Size Quantification of Blood and Sugar Meals in Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes
- 1The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, USA
- 2Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University in the City of New York, New York, New York 10027, USA
- ↵4Correspondence: lbd2126{at}columbia.edu
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↵3 These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract
Both male and female mosquitoes consume sugar-rich nectar meals required for metabolic energy, but only females consume protein-rich blood meals, which are required for egg development. The size of each meal consumed has subsequent effects on behavior and reproduction; therefore, precise quantification is an important aspect of mosquito feeding behavior studies. This protocol describes a high-throughput, end-point assay to quantify meal volumes ingested by individual mosquitoes. The addition of a fluorescent dye to the meal allows for meal size quantification. Individual mosquitoes that have been fed this meal are homogenized in 96-well plates, and the fluorescence levels are measured with a plate reader. This protocol can also be adapted to determine if alteration of meal composition affects the ingested meal volume, if mosquito strain or genotype dictates consumption, or if meals are derived from multiple sources.
Footnotes
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From the Mosquitoes collection, edited by Laura B. Duvall and Benjamin J. Matthews
