The Amino Acid Composition of Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae) Infected with Nosema algerae (Microsporida: Nosematidae).

The amino acid composition of larvae, pupae, and adult mosquitoes of Anopheles stephensi infected with Nosema algerae and noninfected insects was analyzed using an amino acid analyzer. The increase and decrease in the concentration of single amino acids during the development of the microsporidium were compared with the spread of meronts, sporonts, and spores within the host. The appearance of meronts and sporonts coincided mainly with an increase in the concentration of alanine and histidine. The amount of alanine, proline, and tyrosine decreased during spore formation. Tyrosine appeared in the hemolymph of infected A. stephensi, whereas this amino acid could not be found in the blood of uninfected insects. The spores themselves contained predominantly the glycogenic amino acid alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, serine, and glycine. Proline, methionine, or tyrosine could not be detected within the spores. Copyright 1998 Academic Press. Copyright 1998 Academic Press