Effects of blood meal source on blood consumption and reproductive success of cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis.

ABSTRACT: Cat fleas, small blood-feeding ectoparasites that feed on humans and animals, cause discomfort through their bites, and can transmit numerous diseases to animals and humans. Traditionally, fleas have been reared for research on live animals, but this process requires animal handling permits, inflicts discomfort on animals, and requires money and time to maintain the host animals. Although artificial membrane-based feeding systems have been implemented, these methods are not sustainable in the long term because they result in lower blood consumption and egg production than those with rearing on live hosts. To maximize these parameters, we tested blood from four hosts to determine the most suitable blood, on the basis of blood consumption and egg production. We also tested the effects of add

SUBMITTER: Blakely BN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10101638 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature