scholarly journals Effects of alternative blood sources on Wolbachia infected Aedes aegypti females within and across generations

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique Paris ◽  
Ellen Cottingham ◽  
Perran A. Ross ◽  
Jason K. Axford ◽  
Ary A. Hoffmann

ABSTRACTWolbachia bacteria have been identified as a tool for reducing the transmission of arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti. Research groups around the world are now mass rearing Wolbachia infected Ae. aegypti for deliberate release. We investigated the fitness impact of a crucial element of mass rearing: the blood meal required by female Ae. aegypti to lay eggs. Although Ae. aegypti almost exclusively feed on human blood, it is often difficult to use human blood in disease-endemic settings. When females were fed on sheep or pig blood rather than human blood, egg hatch rates decreased in all three lines tested (uninfected, or infected by wMel, or wAlbB Wolbachia). This finding was particularly pronounced when fed on sheep blood, although fecundity was not affected. Some of these effects persisted after an additional generation on human blood. Attempts to keep populations on sheep and pig blood sources only partly succeeded, suggesting that strong adaptation is required to develop a stably infected line on an alternative blood source. There was a decrease in Wolbachia density when Wolbachia Ae. aegypti were fed on non-human blood sources, although density was higher again in lines kept for multiple generations on the alternate sources. These findings suggest that sheep and pig blood will entail a cost when used as alternative blood sources which needs to be taken into account when considering mass release.

Insects ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique Paris ◽  
Ellen Cottingham ◽  
Perran Ross ◽  
Jason Axford ◽  
Ary Hoffmann

Wolbachia bacteria have been identified as a tool for reducing the transmission of arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti. Research groups around the world are now mass rearing Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti for deliberate release. We investigated the fitness impact of a crucial element of mass rearing: the blood meal required by female Ae. aegypti to lay eggs. Although Ae. aegypti almost exclusively feed on human blood, it is often difficult to use human blood in disease-endemic settings. When females were fed on sheep or pig blood rather than human blood, egg hatch rates decreased in all three lines tested (uninfected, or infected by wMel, or wAlbB Wolbachia). This finding was particularly pronounced when fed on sheep blood, although fecundity was not affected. Some of these effects persisted after an additional generation on human blood. Attempts to keep populations on sheep and pig blood sources only partly succeeded, suggesting that strong adaptation is required to develop a stably infected line on an alternative blood source. There was a decrease in Wolbachia density when Ae. aegypti were fed on non-human blood sources. Density increased in lines kept for multiple generations on the alternate sources but was still reduced relative to lines kept on human blood. These findings suggest that sheep and pig blood will entail a cost when used for maintaining Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti. These costs should be taken into account when planning mass release programs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luana Cristina Farnesi ◽  
Fabiano Dias Carvalho ◽  
Anna Paula Canuto Lacerda ◽  
Luciano Andrade Moreira ◽  
Rafaela Vieira Bruno

Abstract Background Aedes aegypti control programs have failed to restrain mosquito population expansion and, consequently, the spread of diseases such as dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya. Wolbachia infection of mosquitoes is a new and promising complementary tool for the control of arbovirus transmission. The use of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, mass reared using human blood, is currently being tested in several countries. However, the use of human blood for mass rearing mosquitoes, and thus expansion of this strategy, is problematic. With the aim of overcoming this problem, we tested the effect of different types of blood source on the fitness parameters of female Ae. aegypti and the Wolbachia titer over generations to be able to guarantee the suitability of an alternative source to human blood for mass rearing Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. Methods We investigated and compared essential parameters of the vector capacity of laboratory strains of Ae. aegypti with and without Wolbachia that fed on blood of different types of host (human, guinea pig, and mouse). The parameters analyzed were fecundity, fertility, pupation dynamics, and adult survival. Also, we tested whether it is possible to maintain mosquitoes with Wolbachia on mouse blood over generations without losing the bacterium titer. Results The average number of eggs per female, egg viability and pupation dynamics in the Wolbachia-infected mosquito (wMelBr) strain were similar, regardless of the blood source. The F1 progenies of females that fed on mouse blood or human blood were analyzed. The longevity of males was lower than that of females. F1 female survival differed depending on the presence of Wolbachia in the mother. In subsequent generations analyzed up until F35, the relative Wolbachia density was even higher when mosquitoes fed on mouse blood in comparison to human blood. Conclusions Taken together, our results provide no evidence that the different types of blood influenced the fitness of the Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. The presence of the bacterium in the colonies of Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti after 35 generations under the conditions evaluated indicates that they can be maintained on mouse blood. Based on these results, we show that it is possible to use mouse blood to feed female mosquitoes when using human blood for this purpose is problematic.


1970 ◽  
Vol 102 (12) ◽  
pp. 1554-1558 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. R. Allen ◽  
W. L. Askew

AbstractA gelatine-based diet for rearing the onion maggot, Hylemya antiqua (Meigen), that contains sucrose, evaporated milk, yeast hydrolysate, wheat embryo, cellulose powder, n-propyl disulfide, water, and antibiotics is described. Three consecutive generations reared on this medium were equal in puparial weights, percentages of pupation, adult emergence, and egg hatch, to those reared on onion bulbs. The procedure is simple and two man-hours per week is sufficient for producing 1000 maggots daily.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elis José Aldana ◽  
David Jácome ◽  
Eliézer Lizano

En este trabajo se evidencia que si el éxito reproductivo de Rhodnius prolixus Stal está relacionado a la fuente alimentaria, entonces las necesidades biológicas del insecto son satisfechas en modos diferentes según el tipo de alternancia entre dichas fuentes de alimentación; tales diferencias son reveladas mediante los cambios en fertilidad y fecundidad del insecto. Se realizaron nueve alternancias, en cada una se suministraron dos alimentaciones, en unas se alternó la fuente de alimentación y en los controles se suministraron dos alimentaciones con la misma fuente. Las fuentes alimentarias fueron paloma, gallina y humano, esta última mediante un aparato de alimentación artificial; estas fuentes se escogieron en el supuesto que son fuentes alimentarias encontradas en los ecotopos silvestre, peri-domicilio y domicilio respectivamente. En todos los tipos de alternancia se encontró una relación lineal entre la fecundidad y el tiempo de oviposición, que la relación entre cantidad de sangre ingerida y la fecundidad varían, que la tasa de fecundidad aumenta en la segunda alimentación respecto a la primera y que la fertilidad fue superior al 95 %.   Effects of alternating blood sources on fecundity and fertility of Rhodnius prolixus Stal (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) In this work it is argued that if the reproductive parameters of Rhodnius prolixus Stal are related to the blood source upon which it feeds, then the insects biological needs must be satisfied in different ways by the alternation between blood sources, reveled through changes in the fecundity and fertility of individuals of this insect species. Nine experiments were conducted, each one consisting of two feedings, in which the blood source were either alternated or remained the same. The meal sources used were pigeon, hen and human blood, selected according to the resources found in the sylvatic, peri-domestic and domestic ecotopes respectively. It was found that the quantity of blood ingested and the fecundity were differents according to alternation of blood sources offered in each meal. A linear relation was found between the fecundity and the time of oviposition in every alternation of meal sources. On the other hand there was a slope increase in the second feeding of every experiment. The fertility was above 95% in each experiment.   Efeito da alternação de fontes sanguíneas sobre fecundidade e fertilidade de Rhodnius prolixus Stal (Heteroptera Reduviidae) Neste trabalho evidencia-se que o sucesso reprodutivo de Rhodnius prolixus Stal esta relacionado à fonte alimentícia, então as necessidades biológicas do inseto são satisfeitas em modos diferentes segundo o tipo de alternância entre ditas fontes de alimentação; tais diferenças são reveladas mediante mudanças em fertilidade e fecundidade do inseto. Realizaram-se nove testes, em cada um foram subministradas duas alimentações, sendo que em alguns foi alternada a fonte de alimentação e nos controles foram subministradas duas alimentações com a mesma fonte. As fontes alimentícias foram pomba, galinha e humano, esta ultima mediante um aparelho de alimentação artificial; estas fontes foram escolhidas no suposto que são fontes alimentícias encontradas nos ecótopos silvestres, peridomicilio e domicilio respectivamente. Em todos os tipos de alternância foi encontrada uma relação lineal entre a fecundidade e o tempo de oviposição, que a relação entre quantidade de sangue ingerida e a fecundidade variam, que a taxa de fecundidade aumenta na segunda alimentação respeito à primeira e que a fertilidade foi superior ao 95%.


1956 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
AK O’gower

The rate of ciigesl;iol1 of human blood was invcsLigated at 4-hourly intorval" by tho I'reeipitin and benzidine tests for tho mosquito species .Aedes aegypti, A. concolor, A. noto8oriptu8, A. soutellaris, and Culea., fllliymis. In an enviroWllent ill which temperature and humidity w('["o oonstant and in whioh thoro were equal periods of light and darkness, the mie of digestion ranged from :11 hI' for 8CUtellm'is to ·Hl hI' for A. COil color.


2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 1640-1647
Author(s):  
Catherine A Pruszynski ◽  
Tanise Stenn ◽  
Carolina Acevedo ◽  
Andrea L Leal ◽  
Nathan D Burkett-Cadena

Abstract Aedes aegypti L. is considered to have a proclivity for feeding on human blood even when other hosts are available. However, few studies have demonstrated host use by this mosquito in the continental United States, where local transmission of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses has been recently documented. This study investigated the bloodmeal sources of female Ae. aegypti in the subtropical city of Key West and the surrounding county in Florida with the goal of identifying preferred hosts. Blood-engorged Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected from BG Sentinel traps used as part of a routine surveillance program in the Florida Keys (Monroe County, Florida). Bloodmeal samples were analyzed using PCR assays, sequencing, and comparison with reference sequences in GenBank. Aedes aegypti females from Key West fed predominantly on humans (79.6%) and did not differ statistically from females collected from the rest of the Florida Keys (69.5%). Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae), considered a host generalist, was collected and analyzed from the same sites for comparative purposes. Females of Cx. quinquefasciatus fed predominantly (70.7%) on birds and nonhuman mammals in the Florida Keys, corroborating the validity of molecular assay breadth and demonstrating that given the same group of available hosts Ae. aegypti selects humans. Our results indicated that Ae. aegypti has a high rate of human-biting in a subtropical area within the United States, supporting its role in recent local transmission of dengue and other viruses.


2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda M. Styer ◽  
Sharon L. Minnick ◽  
Anna K. Sun ◽  
Thomas W. Scott
Keyword(s):  

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0251100
Author(s):  
Agata Kaczmarek ◽  
Anna Katarzyna Wrońska ◽  
Mieczysława Irena Boguś ◽  
Michalina Kazek ◽  
Aleksandra Gliniewicz ◽  
...  

Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of various arthropod-borne viral (arboviral) diseases such as dengue and Zika, is a popular laboratory model in vector biology. However, its maintenance in laboratory conditions is difficult, mostly because the females require blood meals to complete oogenesis, which is often provided as sheep blood. The outermost layer of the mosquito cuticle is consists of lipids which protects against numerous entomopathogens, prevents desiccation and plays an essential role in signalling processes. The aim of this work was to determine how the replacement of human blood with sheep blood affects the cuticular and internal FFA profiles of mosquitoes reared in laboratory culture. The individual FFAs present in cuticular and internal extracts from mosquito were identified and quantified by GC–MS method. The normality of their distribution was checked using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and the Student’s t-test was used to compare them. GC-MS analysis revealed similar numbers of internal and cuticular FFAs in the female mosquitoes fed sheep blood by membrane (MFSB) and naturally fed human blood (NFHB), however MFSB group demonstrated 3.1 times greater FFA concentrations in the cuticular fraction and 1.4 times the internal fraction than the NFHB group. In the MFSB group, FFA concentration was 1.6 times higher in the cuticular than the internal fraction, while for NFHB, FFA concentration was 1.3 times lower in the cuticular than the internal fraction. The concentration of C18:3 acid was 223 times higher in the internal fraction than the cuticle in the MHSB group but was absent in the NFHB group. MFSB mosquito demonstrate different FFA profiles to wild mosquitoes, which might influence their fertility and the results of vital processes studied under laboratory conditions. The membrane method of feeding mosquitoes is popular, but our research indicates significant differences in the FFA profiles of MFSB and NFHB. Such changes in FFA profile might influence female fertility, as well as other vital processes studied in laboratory conditions, such as the response to pesticides. Our work indicates that sheep blood has potential shortcomings as a substitute feed for human blood, as its use in laboratory studies may yield different results to those demonstrated by free-living mosquitoes.


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