Host‐seeking behavior and fecundity of the female Aedes aegypti to human blood types

• Published in: Pest management science Vol. 78; no. 1; pp. 321 - 328
• Main Authors: Khan, Shahmshad Ahmed, Ombugadu, Akwashiki, Ahmad, Saboor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.01.2022; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: ABO system; Aedes; Aedes aegypti; Animals; Bioassays; Blood Group Antigens; Blood group B; Blood group O; Blood groups; Controlled conditions; Culicidae; Dengue fever; Digestibility; digestibility rate; Disease transmission; Fecundity; Feeders; Feeding Behavior; feeding rate; Feeding rates; Female; Females; Fertility; Health risks; Host searching behavior; Host-Seeking Behavior; host‐seeking; Humans; Laboratory tests; Mosquitoes; olfactory cues; Olfactory stimuli; Physiological effects; Physiological factors; Preferences; Vector-borne diseases; Viruses; wind tunnel; Wind tunnels; digestibility rate; blood groups; host-seeking; feeding rate; wind tunnel; Aedes aegypti; olfactory cues; fecundity
• ISSN: 1526-498X; 1526-4998
• DOI: 10.1002/ps.6635

BACKGROUND Mosquitoes express different degrees of preference towards hosts depending on behavioral, ecological, and physiological factors. These preferences have implications for mosquito‐borne disease risk. This study investigated the effect of human blood groups on the behavior and fecundity of the female Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) from March 2018 to August 2019. In laboratory tests, mosquitoes were fed artificial membrane feeders on A, AB, B, and O blood groups. The level of attraction to different blood groups was tested under controlled conditions with a wind tunnel bioassay. RESULTS The responses of Ae. aegypti to the blood groups treatments in the five‐choice tunnel chambers showed a significant preference (Kruskal‐Wallis (2 = 85.772, df = 4, P < 0.0001) for favor blood group B. Also, the response of Ae. aegypti to olfactory cues (filth) derived from a pool of volunteers cutting across the blood groups showed a similar preference for pattern towards the blood group B. The percentage rate of digestibility in Ae. aegypti was highest in those fed on blood group O, while individuals fed on the AB blood group had the lowest digestion rate. Thus, the rate of digestibility highly varied significantly (P < 0.0001) between blood groups. Overall, Ae. aegypti fed on blood group B had the highest average feeding rate, number of females with eggs, and fecundity level, which showed a significant difference (P < 0.0001) on preferred. CONCLUSION This study provides novel insight into the ABO host choice of Ae. aegypti and reinforces the need for personal protection against dengue virus transmission in light of the increased risk of exposure for individuals with B blood type. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. Host seeking behavior and fecundity in relation to blood types.