Artificial blood feeders for mosquitoes and ticks—Where from, where to?

Romano, Donato; Stefanini, Cesare; Canale, Angelo; Benelli, Giovanni

doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2018.04.009

Cited by 33 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 118 publications

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“…Standardizing methods for behavioral research is crucial to allow data comparisons. For example, high reproducibility of questing-related data can be obtained using mechatronic arenas, which also reduce animal testing in laboratory [ 91 ], and allows the dissection of host-borne cues [ 92 ]. The use of mechatronic arenas also allows repeated testing, thus assessing both intra- and inter-individual variability (e.g., questing success and responses to repellents) of the affected traits in highly standardized conditions over time.…”

Section: Concluding Remarks and Outstanding Challenges For A Reseamentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathogens Manipulating Tick Behavior—Through a Glass, Darkly

Benelli

2020

Pathogens

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Pathogens can manipulate the phenotypic traits of their hosts and vectors, maximizing their own fitness. Among the phenotypic traits that can be modified, manipulating vector behavior represents one of the most fascinating facets. How pathogens infection affects behavioral traits of key insect vectors has been extensively investigated. Major examples include Plasmodium, Leishmania and Trypanosoma spp. manipulating the behavior of mosquitoes, sand flies and kissing bugs, respectively. However, research on how pathogens can modify tick behavior is patchy. This review focuses on current knowledge about the behavioral changes triggered by Anaplasma, Borrelia, Babesia, Bartonella, Rickettsia and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection in tick vectors, analyzing their potential adaptive significance. As a general trend, being infected by Borrelia and TBEV boosts tick mobility (both questing and walking activity). Borrelia and Anaplasma infection magnifies Ixodes desiccation resistance, triggering physiological changes (Borrelia: higher fat reserves; Anaplasma: synthesis of heat shock proteins). Anaplasma infection also improves cold resistance in infected ticks through synthesis of an antifreeze glycoprotein. Being infected by Anaplasma, Borrelia and Babesia leads to increased tick survival. Borrelia, Babesia and Bartonella infection facilitates blood engorgement. In the last section, current challenges for future studies are outlined.

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Section: Concluding Remarks and Outstanding Challenges For A Reseamentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathogens Manipulating Tick Behavior—Through a Glass, Darkly

Benelli

2020

Pathogens

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“…Such artificial feedings can substitute direct feeding on mammals and often have prolonged shelf life and do not require refrigeration. For their delivery to mosquitoes, a number of artificial blood feeders are currently under study [ 37 ]. This approach would require the presence of attractants in the artificial diet to lure mosquitoes that have already taken a human blood meal and thus potentially carrying ookinetes in their midguts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heparin Administered to Anopheles in Membrane Feeding Assays Blocks Plasmodium Development in the Mosquito

et al. 2020

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Innovative antimalarial strategies are urgently needed given the alarming evolution of resistance to every single drug developed against Plasmodium parasites. The sulfated glycosaminoglycan heparin has been delivered in membrane feeding assays together with Plasmodium berghei-infected blood to Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. The transition between ookinete and oocyst pathogen stages in the mosquito has been studied in vivo through oocyst counting in dissected insect midguts, whereas ookinete interactions with heparin have been followed ex vivo by flow cytometry. Heparin interferes with the parasite’s ookinete–oocyst transition by binding ookinetes, but it does not affect fertilization. Hypersulfated heparin is a more efficient blocker of ookinete development than native heparin, significantly reducing the number of oocysts per midgut when offered to mosquitoes at 5 µg/mL in membrane feeding assays. Direct delivery of heparin to mosquitoes might represent a new antimalarial strategy of rapid implementation, since it would not require clinical trials for its immediate deployment.

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“…The simplicity of our protocol is similar to that of protocols used to feed and maintain colonies of non-fastidious hematophagous species, including many mosquitoes and bed bugs [1,7,21,22]. By employing the Hemotek device, handling the blood and blood reservoir using sterile technique, and storing blood at 4°C between feedings, only~2 mL of blood are needed each week to feed a colony of hundreds of lice.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A simplified protocol for in vitro rearing of human body lice

Pietri

Ray

2020

Parasite

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Human body lice (Pediculus humanus) are neglected ectoparasites and pathogen vectors. Difficulties in raising and maintaining colonies of body lice in a laboratory setting remain a barrier to fundamental studies of physiology and vector-pathogen interactions in these insects. Several in vivo and in vitro rearing systems have been previously described and used by multiple research groups. However, these methods suffer from drawbacks that still complicate the rearing of body lice relative to many other commonly studied hematophagous insects. Here, a simplified protocol for raising and maintaining body lice in vitro using the commercially available Hemotek apparatus is described. This protocol draws from published methods for rearing body lice as well as other hematophagous insect species to further reduce labor, time, costs, and regulatory requirements typically associated with keeping human body lice in the laboratory. Using this protocol, the insects consistently fed on commercially available rabbit blood with little mortality, reached adulthood at a high rate, and produced a significant number of viable eggs, resulting in a 4.8-fold increase in population over a period of 40 days. The data suggest that the process described here can propagate modest populations for ongoing laboratory experiments and is a useful alternative to existing methods. The use and further optimization of in vitro rearing systems may facilitate dynamic studies of body lice by a wider range of investigators, enabling new progress in combating lice infestations, and louse-borne infections.

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Artificial blood feeders for mosquitoes and ticks—Where from, where to?

Cited by 33 publications

References 118 publications

Pathogens Manipulating Tick Behavior—Through a Glass, Darkly

Pathogens Manipulating Tick Behavior—Through a Glass, Darkly

Heparin Administered to Anopheles in Membrane Feeding Assays Blocks Plasmodium Development in the Mosquito

A simplified protocol for in vitro rearing of human body lice

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