How Do Mosquitoes Use Human Blood to Make Eggs?

Wouter

Until recently, no one knew what effect human blood has on mosquitoes’ ability to produce eggs. Previous studies, dating back to the 1920s, had studied the effects of vertebrate blood on egg formation. However, most papers focus on the reproductive biology of one species of mosquito. Now, a team of researchers led by Alexander S. Raikhel at the University of California, Riverside has identified the specific components in human blood that trigger the reproduction of female mosquitoes.

The research team analyzed the effects of blood on the reproductive system of three species of anautonomous mosquitoes. The results showed that the eggs of the three species were dependent on a variety of purified blood proteins. These included hemoglobin, ferric-transferrin, and adenosine.

Hemoglobin is the most abundant protein in human blood. It is essential for living cells, and hemoglobin-rich blood has been implicated in the reproductive biology of mosquitoes.

Hematological parameters, such as hemoglobin levels and red blood cell diameter, vary from vertebrate to vertebrate. They also depend on the vertebrate source of the blood.

The amount of blood ingested by a mosquito is highly correlated with the number of eggs it lays. If a mosquito ingests a large volume of blood, its egg clutch will be larger. Similarly, an autogenous mosquito’s capacity to blood feed and reproduce is sequential, over a period of four to eight weeks.

Female mosquitoes require a high amount of protein during egg formation. It is estimated that adult female mosquitoes can drink two to three times their body weight in blood. They then must find a source of triglycerides and glycogen to fuel their energy needs.

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