Characterising mosquito biting behaviour at high resolution

Abstract

Blood feeding represents a critical event in the life cycle of female mosquitoes. In addition to providing nutrients to the mosquito, blood feeding facilitates the transmission of parasites and viruses to hosts, potentially having devastating health consequences. Despite this, our understanding of these short, yet important bouts of behaviour is incomplete. How and where a mosquito decides to feed and the success of feeding can influence the transmission of pathogens, while a more thorough understanding may allow interventions to reduce or prevent infections. Recent advances in machine vision and automated tracking presents the opportunity to observe and understand blood feeding behaviour of mosquitoes at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. Here, we combine these technologies with novel designs for behavioural arenas and controllable artificial host cues to enable detailed observations of biting behaviour using relatively inexpensive and readily available materials. Combined with a workflow for quantitative image analysis, we are able to describe nuanced, high resolution biting behaviour under tightly controlled conditions.