Effects of blood type and blood handling on feeding success, longevity and egg production in the body louse, Pediculus humanus humanus

Abstract

The effects of feeding different types of human blood to human body lice, Pediculus humanus humanus L. (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae), on feeding success, longevity and numbers of eggs laid were investigated using an artificial blood-feeding system in the laboratory. No significant differences were found between lice fed on different human blood types for any of the parameters tested. However, when lice were fed on human blood of one blood type followed immediately by a different blood type, they took significantly smaller bloodmeals, their longevity was reduced and they laid fewer eggs per female than control lice that had been fed twice on the same human blood type. When lice were fed human blood that had been stored for 1-26 weeks, the quantity of blood taken, the proportion of lice that became fully engorged and lice longevity diminished gradually as the storage time of the blood increased, but there was no effect of storage time on the mean number of eggs laid per female. However, lice would not feed on 26-week-old blood. The type of anticoagulant used had a significant effect on the proportion fed, longevity and number of eggs laid per female. Generally, EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid)-treated blood reduced longevity and the number of eggs laid per female to a greater degree than heparinized or citrated blood. Lice fed on rabbit blood took significantly larger amounts of blood, lived longer and laid a higher mean number of eggs per female than lice fed on human blood.

A simplified protocol for in vitro rearing of human body lice

“…The addition of penicillin/streptomycin to the blood meal does not appear to inhibit head lice reproduction in vitro [28,29]. However, others have shown that doxycycline, erythromycin, azithromycin, and rifampicin can have detrimental effects on body lice by killing their endosymbionts [23,24], as can preservatives such as EDTA through unknown means [20]. At the very least, it is unlikely that such additives provide any benefit to the lice and thus should be avoided if possible to minimize sub-lethal physiological alterations.…”

“…A limited number of in vitro methods for feeding body lice have been described. For example, some groups have used improvised apparatuses to contain animal blood in a membrane bound capsule and warm it on a hot plate or circulating water bath [14,15,18,20]. Others have employed commercially available blood feeding devices such as the Hemotek apparatus [24].…”

“…These approaches are less cumbersome than animal-based protocols and enable controlled experimental blood feeds, but in most cases they have proved insufficient to support colony development due to low feeding or high mortality rates. For example, in Kasai et al two thirds of immature lice fed on an artificial system died before reaching adulthood [18], and in Mumcuoglu et al less than 50% of adults fully engorged on an artificial system [20]. While Sangare et al achieved high rates of engorgement and low mortality in adults fed using a Hemotek device, they did not examine the ability of nymphs to feed on the same system [24].…”

Prevalence, incidence, clinical manifestations and factors associated with pediculosis capitis in nursery school children of a low-income area from Colombia

“…As other international authors have referred [28], the variable "type of blood" with "presence of P. capitis" was evaluated and it resulted not to be a significant risk factor. However, it is encouraged to include this variable in further studies.…”

Distinct molecular targets for macrocyclic lactone and isoxazoline insecticides in the human louse: new prospects for the treatment of pediculosis

“…The colony of human body lice ( Pediculus humanus humanus ) were provided by Kosta Y. Mumcuoglu from the Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel. Thislaboratory-reared colony adapted to rabbit blood were fed four times per week (permit number of the French Ministry for Research: APAFIS#8455-2017010616224913 v3) and maintained at 30 ± 1 °C and 60-70% relative humidity without exposure to any drugs [86]. Survival and immobilization (knockdown) were monitored at 1, 2, 3 and 24 h after contact of 44 lice with insecticides at concentrations ranging from 1 to 100 µM or 1% DMSO.…”