The effect of repeated blood meals on the larval development of Dirofilaria corynodes in the fat body of Aedes aegypti.

The objective of the study was to determine whether blood meals taken by a vector subsequent to the infective one have any influence on the course of development of a filarial parasite in its tissue. The filaria Dirofilaria corynodes (von Linstow, 1899) was selected for study and the black-eye strain of Aedes aegypti served as the experimental vector. The microfilaria of D. corynodes develops to the infective stage in the fat bodies of the vector. Following an infective blood meal, mosquitoes were maintained on 10% sugar water alone (group A) or received supplementary blood meals i.e., an uninfected blood meal prior to the first larval molt followed by another after it (group B), an early blood meal (group C) or a late blood meal (group D). It was observed that additional blood meals after the infective one enhance the rate of larval development regardless of the timing of the feedings. An early blood meal, even if it is the only one, has a long-term significant effect on development. Repeated blood meals do not have an additive effect but tend to result in greater uniformity in larval size. A late blood meal also has a positive effect on development although the larval filariae do not grow or mature as rapidly as in the groups already mentioned. Larvae from mosquitoes fed on sugar water alone tended to develop at a slower rate and with less uniformity. It is concluded that infected mosquitoes taking one or more additional blood meals will yield a larger number of infective larvae in a shorter period of time.