Avian malaria alters the dynamics of blood feeding in Culex pipiens mosquitoes
| Main Authors: | Cornet, Stéphane, Nicot, Antoine, Rivero, Ana, Gandon, Sylvain |
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| Format: | Article |
| Terbitan: |
, 2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: |
https://zenodo.org/record/2596903 |
Daftar Isi:
- Background: Some Plasmodium species have the ability to modify the behaviour of their mosquito vectors. This is thought to be an adaptive strategy that maximizes the parasite's transmission.Methods: The effect of Plasmodium relictum infections on the blood feeding behaviour of Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus mosquitoes was monitored.Results: Plasmodium infections did not alter the proportion of blood fed mosquitoes but they did affect the dynamics and the size of the blood meal. Sporozoite-infected mosquitoes completed their blood meal 1.3 times later than uninfected mosquitoes and ended up with smaller blood meals.Conclusion: The potential adaptive nature of this manipulation of mosquito behaviour is discussed in the light of previous studies on other malaria models.