Effects of host anemia, local skin factors, and circulating antibodies upon biology of laboratory reared Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood (Diptera: Glossinidae)

Abstract

Longevity, productivity, and pupal weights, but not emergence from pupae, were lower in Glossina morsitans morsitans females maintained on previously exposed rabbits than in those maintained on naive rabbits. Male and female longevity and pupal weight, but not female productivity or emergence from pupae, were lower in flies maintained on the previously exposed ear than in those maintained on the naive ear of the same rabbit. Intensity of local resistance varied among rabbits. Flies fed more efficiently (i.e. larger meals and fewer probes) from ears than from backs of rabbits. Longevity, productivity, and pupal weight were not influenced by feeding flies on ears, on backs, or on both. Mortality was greater in lighter flies than in heavier ones during the first 20 days after eclosion if the flies were fed on rabbits' backs. Naturally produced circulating antibodies, which react with tsetse salivary gland homogenates, did not affect tsetse longevity, female productivity, or pupal weight. Flies maintained on anemic rabbits produced lighter pupae than did controls. Implications for colony maintenance and possible mechanisms of acquired host resistance are discussed.