Nutritional requirements of Aedes aegypti L.

Abstract

Larvae of Aedes aegypti can be reared on a chemically defined diet consisting of glucose, salt mixture, lipids, RNA, 17 amino acids, glutathione, and 12 vitamins, provided the osmotic pressure of the diet does not exceed Δ0·4°C. l-Valine, l-leucine, l- isoleucine, l-phenylalanine, l-histidine, l-arginine, l-tryptophane, l-threonine, l-methionine, and l-lysine are absolutely essential for larval growth. l-cystine is essential for pupation and l-proline, l-hydroxyproline, and l-serine are required for normal growth and development. Glycine, l-tyrosine, and l-alanine are not required. Thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid, and biotin are essential for larval growth. Folic acid and pyridoxine are definitely required for pupation; vitamin B T and choline chloride are also required for normal growth and development. The absence of vitamin B 12 delays pupation and p-aminobenzoic acid delays ecdysis, and the absence of i-inositol is entirely without effect. Glutathione is essential for normal growth and development, and it cannot be replaced by its component amino acids. Glucose, salt mixture, lipids, and RNA are also essential for normal growth and development. A mixture of amino acids is a sufficient diet for an adult female to mature viable eggs. The essential amino acids for this function are: valine, leucine, isoleucine, phenyl-alanine, histidine, arginine, tryptophane, threonine, methionine, and lysine. These are also the ten indispensable amino acids for larval nutrition.