The ability of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to survive and transmit infective larvae of Brugia pahangi over successive blood meals.
The mortality of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes increased; immediately following a blood meal containing microfilariae of Brugia pahangi, when infective larvae began to migrate out of the flight muscles and when infective larvae were lost from the mosquitoes during a blood meal. When infective mosquitoes took a second blood meal 86.2% of the infective larvae escaped from their bodies. However, only 50.3% escaped when mosquitoes fed through a thin layer of cotton. Infective larvae in the abdomen of the mosquitoes stood the least chance of escaping from the insects. When infective mosquitoes were offered a third blood meal four days later, the proportion of infective larvae in the head and labium had risen from 56.6% in the control group to 66.0% and 69.4% in the two test groups. At this third feed 54.7% and 75.7% of the infective larvae were lost from mosquitoes with a low and medium pre-feeding worm burden respectively. This suggests that the escape of infective larvae from mosquitoes with only a few worms is less efficient than from mosquitoes with a medium worm burden.
D000330:Aedes / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002009:Brugia / Q000502:physiology*; D002415:Cats; D004605:Elephantiasis, Filarial / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D005849:Gerbillinae; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D008209:Lymphedema / Q000635:transmission*; D008297:Male