Studies on the mortality of mosquitoes infected with Dirofilaria tenuis Chandler 1942

Abstract

Summary An attempt was made to study periodicity of D. tenuis through mosquito mortality, and determine the effect of the larvae of this filariid on mosquito mortality. Dirofilaria tenuis appears to be nocturnal in periodicity with the microfilariae being at their maximum in the peripheral blood at about midnight. Mosquitoes fed on a lightly infected raccoon reached a peak mortality on the third day. Mosquitoes fed on a heavily infected raccoon suffer greatest mortality on the second day, followed by a high ensuing mortality accented on the eighth and ninth day. As the number of microfilariae ingested by the mosquito increases, it appears that the time it takes the microfilariae to enter the tubules decreases. Generally mosquito mortality increased as the number of microfilariae ingested increased.