A study for the influence of mosquitoes saliva on immunity of a laboratory animal (pigeon) to control infectious diseases.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Biological and Geological department, Faculty of Education Al-Arish, Suez Canal University,

2 Zoology Science department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University

3 Research &Training Centre on Vectors of Diseases, Ain Shams University, Biological

Abstract

The saliva of blood feeding arthropods has a variety of substances that are responsible for the success of blood meal. Repeated bites of mosquitoes stimulate immune responses to salivary antigen in the vertebrate host. In this study group of 4-pigeons were exposed to frequent bites of groups of Culex pipiense and Anopheles pharoensis (100 female mosquitos per pigeon, 6 times in 18 weeks) and the biting rate were estimated. The biting rate of mosquitoes on pigeons decreased through different attempts. Group of 12 different clean pigeons are used as control pigeons (6 pigeons for each mosquito’s species) where one pigeon is exposed to the bites of 100 mosquitoes of one species 6 times in 18 weeks and the biting rate were calculated. The rate is relatively constant. The rate decreased in the case of the frequent bites may be due to the immunomodulative substances in mosquito saliva which stimulate immune responses in pigeons. Pigeons previously bitten frequently by Culex pipiense (Cx. sp.) and Anopheles pharoensis (An. sp.) mosquitoes are exposed once to bites of 100 female mosquitoes of the other mosquito species. The rate of feeding was calculated .This rate was increased. This increasing in the rate may be due to little cross- reactivity between the two mosquitoes species.
          Further investigations are recommended to study the effect of mosquito saliva on human immune responses to evaluate the mosquito salivary proteins as vaccines for mosquitoes-borne diseases and also for decreasing or prevent the biting of mosquitoes.

Keywords

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics