Kafkas Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi 2023 , Vol 29 , Issue 6
Blood Feeding Preferences of Laboratory-Reared Aedes albopictus for Human Blood Groups and Its Effect on Their Fertility
Fatma BURSALI1, Fatih Mehmet ŞİMŞEK1
1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, TR-09010 Aydın - TÜRKİYE DOI : 10.9775/kvfd.2023.29881 Female mosquitoes require both sugar and blood for feeding. They show distinct host preferences depending on behavioral, ecological, and physiological factors. Knowledge of the feeding behavior of Aedes albopictus, one of the primary vectors of Dengue, is critical in disease prevention measures. This study was aimed to determine the preference of Ae. albopictus on human blood groups (ABO) and their effects on female fecundity. Laboratory colonies of these mosquitoes were offered O, A, B, and AB blood via artificial membrane feeders, and blood meal preferences were identified using multiplex allelespecific PCR. Fertility was assessed by the mean number of eggs laid. Results showed that Ae. albopictus species significantly preferred the O blood group compared to others and blood type choice did not affect the fertility of the mosquitoes. To our knowledge, this is the first study assessing blood feeding choice of Ae. albopictus mosquitoes directly using human blood, hereby reducing the effects of factors such as odor when using human participants. The results of this study provide a new perspective on the still partially unknown ABO blood group host selection of mosquitoes, promoting the personal protection of individuals in at-risk populations. Keywords : ABO Blood Groups, Aedes albopictus, Feeding preference, Multiplex allelespecific PCR