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Abstract
Periplaneta americana is a species of great importance to public health, since it can act as a vector of many pathogens and it reaches large populations in urban environments. This is probably due to its ability to resist starvation and desiccation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of absence of water and food on survival and weight change among adult P. americana individuals and check whether the initial weight of individuals influences on their survival. Four groups having twenty P. americana couples were formed and subject to: I) no water or food; II) no food; III) no water; and IV) control group. Insects were isolated according to the groups, which were weighed at the beginning and end of the stress conditions. They remained under these conditions until all individuals in each test group were dead. Stress conditions caused reduction in survival time when compared to the control group. Adults with higher body mass survived longer when deprived only of food, while among those lacking water, weight had no influence on survival. Total weight loss was greater among individuals deprived of water than those deprived only of food.
Highlights
Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758) (Blattaria, Blattidae), known as American cockroach, is a species of great importance to public health, because it goes through latrines, septic tanks, sewers, and animal corpses, where it comes into contact with agents that cause diseases to human beings and domestic animals (MARICONI, 1999)
When deprived of water and/or food, the survival time decreased in many species reported by many authors: Blattaria (WILLIS; LEWIS, 1957; PARK et al, 2013), Isoptera (HU et al, 2011), Coleoptera (DAGLISH, 2006), Lepidoptera (CHEN; GU, 2006), Diptera (SINGH; BALA, 2009), and Hymenoptera (ISHAY, 1975)
Absence of water and food among female P. americana individuals decreased longevity in 85% when compared to Vianna et al (2001), which reported that females can survive up to 848 days with food and water ad libitum, kept at 30oC and relative humidity above 80%
Summary
Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758) (Blattaria, Blattidae), known as American cockroach, is a species of great importance to public health, because it goes through latrines, septic tanks, sewers, and animal corpses, where it comes into contact with agents that cause diseases to human beings and domestic animals (MARICONI, 1999) These insects reach larger populations in urban environments and they act as vectors of viruses (BAUMHOLTZ et al, 1997), bacteria (RIVAULT et al, 1993; PRADO et al, 2002), fungi (PRADO et al, 2002), protozoa (BAUMHOLTZ et al, 1997; PAI et al, 2003), and helminths (BAUMHOLTZ et al, 1997; THYSSEN et al, 2004), causing major problems to the health of human beings and other animals. There is a need to evaluate the inluence of these stress conditions on other aspects of the biology of this insect, such as nutritional reserves, development time, and reproductive performance, as well as evaluate its survival time under humidity conditions similar to those found in its niches
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