Bloodmeal regulation in mosquitoes curtails dehydration-induced mortality, altering vectorial capacity

Mosquitoes readily lose water when exposed to any humidity less than that of near saturated air unless mitigated, leading to shifts in behavior, survival, distribution, and reproduction. In this study, we conducted a series of physiological experiments on two prominent species in the Culicinae subfamily: Culex pipiens, a vector of West Nile virus, and Aedes aegypti, a vector of yellow fever and Zika to examine the effects of dehydration. We exposed C. pipiens and A. aegypti to non-dehydrating conditions (saturated air), dehydrating conditions (air at a 0.89 kPa saturation vapor pressure deficit), several recovery conditions, as well as to bloodfeeding opportunities. We show that dehydrated mosquitoes increase bloodfeeding propensity, improve retention, and decrease excretion of a post-dehydration bloodmeal. In addition, mosquitoes that take a bloodmeal prior to dehydration exposure show increased survival over non-bloodfed counterparts. Dehydration-induced alterations in survival, reproduction, and bloodfeeding propensity of C. pipiens and A. aegypti resulted in marked changes to vectorial capacity. Ultimately, these results become increasingly important as drought intensifies in association with climate change and mosquitoes become more likely to experience arid periods.

Automated summary

In this study, physiological experiments were conducted on two mosquito species to examine the effects of dehydration. The results showed that dehydrated mosquitoes increased bloodfeeding propensity, improved retention, and decreased excretion of bloodmeal. Mosquitoes that took a bloodmeal prior to dehydration exposure also showed increased survival. These dehydration-induced alterations in behavior and survival have significant implications for vectorial capacity, especially in arid periods associated with climate change.