Blood-Sucking Midges and Mosquitoes Feeding on Mammals at Beatrice Hill, N.T.

1981 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 573 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJ Muller ◽  
MD Murray ◽  
JA Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Blood Meal ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Haemagglutination Inhibition ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Light Traps ◽  
Intensive Study ◽  
Biting Midges ◽  
Blood Sucking ◽  
Collection Methods ◽  
Blood Meals

One aspect of an intensive study of arboviruses and insect vectors at Beatrice Hill, N.T., was to determine the hosts of the insects by identifying the source of their blood meal. The collection methods included buffalo bait, calf- and chicken-baited Magoon traps, truck traps, light traps and collecting from insect resting places. Blood meals were identified by precipitin and haemagglutination-inhibition tests. Fifteen species of biting midges, mostly Culicoides spp., and 24 species of mosquitoes were represented in the collections, and the blood meals within 75% of some 11,000 insects were identified. The majority, 97.7%, of the blood meals were mammalian in origin, 76% being bovine and 17% marsupial. A significant proportion of the blood-fed mosquitoes from Magoon traps had fed on hosts other than the bait animal or collector. Double feeds were detected in 1.1% of the insects in which the source of the blood meal was identified. It was possible to draw conclusions about the feeding habits of most of the insect species.

Blood-Sucking Flies Feeding on Sheep in Eastern Australia.

1977 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJ Muller ◽  
MD Murray
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Haemagglutination Inhibition ◽  
Stomoxys Calcitrans ◽  
Biting Midges ◽  
Blood Sucking ◽  
Culex Annulirostris ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Epidemiological Significance ◽  
Arbovirus Diseases ◽  
Blood Meals

An investigation was undertaken to determine the species of blood-sucking flies which feed on sheep. Engorged insects were collected by a number of methods and their blood meals were identified by precipitin and haemagglutination inhibition tests. Sixteen species of mosquitoes attacked sheep, and of these Anopheles annulipes and Culex annulirostris dominated. Twelve species of biting midges in the genera Culicoides, Leptoconops and Lasiohelea were shown to bite sheep; the dominant species were C. marksi and C. breuitarsis. The simuliid Austrosimulium pestilens and the muscid Stomoxys calcitrans also fed on sheep. Some of these species also fed on other hosts-eight on ox, five on marsupials and one on horse. Four of the most widespread Culicoides species, C. brevitarsis, C. dycei, C. marksi and C. victoriae, fed on both sheep and ox, a factor of epidemiological significance in their potential role as vectors of arbovirus diseases of livestock.

scholarly journals Blood meal analysis: host-feeding patterns of biting midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae, Culicoides Latreille) in Slovakia

Parasite ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Zuzana Kasičová ◽  
Andrea Schreiberová ◽  
Andrea Kimáková ◽  
Alica Kočišová
Keyword(s):  
Blood Meal ◽  
Lepus Europaeus ◽  
Host Feeding ◽  
Apodemus Flavicollis ◽  
Small Rodents ◽  
Biting Midges ◽  
Culicoides Obsoletus ◽  
Blood Meal Analysis ◽  
Trophic Preferences ◽  
Blood Meals

Biting midges of the genus Culicoides are vectors of important pathogens affecting domestic and wild animals and have played a major role in the re-emergence of new outbreaks of bluetongue (BTV) and Schmallenberg (SBV) viruses in Europe. To determine vector-host specificity, trophic preference from blood meal analysis is of major importance in the surveillance of arthropod-borne diseases. Of 28,752 specimens collected, we identified 17 Culicoides species and investigated a total of 48 host sequences from the blood meals. Culicoides obsoletus/C. scoticus, C. dewulfi, C. pulicaris, C. lupicaris, C. punctatus, C. newsteadi, C. riethi, and C. furcillatus were found to feed on mammals (cattle, horses, and humans), birds (domestic chickens), small rodents (Apodemus flavicollis), and hares (Lepus europaeus). To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating trophic preferences of Culicoides spp. in Slovakia. This study demonstrated that Culicoides species are able to feed on domesticated host vertebrates as well as birds, rodents, and humans.

The Rate of Digestion of Blood Meals of various haematophagous Arthropods as determined by the Precipitin Test

1953 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Weitz ◽  
P. A. Buxton
Keyword(s):  
Blood Meal ◽  
Cimex Lectularius ◽  
Tsetse Flies ◽  
Glossina Morsitans ◽  
Ornithodoros Moubata ◽  
Blood Sucking ◽  
Anopheles Aquasalis ◽  
Precipitin Test ◽  
Culicoides Nubeculosus ◽  
Blood Meals

The period of digestion of the blood meal of 10 different blood-sucking arthropods which had been artificially and naturally fed on known hosts was studied by means of specific precipitin tests.A large proportion of positive feed (80–100 per cent.) was found with midges and mosquitos up to 24 hours, whether naturally (Anopheles aquasalis) or artificially fed (A. maculipennis atroparvus, Culex molestus, Culicoides nubeculosus, Aëdes aegypti).Tsetse flies showed greater differences between the rate of digestion of captive flies (Glossina morsitans), which showed 90–100 per cent. positive feeds at 3 days after the experimental blood meal, and wild flies (G. swynnertoni) which showed only 28 per cent. positive meals after a similar period of digestion. Arachnids showed both the longest period of digestion, more than 6 months for Ornithodoros moubata and also the shortest period as represented by Bdellonyssus bacoti (about 1 day).Cimex lectularius showed 90 per cent. positive feeds after 10 days.

BLOOD-MEAL SOURCES AND NOTES ON HOST PREFERENCES OF SOME AEDES MOSQUITOES (DIPTERA:CULICIDAE)

1960 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. R. Downe
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
Blood Meal ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Mammalian Host ◽  
Light Traps ◽  
Host Preferences ◽  
Aedes Mosquitoes ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Blood Meals

Blood meals of engorged female Aedes mosquitoes collected from animal dwellings, light traps, and hand catches were identified by serological precipitin tests. The mosquitoes had fed on farm animals, humans, rodents, raccoons, deer, and probably foxes. Very few of the specimens had fed on birds and few contained the blood of more than one kind of host. Preliminary studies in a screened enclosure in a one-room barn that contained various combinations of domestic animals and humans indicated that a preference shown by mosquitoes for a mammalian host is related to the surface area of the host.

ON SOME ORNITHOPHILIC BLOOD-SUCKING DIPTERA IN ALGONQUIN PARK, ONTARIO, CANADA

1960 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon F. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Biting Midges ◽  
Lake Shore ◽  
Early Evening ◽  
Blood Sucking

A useful technique was devised for the collection of biting Diptera after they had fed on various birds exposed in dissimilar habitats in Algonquin Park. As a result, the following species of ornithophilic Simuliidae and Ceratopogonidae, including four new species and other species the feeding habits of which were previously unknown, were collected: Simulium aureum., "latipes", quebecense, croxtoni, rugglesi, subexcisum (Edw. of Twinn, 1936), Simulium "H", Simulium (Eusimulium) n.sp., Prosimulium decemarticulatum, Cnephia invenusta, Cnephia "U", Culicoides sphagnumensis, stilobezzioides, Culicoides n.sp. near piliferus. Several species of Culicidae and Tabanidae which would also feed on birds are listed.The data further indicated that the simuliids and ceratopogonids showed host and habitat preferences; these preferences were particularly marked among certain species such as Simulium rugglesi and Culicoides n.sp. near piliferus. The simuliids occurred commonly from May 20 through mid-July; ceratopogonids from June 2 through mid-July. Woodland simuliids usually fed at dusk while lake shore simuliids fed in the early evening; biting midges were crepuscular to nocturnal. Other miscellaneous observations on feeding behavior are included.

Host feeding patterns of Culicoides species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) within the Picos de Europa National Park in northern Spain

2012 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 692-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.H. Calvo ◽  
B. Berzal ◽  
C. Calvete ◽  
M.A. Miranda ◽  
R. Estrada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cytochrome B ◽  
Blood Meal ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Host Feeding ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Feeding Patterns ◽  
Biting Midges ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Blood Meals

AbstractBlood meal identification can provide information about the natural host-feeding patterns or preferences of Culicoides species. Such information could indirectly provide data indicating which reservoirs are significant in associated vector-borne diseases.We positively identified the host species through DNA sequencing of the cytochrome b gene in 144 of the 170 (84.7%) blood meal specimens tested. In the remaining samples, identification of the blood-meal source was unsuccessful, possibly due to the post-ingestion time prior to sampling or the availability of the species-specific cytochrome b gene sequences in the database. The majority of identified blood meals were derived from mammalian blood (95.8%), and only six contained chicken blood. We identified five species as mammalian hosts for Culicoides spp.: sheep (87.7%), human (6.5%), cattle (3.7%) and Savi's Pine Vole (Micrototus savii) (2.1%). The results suggested that large mammals, specifically ruminants, were most frequently fed upon by biting midges (Culicoides spp.), but evidence of opportunistic feeding behaviour was also found. Host feeding behaviour of Culicoides species may also be influenced by the relative abundance of a particular host species in the area being studied. In this sense, Savi's Pine Vole, a wild species, was found to be a locally relevant host and a putative reservoir for viruses transmitted by species of biting midges belonging to the Culicoides genus.Finally, feeding on multiple potential host species was observed. One midge acquired blood meals from human and chicken hosts, while four other midges fed on two different sheep.

scholarly journals Understanding mosquito host-choice behaviour: a new and low-cost method of identifying the sex of human hosts from mosquito blood meals

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Teltscher ◽  
Sophie Bouvaine ◽  
Gabriella Gibson ◽  
Paul Dyer ◽  
Jennifer Guest ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Meal ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Host Choice ◽  
Epidemiological Models ◽  
Choice Behaviour ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Transmission Models ◽  
Blood Meals

Abstract Background Mosquito-borne diseases are a global health problem, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths per year. Pathogens are transmitted by mosquitoes feeding on the blood of an infected host and then feeding on a new host. Monitoring mosquito host-choice behaviour can help in many aspects of vector-borne disease control. Currently, it is possible to determine the host species and an individual human host from the blood meal of a mosquito by using genotyping to match the blood profile of local inhabitants. Epidemiological models generally assume that mosquito biting behaviour is random; however, numerous studies have shown that certain characteristics, e.g. genetic makeup and skin microbiota, make some individuals more attractive to mosquitoes than others. Analysing blood meals and illuminating host-choice behaviour will help re-evaluate and optimise disease transmission models. Methods We describe a new blood meal assay that identifies the sex of the person that a mosquito has bitten. The amelogenin locus (AMEL), a sex marker located on both X and Y chromosomes, was amplified by polymerase chain reaction in DNA extracted from blood-fed Aedes aegypti and Anopheles coluzzii. Results AMEL could be successfully amplified up to 24 h after a blood meal in 100% of An. coluzzii and 96.6% of Ae. aegypti, revealing the sex of humans that were fed on by individual mosquitoes. Conclusions The method described here, developed using mosquitoes fed on volunteers, can be applied to field-caught mosquitoes to determine the host species and the biological sex of human hosts on which they have blood fed. Two important vector species were tested successfully in our laboratory experiments, demonstrating the potential of this technique to improve epidemiological models of vector-borne diseases. This viable and low-cost approach has the capacity to improve our understanding of vector-borne disease transmission, specifically gender differences in exposure and attractiveness to mosquitoes. The data gathered from field studies using our method can be used to shape new transmission models and aid in the implementation of more effective and targeted vector control strategies by enabling a better understanding of the drivers of vector-host interactions.

scholarly journals Culicoides insignis Lutz, 1913 (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) Biting Midges in Northeast of Brazil

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 366
Author(s):  
Raisa Rodrigues Santos Rios ◽  
Maria Clara Alves Santarém ◽  
Karlos Antônio Lisboa Ribeiro Júnior ◽  
Breno Araujo de Melo ◽  
Sybelle Georgia Mesquita da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Dna Sequencing ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Northeast Brazil ◽  
Light Traps ◽  
Biting Midges ◽  
Animal Diseases ◽  
Local Species ◽  
Specific Species ◽  
Human And Animal Diseases

The species of the Culicoides genus are hematophagous, and some of them are vectors of important human and animal diseases. This group of insects is distributed worldwide, varying according to local species. Knowledge of the geographic distribution of specific species is crucial for the development and implementation of control strategies. The aim of this work was to investigate the occurrence of Culicoides in the state of Alagoas in northeast Brazil. Midges were captured with CDC light traps, and their identification and morphological analyses were performed by the Ceratopogonidae Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ/CCER) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Morphological analyses were performed using the key to Culicoides from the guttatus group and comparison with other deposited specimens. DNA sequencing, genetic analysis and comparison with sequences in the Genbank database, confirmed the identification of the flies as Culicoides insignis. This was the first formal report of C. insignis being found in Alagoas.

On the vertical distribution of Phlebotomine sandflies (Dipt., Psychodidae) in British Honduras (Belize)

1970 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 637-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Williams
Keyword(s):  
Ground Level ◽  
Insect Host ◽  
Leishmania Mexicana ◽  
Light Traps ◽  
Principal Vector ◽  
New Information ◽  
Phlebotomine Sandflies ◽  
British Honduras ◽  
The Vertical Distribution ◽  
Blood Meals

Phlebotomine sandflies were collected simultaneously at ground level, 25 ft and 40 ft in an area of medium bush in British Honduras (Belize).Flies were captured on human bait, with rat-baited oil-traps and with miniature light-traps, and some resting individuals were collected at each level. One species of Brumptomyia França and 18 of Lutzomyia França & Parrot were obtained. Brief notes on some of these species are given.Miniature light-traps provided the widest range of species, were the most satisfactory means for collecting Brumptomyia, L. steatopyga (Fairchild & Hertig) and L. carpenteri (Fairchild & Hertig), and yielded new information on the flight activities of L. deleoni (Fairchild & Hertig) and L. panamensis (Shannon).Most species collected were found to be predominantly arboreal in habit, L. permira (Fairchild & Hertig) and Lutzomyia sp. P being almost exclusively so. Some species (L. panamensis, possibly L. geniculata (Mangabeira) and L. bispinosa (Fairchild & Hertig)) live amongst the foliage but descend to the forest floor to seek blood-meals. A few species (L. steatopyga, L. deleoni and L. olmeca (Vargas & Díaz Nájera)) are active mainly near the ground, though the occasional specimen may be carried much higher.L. olmeca is the principal vector of rodent leishmaniasis in British Honduras. In the present study, no evidence was obtained to incriminate any other species of Phlebotomine as an insect host for Leishmania mexicana, and the mode of transmission of the parasite to man remains obscure.

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