Peritrophic Membrane Formation in Adult Aedes aegypti after Blood Feeding

Abstract

Abstract

The peritrophic membrane (PM) is an acellular sheath that lines the digestive tract, separating theingested food bolus from the midgut epithelium. It plays important roles in protecting themidgut epithelium from mechanical damage and insults from pathogens, and in facilitating fooddigestion. The purpose of this study was to examine the involvement of the PM in the midgut ofAedes aegypti mosquitoes after blood feeding.Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were fed with sucrose and blood, and collected at 0.5, 1, and 6 h postoralfeeding, respectively. Then, they were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate buffercontaining 5% sucrose pH 7.4 at 4°C, and prepared for study under a light microscope.PM was not produced when the mosquitoes received sucrose or fasted. Contrary to the bloodfeeding group, the PM clearly formed at 6 h post-feeding. It was concluded that PM constructionwas related to the ingestion of blood by the mosquitoes.

Keywords: peritrophic membrane; Aedes aegypti; structure