title: The effect of the host blood on the biology of the sand fly, Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) under laboratory conditions.
abstract: The effect of the blood of human, Guinea pig and hamster on the different biological aspects of phlebotomid sand fly, Phlebotomus papatasi under laboratory conditions of 28 +/- 2 degrees C, 75 +/- 5% RH & a 14:10 hr. (L:D) photoperiod regime was evaluated. Man was the most preferable host followed by hamster, and then Guinea pig. Human blood gave the highest yield of eggs (mean: 65.15 eggs/female), highest hatchability (mean: 96.23%), shortest egg incubation period (mean: 7.37 days), shortest larval duration (mean: 22.59 days), shortest adult emergence period (mean: 39.73 days) and highest productivity of the adult progeny (mean; 81.75%). As human blood can not be currently used for laboratory rearing and colonization of sand flies, the hamster may be chosen as source of a substituted blood for the long term colonization of P. papatasi.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Medical Entomology, Ministry of Health and Population, Dokki, Giza, Egypt. ymahamid@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ryousrya M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Abdel-Hamid
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood; D006224:Cricetinae; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000502:physiology; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D010058:Oviposition / Q000502:physiology; D010507:Periodicity; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity