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Nutritional studies in the development of in vitro feeding techniques for Glossina morsitans

1978; Elsevier BV; Volume: 24; Issue: 6-7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0022-1910(78)90050-1

1879-1611

S.K. Moloo, R.W. Pimley,

Insect Resistance and Genetics

Investigations using radiometric techniques revealed that Glossina morsitans females fed exclusively on goats (G6) or maintained entirely in vitro upon fresh defibrinated cow blood (FB6) could synthesize a range of non-essential amino acids from U14C glucose or U14C phenylalanine with equal efficiency. The rate of utilization of U14C leucine, U14C lysine or U14C phenylalanine by G6 and FB6 pregnant females for the nutrition of their intra-uterine larvae was also the same. The significantly lower mean weight of puparia produced by FB6 compared with G6 flies was reflected in the lower amounts of major nutriments in the former puparia. Although there were no significant differences in the mean dry weights between G6, FB6 and fresh defibrinated pig blood (FP6), the nitrogen content of the FB6 diet was slightly lower than the FP6 or G6 diets. The proportion of each of the 16 amino acids detected differed marginally between the three diets, but the amount of each was lower in the FB6 diet. The addition of linoleic acid, Vanderzant's vitamin mixture, or individual amino acids or a mixture thereof to the FB6 diet either failed to restore vitality or adversely affected the performance of the mated female flies. Whereas bovine α or β globulin, bovine haemoglobin alone, or its mixture with bovine albumin in the ratio of 2:1 induced no improvement, bovine albumin at 0.15 g6 ml blood proved an effective nutrient additive. Parental et seq. F5 generation female flies maintained on this bovine albumin fortified FB6 feeding regime showed an improvement over the controls but did not replicate the performance of flies maintained on fresh defibrinated pig blood.