Membrane Feeding Devices to Blood Feed Mosquitoes in the Laboratory

Abstract

Husbandry protocols for medically important mosquito species in the laboratory have the blood feeding procedure as an inherent step in the maintenance routine for egg production. Artificial feeders have become the main solution for delivering blood meals to these hematophagous insects, circumventing the need for vertebrate hosts. Mimicking the skin, these devices both heat the blood and hold a membrane through which the blood can be ingested by mosquitoes. Several commercial and noncommercial artificial mosquito feeders are available, but obstacles like high cost and complex assembly can restrict their routine use. To address this issue, a number of feeders have been designed that can be built with common materials found in the laboratory. They are cheaper and more accessible, but the absence of built-in temperature control and heating units can limit their efficacy. One of the most accessible mosquito feeders is the Glytube. It consists of a 50-mL conical centrifuge tube with heated glycerol that delivers blood through a membrane. The Glytube has been used successfully to model mosquito blood feeding. Recently, 3D printing has emerged as an alternative method to create customized artificial feeders. This technology is expected to facilitate access to and reduce the cost of these devices with open-source 3D model files that can be shared among laboratories maintaining mosquitoes worldwide.