Factors affecting the feeding of northern fowl mites, Ornithonyssus sylvarium, through a membrane

Abstract

Northern fowl mites, Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini & Fanzago) (Acari: Macronyssidae), were fed artificially through chick skin membranes to investigate several factors that affected the degree of mite feeding. More mites fed after starving 24 h than unstarved mites or mites starved 48 or 72 h. Protonymphs fed as well as adults. More mites fed on refrigerated blood than on fresh blood and on frozen blood than on refrigated blood. However, mites fed well on newly drawn blood that had been lysed. They fed as well on plasma and serum as on whole blood but less well on washed erythrocytes. They also fed well on citrated blood, but fewer mites fed on oxalated blood or freshly defibrinated blood.

In vitro feeding of northern fowl mites on beef and swine blood

“…Crystal (1987) found that the use of different anticoagulants affected O. sylviarum feeding on chicken blood through chick skin membranes. Crystal (1987) found that the use of different anticoagulants affected O. sylviarum feeding on chicken blood through chick skin membranes.…”

“…The suitability of the beef blood as a food source for O. sylviarum may have been related to the use of heparin as an anti-coagulant; this is suggested by the two-fold difference in feeding percentages between mites presented blood with two levels of heparin. Crystal (1987) found that the use of different anticoagulants affected O. sylviarum feeding on chicken blood through chick skin membranes. The concentration of heparin (0.5 mg/ml) in the chicken blood used in these tests had been used successfully by Crystal (1986Crystal ( , 1987 and Carroll et al (1992).…”

“…Crystal (1987) found that the use of different anticoagulants affected O. sylviarum feeding on chicken blood through chick skin membranes. The concentration of heparin (0.5 mg/ml) in the chicken blood used in these tests had been used successfully by Crystal (1986Crystal ( , 1987 and Carroll et al (1992). However, blood from all mammal species may not be acceptable to northern fowl mites, as Sikes and Chamberlain (1954) could not induce O. sylviarum to feed upon humans in the laboratory.…”