Abstract
One of the challenges to maintain tsetse fly (Diptera: Glossinidae) colonies is the sustainable supply of high quality blood meals. The effect of using anticoagulants during collection of the blood, the addition of phagostimulants to the blood meals as well as using mixtures of bovine and porcine blood in different proportions for feeding on colony productivity was assessed. Defibrinated bovine blood was found to be suitable to maintain both the Glossina brevipalpis Newstead and Glossina austeni Newstead colonies. Blood collected with the anticoagulants sodium citrate, citric sodium combination, citrate phosphate dextrose adenine and citric acid did not affect colony performance of both species. Defibrinated bovine and porcine blood in a 1:1 ratio or the feeding of either bovine or porcine blood on alternating days improved pupae production of G. austeni and can be used to enhance colony growth. Bovine blood is appropriate to maintain G. brevipalpis colonies, however, feeding either bovine or porcine blood on alternating days did improve productivity. Adding the phagostimulants inosine tri-phosphate, cytosine mono-phosphate and guanosine mono-phosphate to the blood at a concentration of 10−4 M improved pupae production of the G. brevipalpis colony. The addition of adenosine tri-phosphate and inosine tri-phosphate improved the performance of the G. austeni colony. Decisions on the most suitable rearing diet and feeding protocols will not only depend on the biological requirements of the species but also on the continuous supply of a suitable blood source that can be collected and processed in a cost-effective way.
Highlights
Tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae) are responsible for the cyclical transmission of trypanosome parasites that affect livestock and humans throughout sub-Saharan Africa
At the end of 2015, the G. brevipalpis colony consisted of 13000 reproducing females that produced 7000 pupae weekly and the G. austeni colony had a size of 16000 reproducing females that produced 5000 pupae weekly
A total of 120 females of each species were offered blood that had been mixed during collection with one of the following anticoagulants: acid citrate dextrose (ACD), sodium citrate, a combination of citric acid and sodium citrate, citrate phosphate dextrose adenine (CPDA) or citric acid (Table 1)
Summary
Tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae) are responsible for the cyclical transmission of trypanosome parasites that affect livestock (nagana) and humans (sleeping sickness) throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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