on mating, ovarian development and oviposition in Anopheles pharoensis (Theobald). Approximately 24% of the females blood feed before mating; however, swollen abdomens of blood-fed females interfere with the mating process. In females which mated prior to first blood meal, first oviposition occurred at 6.6 days and required only a single blood meal. A second blood meal takes them to the second oviposition in an additional 2.5 days; the third oviposition required 1.4 blood meals and occurred 3 days after the second oviposition. Blood-fed unmated females reach first oviposition at 13.4 days and require an average of 4 blood meals prior to the first oviposition. At this age, the female is chronologically old and even if mating now occurs, egg production is greatly reduced and continues to decrease through subsequent ovipositions until death. The taking of a blood meal prior to mating greatly decreases the reproductive potential of this species.

scholarly journals 20-Hydroxyecdysone Primes Innate Immune Responses That Limit Bacterial and Malarial Parasite Survival in Anopheles gambiae

mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah A. Reynolds ◽  
Hyeogsun Kwon ◽  
Ryan C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Immune Function ◽  
Anopheles Gambiae ◽  
Blood Meal ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innate Immune Function ◽  
Cellular Immune Function ◽  
Cellular Immune

ABSTRACT Blood feeding is an integral behavior of mosquitoes to acquire nutritional resources needed for reproduction. This requirement also enables mosquitoes to serve as efficient vectors to acquire and potentially transmit a multitude of mosquito-borne diseases, most notably malaria. Recent studies suggest that mosquito immunity is stimulated following a blood meal, independent of infection status. Since blood feeding promotes production of the hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), we hypothesized that 20E plays an important role in priming the immune response for pathogen challenge. Here, we examine the immunological effects of priming Anopheles gambiae with 20E prior to pathogen infection, demonstrating a significant reduction in bacteria and Plasmodium berghei survival in the mosquito host. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis following 20E treatment identifies several known 20E-regulated genes, as well as several immune genes with previously reported function in antipathogen defense. Together, these data demonstrate that 20E influences cellular immune function and antipathogen immunity following mosquito blood feeding, arguing the importance of hormones in the regulation of mosquito innate immune function. IMPORTANCE Blood feeding is required to provide nutrients for mosquito egg production and serves as a mechanism to acquire and transmit pathogens. Shortly after a blood meal is taken, there is a peak in the production of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), a mosquito hormone that initiates physiological changes, including yolk protein production and mating refractoriness. Here, we examine additional roles of 20E in the regulation of mosquito immunity, demonstrating that priming the immune system with 20E increases mosquito resistance to pathogens. We identify differentially expressed genes in response to 20E treatment, including several involved in innate immune function as well as lipid metabolism and transport. Together, these data argue that 20E stimulates mosquito cellular immune function and innate immunity shortly after blood feeding.

scholarly journals Assessing the blood-host plasticity and dispersal rate of the malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Orsborne ◽  
Luis Furuya-Kanamori ◽  
Claire L. Jeffries ◽  
Mojca Kristan ◽  
Abdul Rahim Mohammed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Meal ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Host Choice ◽  
Anopheles Coluzzii ◽  
Dispersal Rate ◽  
Blood Digestion ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Blood Meal Digestion ◽  
Blood Meals

AbstractDifficulties with observing the dispersal of insect vectors in the field have hampered understanding of several aspects of their behaviour linked to disease transmission. Here, a novel method based on detection of blood-meal sources is introduced to inform two critical and understudied mosquito behaviours: plasticity in the malaria vector’s blood-host choice and vector dispersal. Strategically located collections of Anopheles coluzzii from a malaria-endemic village of southern Ghana showed statistically significant variation in host species composition of mosquito blood-meals. Trialling a new sampling approach gave the first estimates for the remarkably local spatial scale across which host choice is plastic. Using quantitative PCR, the blood-meal digestion was then quantified for field-caught mosquitoes and calibrated according to timed blood digestion in colony mosquitoes. We demonstrate how this new ‘molecular Sella score’ approach can be used to estimate the dispersal rate of blood-feeding vectors caught in the field.

scholarly journals Malaria parasite immune evasion and adaptation to its mosquito host is influenced by the acquisition of multiple blood meals

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeogsun Kwon ◽  
Rebekah A. Reynolds ◽  
Maria L. Simões ◽  
George Dimopoulos ◽  
Ryan C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Blood Meal ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Parasite Development ◽  
Protein Meal ◽  
Infected Blood ◽  
Adult Lifespan ◽  
Multiple Blood ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Immune Detection ◽  
Blood Meals

AbstractA minimum of two blood meals are required for a mosquito to acquire and transmit malaria, yet Anopheles mosquitoes frequently obtain additional blood meals during their adult lifespan. To determine the impact of subsequent blood-feeding on parasite development in Anopheles gambiae, we examined rodent and human Plasmodium parasite infection with or without an additional non-infected blood meal. We find that an additional blood meal significantly reduces P. berghei immature oocyst numbers, yet does not influence mature oocysts that have already begun sporogony. This is in contrast to experiments performed with the human parasite, P. falciparum, where an additional blood meal does not affect oocyst numbers. These observations are reproduced when mosquitoes were similarly challenged with an artificial protein meal, suggesting that parasite losses are due to the physical distension of the mosquito midgut. We provide evidence that feeding compromises the integrity of the midgut basal lamina, enabling the recognition and lysis of immature P. berghei oocysts by the mosquito complement system. Moreover, we demonstrate that additional feeding promotes P. falciparum oocyst growth, suggesting that human malaria parasites exploit host resources provided with blood-feeding to accelerate their growth. This contrasts experiments with P. berghei, where the size of surviving oocysts is independent of an additional blood meal. Together, these data demonstrate differences in the ability of Plasmodium species to evade immune detection and adapt to utilize host resources at the oocyst stage, representing an additional, yet unexplored component of vectorial capacity that has important implications for transmission of malaria.

scholarly journals Blood meal sources of Anopheles vectors of human malaria in Malawi: Implications for malaria transmission and effectiveness of interventions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rex B Mbewe ◽  
John Keven ◽  
Themba Mzilahowa ◽  
Lauren Cohee ◽  
Miriam K Laufer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Blood ◽  
Blood Meal ◽  
Light Trap ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Malaria Vectors ◽  
Rural Villages ◽  
Human Malaria ◽  
Anopheles Vectors ◽  
Wide Availability ◽  
Blood Meals

Abstract BackgroundSelection of blood meal hosts by mosquitoes is a key variable in the vectorial capacity of Anopheles mosquitoes for human malaria. Blood feeding on humans is likely to be modulated by use of different types of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and the effectiveness of LLINs is impacted by the relative intensity of insecticide resistance. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that LLINs containing pyrethroid and the synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO) would lead to a reduction of human host utilization than LLINs containing only pyrethroid and that blood feeding patterns of Anopheles in Malawi compromise malaria interventions.MethodsFemale Anopheles mosquitoes were sampled indoors from May 2019 through April 2020 by aspiration, pyrethrum spray catch, and CDC light trap in rural villages of Namanolo (conventional nets) and Ntaja (PBO nets) in Balaka and Machinga districts respectively. Anopheles species, blood meal sources, and infection with Plasmodium falciparum in the head and thorax of individual mosquitoes were determined with PCR.ResultsOf a total of 6,585 Anopheles females sampled indoors in 203 houses, 633 (9.6%) were blood-fed and consisted of An. arabiensis (44.1% (n = 279)), An. gambiae s.s (16.2% (n = 103)), An. funestus s.s (33.5% (n = 212)), An. parensis 0.3% (n = 2), and unidentified Anopheles spp (5.8% (n = 37)). Of the 541 mosquitoes (85.5%) successfully identified blood meals, 436 (81.0%) were solely human, 28 (5.2%) goat, 11 (2.0%) dog, 60 (11.1%) mixed goat-human, 5 (0.9%) dog-human, and 1 dog-goat. Human blood index and EIR was high in Namanolo than Ntaja (0.96 vs 0.89 (p = 0.001) and 0.11 vs 0.06 infective bites per person per year respectively) despite high net ownership (92%) and nightly use (75%) rates. Relative to host availability, non-human hosts were over selected in the two sites.ConclusionThe use of PBO nets was associated with lower HBI and EIR, however, the wide availability of LLINs was still associated with extensive successful human blood meals by the main malaria vectors in Malawi. The presence of a small fraction of mixed blood meals indicates constrained plasticity of Anopheles vectors to switch to non-human hosts and circumvent malaria control interventions.

Development of Dirofilaria scapiceps (Leidy, 1886) (Nematoda: Filarioidea) in Aedes spp. and Mansonia perturbans (Walker) and responses of mosquitoes to infection

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl M. Bartlett
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Blood Meal ◽  
Normal Development ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Abdominal Fat ◽  
Nutrient Source ◽  
The Third ◽  
Third Stage ◽  
Blood Meals ◽  
Stage D

Dirofilaria scapiceps (Leidy, 1886) developped in the abdominal fat body of Aedes canadensis, A. euedes, A. excrucians, A. provocans, A. punctor, A. stimulans/fitchii, A. vexans, and Mansonia perturbans which occur in enzootic areas in Ontario. Abundances of third-stage larvae were greatest in A. euedes and A. excrucians. Transmission took place in July and August. Development also occurred in Aedes aegypti (Liverpool strain) but not in A. triseriatus and A. trivittatus. Larvae in A. euedes and A. excrucians developed within syncytia containing hypertrophied adipocyte nuclei; third-stage larvae were first observed at 10 days postinfection (26 °C) and all larvae invariably developed to the third stage. Syncytia containing hypertrophied adipocyte nuclei apparently act as a nutrient source and may be essential for normal development of larvae. In A. stimulans/fitchii, syncytia did not form or formed abnormally, a longer period (12 days) was required for development to the third stage, and many larvae failed to reach the third stage. Many developing larvae in A. aegypti were surrounded by syncytia but adipocyte nuclei in them were not hypertrophied. Larvae in A. aegypti given one blood meal commonly did not reach the third-stage, although development proceeded normally in A. aegypti given two blood meals. Third-stage larvae have postdeirids, two terminal caudal papillae, and a terminal caudal cuticular cap and are readily distinguished from third-stage larvae of other Dirofilaria species. Male third-stage D. scapiceps possess spicular pouch primordia, previously unreported in infective filarioid larvae.

scholarly journals The impact of mating and sugar feeding on blood-feeding physiology and behavior in the arbovirus vector mosquito Aedes aegypti

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. e0009815
Author(s):  
Garrett P. League ◽  
Ethan C. Degner ◽  
Sylvie A. Pitcher ◽  
Yassi Hafezi ◽  
Erica Tennant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Blood Meal ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Female Behavior ◽  
Sugar Feeding ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Initial Blood

Background Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are globally distributed vectors of viruses that impact the health of hundreds of millions of people annually. Mating and blood feeding represent fundamental aspects of mosquito life history that carry important implications for vectorial capacity and for control strategies. Females transmit pathogens to vertebrate hosts and obtain essential nutrients for eggs during blood feeding. Further, because host-seeking Ae. aegypti females mate with males swarming near hosts, biological crosstalk between these behaviors could be important. Although mating influences nutritional intake in other insects, prior studies examining mating effects on mosquito blood feeding have yielded conflicting results. Methodology/Principal findings To resolve these discrepancies, we examined blood-feeding physiology and behavior in virgin and mated females and in virgins injected with male accessory gland extracts (MAG), which induce post-mating changes in female behavior. We controlled adult nutritional status prior to blood feeding by using water- and sugar-fed controls. Our data show that neither mating nor injection with MAG affect Ae. aegypti blood intake, digestion, or feeding avidity for an initial blood meal. However, sugar feeding, a common supplement in laboratory settings but relatively rare in nature, significantly affected all aspects of feeding and may have contributed to conflicting results among previous studies. Further, mating, MAG injection, and sugar intake induced declines in subsequent feedings after an initial blood meal, correlating with egg production and laying. Taking our evaluation to the field, virgin and mated mosquitoes collected in Colombia were equally likely to contain blood at the time of collection. Conclusions/Significance Mating, MAG, and sugar feeding impact a mosquito’s estimated ability to transmit pathogens through both direct and indirect effects on multiple aspects of mosquito biology. Our results highlight the need to consider natural mosquito ecology, including diet, when assessing their physiology and behavior in the laboratory.

scholarly journals Blood meal source and mixed blood-feeding influence gut bacterial community composition in Aedes aegypti

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ephantus J. Muturi ◽  
Teresia M. Njoroge ◽  
Christopher Dunlap ◽  
Carla E. Cáceres
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Community ◽  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Blood Meal ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Bacterial Community Composition ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Mixed Blood ◽  
Blood Meals

Abstract Background The guts of blood-sucking insects host a community of bacteria that can shift dramatically in response to biotic and abiotic factors. Identifying the key factors structuring these microbial communities has important ecological and epidemiological implications. Methods We used the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, to investigate the impact of mixed blood meals on gut microbiota of vector mosquitoes. Adult females were experimentally fed on sugar or blood from chicken, rabbit or a mixture of chicken and rabbit blood, and their gut microbiota were characterized using 16S rRNA gene amplification and MiSeq sequencing. Results The gut bacterial communities of mosquitoes fed on the three blood meal treatments clustered separately, suggesting that host species identity and mixed blood-feeding are key determinants of gut bacterial community composition in mosquitoes. Mixed blood meal had a synergistic effect on both operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness and the Shannon diversity index, suggesting that mixed blood-feeding can offset the nutritional deficit of blood meals from certain host species. The microbial communities observed in this study were distinct from those identified from similarly fed Ae. aegypti from our previous study. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that vector host-feeding preferences can influence gut microbial composition and diversity, which could potentially impact pathogen acquisition and transmission by the vector. The results also demonstrate that different microenvironmental conditions within the laboratory may play an important role in structuring the microbial communities of independently reared mosquito colonies.

scholarly journals Features of reproduction in laboratory-reared Aedes fluviatilis (Lutz, 1904) (Diptera: Culicidae)

1983 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rotraut A. G. B. Cônsoli ◽  
Paul Williams ◽  
Elizabeth C. Moreno ◽  
Bernadete S. Santos
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Blood Meal ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Physiological Age ◽  
Progressive Decrease ◽  
Dextrose Solution ◽  
Aedes Fluviatilis ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Blood Meals

Observations were made on 100 female Aedes fluviatilis (Lutz) maintained individually from the first blood meal onwards and allowed one blood meal during each oviposition cycle, 5% dextrose solution been supplied throughout life. The average length of live was 49.9 ± 17.8 days; the logarithm of the mortality rate increased proportionately to physiological age. The insects took an average of 7.3 ± 3.2 blood meals and produced a mean of 7.9 ± 3.7 clutches of eggs. There was a progressive decrease, proportional to advancing physiological age, in the mean numbers of eggs laid in successive oviposition cycles, in the intervals between blood feeding oviposition, and in the numbers of larvae that hatched. Delayed oviposition, transient sterility and a total loss of fertility were also recorded.

scholarly journals Assessing the blood meal hosts of Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes taeniorhynchus in Isla Santa Cruz, Galápagos

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samoa Asigau ◽  
Sawsan Salah ◽  
Patricia G. Parker
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Culex Quinquefasciatus ◽  
Blood Meal ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Avian Malaria ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Santa Cruz ◽  
Aedes Taeniorhynchus ◽  
Blood Meals

Abstract Background Blood meal host selection by mosquito vectors is an important component in understanding disease dynamics of pathogens that threaten endemic fauna in isolated islands such as Galápagos. Research on the feeding behavior of mosquitoes can provide clues to the hosts and vectors involved in disease transmission. This information is particularly critical for endemic wildlife fauna in island systems that have evolved without resistance to novel diseases such as avian malaria. The aims of this study were to determine the blood-feeding patterns of two species of mosquitoes found in Galápagos and discuss how their feeding behavior may influence the transmission of pathogens such as avian malaria. Methods In the summer of 2015, we sampled two mosquito species (Aedes taeniorhynchus and Culex quinquefasciatus) across 18 different sites on Isla Santa Cruz, which is the second largest island in Galápagos and has the largest human population. We trapped mosquitoes using CDC light traps and CDC gravid traps and identified sources of blood meals for engorged mosquitoes by sequencing a portion of the vertebrate mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Results Out of 947 female mosquitoes captured, 320 were blood-fed, and PCR amplifications were successful for 301 of the blood meals. Results revealed that both Aedes taeniorhynchus and Culex quinquefasciatus feed from a variety of vertebrate taxa, numerically dominated by humans on Isla Santa Cruz. Conclusions The high proportion of mammalian blood meals could represent locally available and abundant hosts on Santa Cruz. However, host surveys and estimates of relative abundances of vertebrate species will need to accompany mosquito trapping studies on non-inhabited and inhabited islands in Galápagos to further validate this.

Sporulation of Amblyospora (Microspora) in female Culex salinarius: induction by 20-hydroxyecdysone

Parasitology ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Lord ◽  
D. W. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Blood Meal ◽  
Ovarian Development ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Microsporidian Parasite ◽  
Infected Female ◽  
Culex Salinarius

SummaryAmblyospora sp. is a microsporidian parasite which is transovarially transmitted from an infected female Culex salinarius to her progeny. This transmission is dependent on synchronization of sporulation of the parasite and ovarian development of the host, both of which are initiated when the mosquito takes a blood meal. We induced sporulation in the absence of a blood meal and, with or without prior ovariectomy, by injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone, a hormone whose precursor, ecdysone, is produced by the ovaries of blood-fed mosquitoes. Sporulation in response to a blood meal was prevented by ovariectomy of the host prior to blood feeding or by decapitation immediately after feeding.

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