Artificial Feeding of Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) (Acari: Ixodidae) through Silicone Membrane

• Main Authors: Saulo Teixeira de Moura, Adivaldo Henrique da Fonseca, Claudia Gorgulho Nogueira Fernandes, Jerry F Butler
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 1997-07-01
• Series: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.
• Subjects: Amblyomma cajennense; silicone membranes; artificial feeding; equines
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02761997000400019

An artificial feeding system was used where citrated bovine blood was offerred to male and female Amblyomma cajennense. Vestiges of blood, sweat, hair and exfoliated skin were used as phago-stimulants placed on the surface of the silicone membrane. The ticks were collected, as engorged nymphs, from naturally infested equines, with the ecdysis occurring in the laboratory. Four hundred ticks were used, 50% being female, at three to four weeks post-ecdysis. Vestiges of blood on the silicone membrane were the most efficient phago-stimulant and the association of vestiges of blood and sweat residue smears yielded better results compared to the other phago-stimulants used