Essay
Testing Biotic and Abiotic Factors Effects on Mosquito Fitness
Washington State University
2015
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000003674
Abstract
Culex mosquitoes transmit many pathogens that cause severe diseases in humans and animals around the world. Examples of pathogens transmitted by Culex mosquitoes include viruses, protozoa and filarial worms. Preventing the diseases associated with these pathogens requires understanding the factors that influence the development of the mosquitoes that transmit them.
Pathogens are transmitted between mosquitoes and their hosts when adult female mosquitoes obtain bloodmeals from hosts in order to obtain proteins necessary to develop mosquito eggs. Mosquitoes inoculate hosts with saliva that facilitates blood feeding, as the saliva contains proteins that stop blood clotting and cause blood vessels to dilate. When mosquitoes ingest blood from their host, they not only receive blood proteins, but pathogens and other factors, as well.
At a very basic level, pathogen transmission is influenced by the population size of the mosquitoes relative to the population size of the host; the biting rate; mosquito longevity; and the extrinsic incubation period (time between acquisition of pathogen and when the vector is capable of transmitting it). Our study focused on mosquito longevity and mosquito population size.
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Details
- Title
- Testing Biotic and Abiotic Factors Effects on Mosquito Fitness
- Creators
- Kristen Wedam (Author)
- Academic Unit
- Honors Theses (WSU Pullman)
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Identifiers
- 99900689747901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Essay