Susceptibility of Anopheles quadrimaculatus (Diptera: Culicidae) to subperiodic Brugia malayi and Brugia pahangi (Nematoda: Filarioidea) adapted to nude mice and jirds

Abstract

Anopheles quadrimaculatus and Aedes aegypti (Black-eyed Liverpool strain) were fed on jirds and nude mice (jird-jird infection, jird-mouse infection, and mouse-jird infection) infected with subperiodic Brugia malayi and B. pahangi. Microfilariae of B. malayi from jird-mouse and mouse-jird infections developed normally in An. quadrimaculatus, whereas those from jird-jird infections did not develop. Microfilariae of both species from jirds and nude mice developed normally in Ae. aegypti and those of B. pahangi developed normally in An. quadrimaculatus. It is suggested that microfilariae from nude mice are modified physiologically, immunologically, or both so that they can develop in refractory An. quadrimaculatus, thus indicating that susceptibility and refractoriness of An. quadrimaculatus to B. malayi also is influenced by factors relating to the vertebrate host in addition to mosquito genetic factors.