Elisa for Identification of Blood Meal Source in Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae)

Abstract

A modified ELISA, in which a biotinylated second antibody and a streptavidin-biotinylated peroxidase complex are used, has been developed to identify the blood meal sources of black flies. The modified assay is sensitive enough to identify correctly 100% of blood meals at 73 h postingestion and 80% of blood meals at 116 h postingestion in black flies held in the field at ambient temperatures.

Vertebrate host specificity of wild–caught blackflies revealed by mitochondrial DNA in blood

“…Data derived from sampling performed in June through August 1999August -2002. Blackflies are somewhat reluctant fliers after a blood meal; however, about 3 per 1000 females caught contained blood (a study in Ontario, Canada, yielded fewer than 1 per 1000 flies in 60 days of truck trapping (Hunter & Bayly 1991), but another from Alberta reported frequencies much higher than ours (Shemanchuk 1987)). Host body weights (averages of reported maximum and minimum values) were taken from the literature (Siivonen 1968;Cramp 1994).…”

Identification of bloodmeals in haematophagous Diptera by cytochrome B heteroduplex analysis

“…The period during which we were able to identify the bloodmeal in African S. damnosum s.l. was approximately 40 h less than for the ELISA method applied to North American blackflies ( Hunter & Bayly 1991). This may be attributed to the warmer temperature (25–38°C) for Afrotropical blackflies than for those in North America (9–22°C).…”

“…This method, however, requires the preparation of immune sera against the blood of each potential host species, a difficult and laborious process. Pre‐adsorption steps are also needed to eliminate cross reactions when using this technique ( Hunter & Bayly 1991).…”

Molecular identification of Ehrlichia species and host bloodmeal source in Amblyomma americanum L. from two locations in Tennessee, United States

“…Boakye et al, 1999;Hunter and Bayly, 1991;Kent and Norris, 2005;Loftis et al, 2004Loftis et al, , 2006Lockhart et al, 1997). These methods require extensive field research, extra laboratory and field technicians, and IACUC approval, and are limited in the breadth of species that can be investigated.…”