Replacement of Laboratory Animals in the Management of Blood‐Sucking Arthropods

Issmer, Achim E.; Schilling, Thomas H.; Vollmer, Andreas; Grunewald, Jörg

doi:10.1002/9783527616053.ch14

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Therefore, understanding the physiology of blood meal feeding is essential for the development of control strategies. Several studies have used artificial feeding processes to provide the insect with a defined diet [36] or to reduce the use of living hosts [37,38]. In this study, we compared the survival rate, molting efficiency, fertility, and infection development between insects that were fed on blood collected with three different anticoagulants (citrate, EDTA, and heparin).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the effects of anticoagulants on Rhodnius prolixus artificial blood feeding

et al. 2018

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Blood-sucking insects are responsible for the transmission of several important disease-causing organisms such as viruses, bacteria, and protozoans. The hematophagous hemipteran Rhodnius prolixus is one of the most important vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. Due to the medical importance of this insect, it has been used as a study model in physiology and biochemistry since the 1930s. Artificial feeding has been recognized as a feasible and a more ethical alternative method of feeding these hematophagous insects. To prevent clotting after blood collection defibrination or treatment with anticoagulants are necessary. Although anticoagulants have been routinely used for stabilizing the collected blood, there is a gap in demonstration of the effects of using anticoagulants on the feeding and development of the hematophagous insect Rhodnius prolixus. In this study, we compared the survival rate, molting efficiency, fertility, and infection development between insects that were fed on blood containing three different anticoagulants (citrate, EDTA, and heparin). We observed that fifth instar nymphs that were fed on blood containing EDTA and citrate could not perform digestion properly, which resulted in molting inefficiency. Adult insects that were fed on EDTA-containing blood laid lower number of eggs, and also had a diminished egg hatch percentage. When we delivered T. cruzi parasites in blood containing citrate or EDTA to the insects, a lower number of parasites and metacyclic trypomastigotes was observed in the intestine compared to the group fed on heparin-containing blood. Since heparin could potentially inhibit DNA polymerase activity in DNA samples extracted from the intestine, we analyzed different heparin concentrations to determine which one is the best for use as an anticoagulant. Concentrations ranging between 2.5 and 5 U/mL were able to inhibit coagulation without severely impairing DNA polymerase activity, thus indicating that this should be considered as the range of use for feeding experiments. Our results suggest that among the three anticoagulants tested, heparin can be recommended as the anticoagulant of choice for R. prolixus feeding experiments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the effects of anticoagulants on Rhodnius prolixus artificial blood feeding

et al. 2018

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“…First, the chemical nature of the feeding fluid can be altered to determine what chemicals are important for normal feeding (Friend and Smith, 1977) or what types of animal blood the insects respond to best (Gomes et al, 1990). Second, the artificial feeding method replaces the use of warm‐blooded hosts and, if necessary, the need to house these hosts in a government‐approved animal care facility (Huebner et al, 1994; Issmer et al, 1994). Unfortunately, a reliable artificial feeding method for R. prolixus , which is probably the most‐studied blood‐feeding insect in insect physiology, has yet to be established despite several attempts to develop one (Gardiner and Maddrell, 1972; Huebner et al, 1994; Issmer et al, 1994).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, the artificial feeding method replaces the use of warm‐blooded hosts and, if necessary, the need to house these hosts in a government‐approved animal care facility (Huebner et al, 1994; Issmer et al, 1994). Unfortunately, a reliable artificial feeding method for R. prolixus , which is probably the most‐studied blood‐feeding insect in insect physiology, has yet to be established despite several attempts to develop one (Gardiner and Maddrell, 1972; Huebner et al, 1994; Issmer et al, 1994). In their study, Huebner et al (1994) reported on comparable E values between naturally and artificially fed insects, but they had to offer the artificially fed insects more than one blood meal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies have investigated the factors that affect gorging of the blood meal (Friend and Smith, 1977, 1982; Smith, 1979; Smith and Friend, 1987); how feeding in the larva affects egg production in the adult (Patterson, 1979); the growth and reproductive success of using blood sources from different species of animals (Gomes et al, 1990); and the orchestration of endocrine events related to feeding (see Orchard, 2006). In many of these studies, artificial feeding methods were used in order to provide the insect with a defined diet (Friend and Cartwright, 1963) or to reduce the use of live hosts (Huebner et al, 1994; Issmer et al, 1994). However, these artificial feeding methods have not proven reliable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Friend and Smith (1977) found that as many as 20% of the test insects that fed through artificial membranes took less than complete meals, prompting these authors to suggest that the feeding response may be more complex than previously assumed. Almost 20 years later, Issmer et al (1994) reported that they had made some promising progress towards using an artificial system for feeding R. prolixus . However, the results of this work were never published.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feeding through artificial membranes reduces fecundity for females of the blood‐feeding insect, Rhodnius prolixus

Chiang

2010

Arch Insect Biochem Physiol

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The blood-feeding insect, Rhodnius prolixus, has been raised in the laboratory for close to 100 years. Various feeding techniques have been employed ranging from the use of warm-blooded hosts, to the use of previously collected blood offered through artificial membranes. This study compared the fecundity in mated and unmated females fed rabbit blood directly from the shaved belly of a rabbit to that of females fed defibrinated rabbit blood through an artificial membrane. These results confirm previous reports that this insect's feeding efficacy is reduced using an artificial membrane. It also demonstrates for the first time that the fecundity index, which measures the efficiency of turning the blood meal into eggs, is significantly reduced. We suggest that the natural feeding on a warm-blooded host may provide cues that have the short-term effect of enhancing the act of feeding and the long-term effect of increasing egg production efficiency. Until an artificial feeding method that does not interfere with feeding and fecundity is devised, experiments on reproduction in R. prolixus warrant the use of a warm-blooded host to emulate feeding in its natural setting.

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Maintenance of Filarial Cycles in the Laboratory: Approaches to Replacing the Vertebrate Host

Rapp¹,

Hoffmann²,

Keller³

et al. 1994

Alternatives to Animal Testing

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Replacement of Laboratory Animals in the Management of Blood‐Sucking Arthropods

Cited by 5 publications

References 7 publications

Evaluating the effects of anticoagulants on Rhodnius prolixus artificial blood feeding

Evaluating the effects of anticoagulants on Rhodnius prolixus artificial blood feeding

Feeding through artificial membranes reduces fecundity for females of the blood‐feeding insect, Rhodnius prolixus

Maintenance of Filarial Cycles in the Laboratory: Approaches to Replacing the Vertebrate Host

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