Detection of Multiple Blood Feeding in Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) During a Single Gonotrophic Cycle Using a Histologic Technique

Abstract

We evaluated a histologic technique for its usefulness in detecting multiple blood feeding by Aedes aegypti (L.) in a single gonotrophic cycle. To standardize the procedure, we carried out a laboratory study in which 166 mosquitoes imbibed two blood meals at known intervals. Eighty percent (78/98) of the multiple meals were detected when the interval between meals was from 1 to < to = 24 h and the time from the second meal to fixation ranged from 0 to 12 hr. At intervals outside this range, only 34% (23/68) of the multiple meals were detected. Overall, 61% (101/166) of the double meals were detected. Examination of 96 engorged Ae. aegypti collected by aspiration from inside houses in San Juan, Puerto Rico, indicated that 50% had imbibed multiple meals. Most wild-caught mosquitoes took their last meal the day before capture, and most multiple feeders fed twice on consecutive days. A dark line of digested blood, or heme, around the first meal and a physical separation between meals were the most useful histologic parameters for detecting multiple feeding in wild Ae. aegypti. An association of multiple feeding with advanced stages of oocyte development suggests that, at the time of collection, most Ae. aegypti from the study site had fed twice in each gonotrophic cycle. We conclude that, although it is labor intensive, histologic examination is an appropriate technique for a longitudinal, community-wide survey of multiple feeding by Ae. aegypti.

Mosquito Gonotrophic Cycle and Multiple Feeding Potential: Contrasts Between Anopheles and Aedes (Diptera: Culicidae)

“…1 A and Boreham et al 1979, Burkot et al 1988) but also in Ae. aegypti (Macdonald 1956, Sheppard et al 1969, Scott et. al 1993.…”

The Effects of Sustained Release Metofluthrin on the Biting, Movement, and Mortality of Aedes aegypti in a Domestic Setting

“…1,2 This day-biting mosquito has a close association with the urban environment, 3,4 almost exclusively feeding on human hosts 5,6 and breeding in artificial containers found in the domestic setting (i.e., pot plant bases, tires, roof gutters, etc.). 7 Aedes aegypti regularly take multiple blood meals, often from different humans, to complete their gonotrophic cycle.…”

“…7 Aedes aegypti regularly take multiple blood meals, often from different humans, to complete their gonotrophic cycle. 6 Multiple blood feeding is epidemiologically important because it increases the probability of a mosquito contracting or transmitting a virus infection, often leading to clusters of dengue virus infections to occur in time and space (i.e., family and neighboring units). 5 It is therefore imperative that during a dengue outbreak people infected with the virus and their closest neighbors take precautions to prevent vectors biting to interrupt the virus transmission cycle.…”

Positive Serology for Dengue Viral Infection in Pediatric Patients With Kawasaki Disease in Southern Thailand

“…A. aegypti infected with dengue viruses may temporarily be transported by air or ship into Japan and the US and survive during the summer, with the possibility of domestic transmission by A. albopictus. These mosquitoes normally feed on a single vertebrate host, but a small percentage of each of the 2 species feed on more than 1 host during 1 gonotrophic cycle 21 and that multiple-feeding behavior is of epidemiological significance. Despite the fact that the vectors can travel up to 2.5 km daily in an open environment, a study in Africa found that only 0.7% of mosquitoes visited more than 4 houses.…”