Exposure of the mosquito vector Culex pipiens to the malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum: effect of infected blood intake on immune and antioxidant defences, fecundity and survival.

Details

Ressource 1Request a copy Under indefinite embargo.
UNIL restricted access
State: Public
Version: Final published version
Serval ID
serval:BIB_20B9CB25DF3B
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Exposure of the mosquito vector Culex pipiens to the malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum: effect of infected blood intake on immune and antioxidant defences, fecundity and survival.
Journal
Parasites & vectors
Author(s)
Delhaye J., Aletti C., Glaizot O., Christe P.
ISSN
1756-3305 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
1756-3305
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2016
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
9
Number
1
Pages
616
Language
english
Abstract
The intake of a Plasmodium-infected blood meal may affect mosquito physiology and a series of trade-offs may occur, in particular between immune defences, reproduction and self-maintenance. We evaluated the cost of exposure to Plasmodium in the mosquito vector by investigating the effect of exposure on fecundity and survival and the implication of immune and antioxidant defences in mediating this cost.
We used the natural Culex pipiens-Plasmodium relictum association. We exposed female mosquitoes to increasing levels of parasites by allowing them to feed either on uninfected canaries, Serinus canaria, (unexposed mosquitoes) or on infected canaries with low (low exposure) or high (high exposure) parasitaemia. We recorded blood meal size, fecundity (laying probability and clutch size) and survival. We quantified the expression of genes involved in immune and antioxidant defences (nitric oxide synthase, NOS; superoxide dismutase, SOD; glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, G6PDH).
We found that the laying probability of exposed females decreased with increasing exposure to the parasite and with increasing SOD expression. Clutch size of exposed females was higher compared to unexposed ones for similar blood meal size and was positively correlated to the NOS expression. We found no effect of exposure on survival. After blood meal intake, SOD increased in the three groups, NOS increased in exposed females and G6PDH increased in highly exposed females only.
Our results illustrated a trade-off between fight against the parasite and reproduction and a cost of exposure which might be mediated by the investment in immune and/or antioxidant defences. They also showed that this trade-off could lead to opposed outcome, potentially depending on the vector physiological status. Finally, they highlighted that the ingestion of a Plasmodium-infected blood meal may affect mosquito life history traits in a complex way.

Keywords
Exposure, Malaria, Trade-off, Vector
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
24/11/2016 15:55
Last modification date
20/08/2019 12:57
Usage data