Effects of Ethidium (homidium bromide) on female reproductive performance of laboratory-reared tsetse flies, Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood (Diptera: Glossinidae).
Ethidium (homidium bromide) is a trypanocide likely to be encountered as a violative residue in blood collected from abattoirs for feeding laboratory tsetse flies. We investigated its effect on female reproduction of Glossina morsitans morsitans. One-milligram homidium per kilogram body weight was intra-muscularly administered to four steers and blood aseptically collected from them between 15 and 30 min post-treatment, analysed for homidium levels and processed for tsetse feeding. Two hundred teneral female flies were fed on homidium-treated diet while a control group of similar number was given untreated diet and the reproductive performance of the two groups statistically compared. Ethidium, at 266.1 ng homidium/ml blood diet, halved A-class portion of F(1)-pupae, highly reduced decline of F(1)-progeny quality associated with aging parents, but had no significant effect on the pupae viability, fecundity and abortion rate of the flies. We therefore concluded that Ethidium has beneficial effect on laboratory tsetse attributable to clearance of unfavourable microbes mediated by the drug, and could be used as a tsetse diet additive.
Kibugu
James Karuku
JK
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute-Trypanosomiasis Research Centre (KARI-TRC), Kikuyu, Kenya. jkkibugu@yahoo.com
Muchiri
Margaret Wanjiku
MW
Ngae
Geoffrey Njuguna
GN
Mumba
Alfred Mwatari
AM
Kiragu
Japhet Mutegi
JM
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004996:Ethidium / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D016014:Linear Models; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014370:Tsetse Flies / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*
D014344:Trypanocidal Agents; D004996:Ethidium