Host preference of mosquitoes was determined using animal-baited traps. Hosts used in the study were cattle, chickens, dogs, and horses. Ten mosquito species representing 4 genera were collected from the animal-baited traps. Aedes vexans, Aedes dorsalis, Culex quinquefasciatus. Culex tarsalis, and Culiseta inornata were used as indicator species for data analysis. Greater numbers of Ae. vexans,...

The vitellogenic process in Culex quinquefasciatus, which is triggered by a blood meal, involves the synthesis, distribution and storage of the nutrients necessary for embryo development. The fat body of an adult female Cx. quinquefasciatus revealed two cell types: large trophocytes and small, eosinophilic, "oenocyte-like" cells, which show no morphological changes throughout the gonotrophic cy...

Ixodes scapularis ticks transmit many pathogens, including Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia microti. Vaccines directed against arthropod proteins injected into the host during tick engorgement could prevent numerous infectious diseases. Salp14, a salivary anticoagulant, poses a key target for such intervention. Salp14 is the prototypic member of a family of potential...

The pretest availability of 10% sucrose solution and/or partial blood engorgement in Aedes albopictus Skuse significantly influenced mosquito attack rates and the time of repellent protection in laboratory bioassays. In 46 cm L x 38 cm W x 37 cm H cages used in USDA repellent tests, non-blood-fed and partially blood-fed mosquitoes attempted to bite at similar rates. In small cages (5 cm dia. x ...

A 12-year-old girl with a 3-month history of epistaxis and Castleman's disease presented with blurred vision in both eyes for 2 weeks. Indirect ophthalmoscopy revealed a blurred optic disc margin, venous engorgement and tortuosity, intraretinal hemorrhages and cotton wool spots, and serous detachment of the neurosensory retina in the posterior pole of each eye. Fluorescein angiography and labor...

Effect of anti-mosquito-fat body antibodies on the development of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium vivax has been studied by feeding Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes with infected blood supplemented with serum from immunized rabbits. Immunogenic polypeptides were identified by western blot. Mosquitoes that ingested anti-fat body antibodies along with infectious blood meal had significantly fewer ...