Evans Blue as a Simple Method to Discriminate Mosquitoes' Feeding Choice on Small Laboratory Animals

Autor(es)

Maciel, Ceres ^[1] ; Fujita, Andre ^[2] ; Gueroni, Daniele I. ^[1] ; Ramos, Anderson D. ^[1] ; Capurro, Margareth L. ^{[3, 4]} ; Sa-Nunes, Anderson ^{[3, 1]}

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Biomed, Dept Imunol, Lab Imunol Expt, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Matemat Estat, Dept Ciencia Comp, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] INCT EM, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Biomed, Dept Parasitol, Lab Mosquitos Geneticamente Modificados, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: PLoS One; v. 9, n. 10 OCT 21 2014.
• Citações Web of Science: 3

Resumo

Background: Temperature, humidity, vision, and particularly odor, are external cues that play essential roles to mosquito blood feeding and oviposition. Entomological and behavioral studies employ well-established methods to evaluate mosquito attraction or repellency and to identify the source of the blood meal. Despite the efficacy of such methods, the costs involved in the production or acquisition of all parts, components and the chemical reagents involved are unaffordable for most researchers from poor countries. Thus, a simple and relatively low-cost method capable of evaluating mosquito preferences and the blood volume ingested is desirable. Principal Findings: By using Evans blue (EB) vital dye and few standard laboratory supplies, we developed and validated a system capable of evaluating mosquito's choice between two different host sources of blood. EB-injected and PBS-injected mice submitted to a number of situations were placed side by side on the top of a rounded recipient covered with tulle fabric and containing Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Homogenates from engorged mosquitoes clearly revealed the blood source (EB- or PBS-injected host), either visually or spectrometrically. This method was able to estimate the number of engorded mosquitoes, the volume of blood ingested, the efficacy of a commercial repellent and the attractant effects of black color and human sweat. Significance: Despite the obvious limitations due to its simplicity and to the dependence of a live source of blood, the present method can be used to assess a number of host variables (diet, aging, immunity, etc) and optimized for several aspects of mosquito blood feeding and vector-host interactions. Thus, it is proposed as an alternative to field studies, and it could be used for initial screenings of chemical compound candidates for repellents or attractants, since it replicates natural conditions of exposure to mosquitoes in a laboratory environment. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 09/53637-0 - Interação Anopheles-Plasmodium: uma abordagem multidisciplinar
• Beneficiário: Margareth de Lara Capurro-Guimarães
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 11/06626-3 - Modelos experimentais in vitro e in vivo e citometria de fluxo.
• Beneficiário: Daniele Intini Gueroni
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Programa Capacitação - Treinamento Técnico
• Processo FAPESP: 10/18216-1 - Papel da imunidade do hospedeiro no fitness biológico do mosquito vetor Aedes aegypti
• Beneficiário: Ceres Maciel de Miranda
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 09/09892-6 - Imunoma funcional da saliva de Aedes aegypti
• Beneficiário: Anderson de Sá Nunes
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Jovens Pesquisadores
• Processo FAPESP: 11/22669-4 - Imunomodulação da encefalomielite autoimune experimental pelo extrato da glândula salivar de Aedes aegypti
• Beneficiário: Anderson Daniel Ramos
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado