Blood Feeding Position Increases Success of Recalcitrant Mosquitoes

Abstract

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are competent natural and laboratory vectors for numerous arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), many of which pose global public health concerns. Efficiently imbibing a blood meal from an artificial membrane feeder, Ae. aegypti is an easy feeder: *96% success. Alternatively, Ae. albopictus is known to be a difficult feeder imbibing poorly: *20% success. Adult female mosquitoes were grouped in cohorts of 50, proffered a bovine blood meal, and challenged with experimental variables, and feeding success was documented. Controls included Ae. aegypti and the artificial glass membrane feeder: topside presentation (upsidedown feeding position only). Variables included lambskin versus bovine collagen sausage membranes, presence or absence of gentle motion, filial generations, and large or small blood packets positioned differently: horizontal presentation (right side-up or nose-up feeding position) and vertical presentation (nose-up feeding position only). Both species preferred sausage casings, and ultrastructural analysis revealed that sausage casings had a textured gripping surface not observed on lambskin membranes. Neither filial generations nor gentle motion improved feeding; however, a 32%-46% increase in blood feeding was observed when Ae. albopictus fed on large horizontal and large or small vertical blood packets. Upside-down feeding of Ae. albopictus with a blood suspension of Sindbis virus heat resistant (SVHR) and the original isolate (AR339) resulted in virus dissemination of 10% and 50%, respectively. Use of bovine collagen sausage membranes in a vertical feeding position will increase the number of engorged females, thereby substantially increasing the number of arbovirus-exposed organisms in the laboratory. Differences in blooding success in response to feeding position further separates the behavior attributes of two Aedine species. Blood meal presentation facilitates gravity and we suggest this is a deciding factor in the feeding success of Ae. albopictus.

A novel multiple membrane blood-feeding system for investigating and maintaining Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes

“…albopictus is known to be a difficult feeder that imbibes poorly (∼20%). Using a vertical feeding position will increase the number of engorged females (Lyski et al ). When using the novel multiple membrane blood‐feeding system, the mosquito feeding position is vertical.…”

An in vitro bioassay for the quantitative evaluation of mosquito repellents against Stegomyia aegypti (=Aedes aegypti) mosquitoes using a novel cocktail meal

“…It is therefore possible that the mosquito was stimulated to probe by some materials that diffused through the membrane and were detected by the tarsal chemoreceptors (Galun, ). The feeding rates of St. aegypti on the cocktail meal (78.4%) were higher than those on a bloodmeal with NaCl (0.15 m ) and ATP (10 −3 m ) solution (58.0%) (Galun et al ., ) and identical to the blood‐feeding rate of St. aegypti in a horizontal feeding position (77.0%) (Lyski et al ., ).…”

Mass Production Cage forAedes albopictus(Diptera: Culicidae)

“…aegypti have engorged the blood, while only 20% of Ae. albopictus females successfully completed a blood feeding (Lyski et al 2011).…”

“…While in Plexiglas cages, blood was supplied through heated aluminum cup covered with natural swine intestine, the blood-feeding method used in the Aedes MPC is similar to the one proposed by Bailey et al (1978) and uses collagen sausage casings vertically inserted into the cage to improve feeding (Lyski et al 2011, Deng et al 2012. The bloodfeeding procedure for the Aedes MPC required the use of a larger amount of blood, but the position and the characteristic of collagen sausage casings guaranteed an engorgement rate comparable with standard feeding methods.…”