Function of Mosquito Saliva in Delivery of Pathogens.
Abstract
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes salivate during intradermal probing of vertebrate prey before ingesting blood. Non-salivating mosquitoes locate blood more slowly, and this difference was ascribed to an anti-platelet activity found in the mosquito's saliva. Mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium gallinaceum suffer pathology that specifically impairs salivary anti-hemostatic activity but without reducing volume of output. Stochastic functions for the probability of feeding success and desistance were derived using data from observations on 300 mosquitoes. The probability of feeding success was interpreted as being a function of the density of vessels in the skin, their geometric distributions and the conditions locally affecting haemostasis. A model was developed incorporating Monte Carlo simulation which closely fit observed data. By changing values for the several parameters of the stochastic functions, we predicted modes in which parasites may manipulate their hosts to enhance transmission, both to and from the vector. We found that medium duration of probing an infected rodent was reduced by at least 1 minute. This enhanced ability of vectors to locate blood, possibly caused by parasite disrupted hemostatis, may be a common feature of vector-borne diseases.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA178089
Entities
People
- Andrew Spielman
Organizations
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health