Plagiorchis noblei infections impair the survival and development of fourth instar Aedes aegypti larvae. Mortality during the larval and pupal stages reached 92%, and 60% of the emerging adults were malformed. The metacercariae interfere with pupation and the emergence of adults. Larvae and pupae that fail to transform to the next developmental stage within the normal time characteristically persist for extended periods, but invariably die without transforming. Whereas 82% of the control larvae gave rise to functional adults, only 4% of infected larvae managed to do so. Such effects may facilitate the transmission of the parasite.
The mortality of Aedes aegypti pre-imagos harboring metacercariae of Plagiorchis noblei Park, 1936, is governed by the stage of development of the host at the time of infection and the location of the parasite in the insect body. First and second instar larvae generally succumbed to infection, regardless of site. Infections of the head and thorax of third and fourth instar larvae were generally lethal or gave rise to imparied adults. However, older instars frequently survived abdominal infections. Pupae showed greater tolerance to cephalic, thoracic and abdominal infections and generally emerged as adults. Again, many such infected adults were impaired.
The prevalence and intensity of experimental infections of Aedes aegypti with the digenean Plagiorchis noblei increased significantly with the level of trickle exposure to cercariae. Daily exposure to doses of 16 cercariae/day yielded a mean infection intensity of 13.0 metacercariae; doses of 1 cercaria/day resulted in only 2.4 metacercariae per infected mosquito larva. The prevalence of infection rose from 46% at an exposure of 1 cercaria/day to 99% at 16 cercariae/day. Host mortality rose concomitantly from 25% to 88%. Host mortality and parasite acquisition were independent of environmental temperatures (21-29 C), despite the fact that developmental times, and consequently the number of daily exposures, were more than 50% greater at the low end of the temperature scale. This may be attributable to low activity of mosquito larvae and the resulting decrease in the number of encounters with cercariae.
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