title: Host choice of anopheline mosquitoes in a malaria endemic area of western Venezuela.
abstract: Bloodmeals of exophilic anopheline mosquitoes collected resting on vegetation in a malaria endemic area in western Venezuela were identified by ELISA. Using a TMB peroxidase substrate in the ELISA, human bloodmeals were readily identified up to 40 h after ingestion in all laboratory-fed mosquitoes tested. Assay sensitivity declined to 75% identifiable 44 h post-feeding. The Human Blood Index and the Feeding Index of each species differed between the three villages studied. An.triannulatus was generally more anthropophilic than An.nuneztovari and An.oswaldoi. These contrasting results emphasize the difficulties of interpreting host choice data.
authors.affiliation: División de Investigaciones, Escuela de Malariología y Saneamiento Ambiental, Maracay, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rubio-Palis
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Curtis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gonzáles
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Wirtz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000502:physiology*; D001769:Blood; D002417:Cattle; D004285:Dogs; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology