Plasmodium relictum infection in Culex quinquefasciatus (Culicidae) decreases diel flight activity but increases peak dusk flight activity
Abstract
Parasites are recognized for their ability to modify host physiology and behaviors in ways that increase parasite fitness. Protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium are a group of widespread vector-borne parasites of vertebrates, causing disease to a wide range of hosts, but most notably to human and avian hosts. We investigated whether infection with the avian malaria, Plasmodium relictum (GRW4 lineage), impacts flight activity in one of their natural vectors, Culex quinquefasciatus, using both parasites and mosquitoes colonized from local populations in East-Central Texas, USA. Groups of Culex quinquefasciatus were allowed to feed directly on canaries with active Plasmodium infections and control canaries with no Plasmodium exposure history. To test how Plasmodium sporogenesis impacts mosquito activity behavior, engorged mosquitoes from both control and experimental trials were placed into a Locomotor Activity Monitor after oviposition and beam breaks were monitored for eight days. When analyzed by total diel activity, Plasmodium-infected mosquitoes had significantly reduced flight activity when compared to control mosquitoes. However, when analyzed at the peak activity hours of dawn and dusk, infected mosquitoes flew significantly more than control mosquitoes in the first 30 minutes of light to dark transition (dusk), but not in the 1-hour and 2-hour periods after the transition. Flight activity at days 14 to 17 post-Plasmodium infection had greater flight activity than earlier days (9 to 12 post-infection), which coincides with when P. relictum oocysts erupt and sporozoites travel to the mosquito salivary glands. Based on this study, avian malaria parasites increase the flight activity of these mosquitoes at hours known for peak host-seeking behavior but decrease overall diel activity. Although the ramifications of this behavioral change for Plasmodium transmission are unclear, results provide additional empirical evidence suggesting that avian malaria can augment mosquito behavior, and subsequently transmission potential.
Description
Data file contains flight activity of Plasmodium relictum infected and uninfected control Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. Data was obtained using the Drosophila Locomotor Activity Monitor 25 (LAM 25) (TriKinetics Inc, Waltham, MA).Department
EntomologyCollections
Citation
Adams, Dayvion; Hamer, Gabriel (2022). Plasmodium relictum infection in Culex quinquefasciatus (Culicidae) decreases diel flight activity but increases peak dusk flight activity. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /195854.
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