Glytube: a conical tube and parafilm M-based method as a simplified device to artificially blood-feed the dengue vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti

PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e53816. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053816. Epub 2013 Jan 14.

Abstract

Aedes aegypti, the main vector of dengue virus, requires a blood meal to produce eggs. Although live animals are still the main blood source for laboratory colonies, many artificial feeders are available. These feeders are also the best method for experimental oral infection of Ae. aegypti with Dengue viruses. However, most of them are expensive or laborious to construct. Based on principle of Rutledge-type feeder, a conventional conical tube, glycerol and Parafilm-M were used to develop a simple in-house feeder device. The blood feeding efficiency of this apparatus was compared to a live blood source, mice, and no significant differences (p = 0.1189) were observed between artificial-fed (51.3% of engorgement) and mice-fed groups (40.6%). Thus, an easy to assemble and cost-effective artificial feeder, designated "Glytube" was developed in this report. This simple and efficient feeding device can be built with common laboratory materials for research on Ae. aegypti.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aedes / physiology*
  • Animals
  • Blood Substitutes*
  • Dengue / transmission*
  • Feeding Methods / instrumentation*
  • Female
  • Insect Vectors / physiology*
  • Male
  • Membranes, Artificial
  • Mice
  • Paraffin*

Substances

  • Blood Substitutes
  • Membranes, Artificial
  • Paraffin

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – FAPESP (#2008/10254-1; #2009/53637-0) - www.fapesp.br, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq/Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia – DECIT (#555648/2009-5) - www.cnpq.br, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – CAPES - www.capes.gov.br, Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular – INCT-EM - www.inctem.bioqmed.ufrj.br. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.