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BACKGROUND DNA- and proteomics-based techniques are currently used to identify a triatomine human blood meal. These methods are time consuming, require access to laboratories with sophisticated equipment, and trained personnel. OBJECTIVES We tested a rapid and specific immunochromatographic assay (that detects human blood in forensic samples) to determine if human blood was present in triatomines and their fecal excreta. METHODS We fed Triatoma rubida human blood (positive control) or mouse blood (negative control) and performed the assay on the abdominal contents and fecal excreta. Triatomine field specimens collected in and around human habitations and excreta were also tested. FINDINGS The assay was positive in triatomines fed human blood (N = 5/5) and fecal excreta from bugs known to have ingested human blood (N = 5/5). Bugs feeding on mice (N = 15/15) and their fecal excreta (N = 8/8) were negative for human blood. Human blood was detected in 47% (N = 23/49) triatomines, representing six different species, collected in the field. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The pilot study shows that this rapid and specific test may have applications in triatomine research. Further study is needed to determine the sensitivity of this assay compared to other well-established techniques, such as DNA- and proteomics-based methodologies and the assay’s application in the field.

Background Sand fly Phlebotomus chinensis is a principle vector for the visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in China with a wide geographic distribution. Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan is a mountain type endemic area of VL in China. Long term effective control efforts in the region have successfully reduced VL transmission. To assess the current status of the sand flies and their ecological aspects in the region, a survey was conducted in the summer of 2014 and 2015. Methods Sand fly specimens were collected by light traps in a village and blood sources were identified by PCR and sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Results In a rock cave, 65.2 %–79.8 % of collected sand flies were male. On a rabbit farm, 92.9 %–98.8 % of specimens were female. In pig pens, 61.1 % of specimens were female. Some females had visible blood residues. The feeding rate was 49.4 % from the pig pens, 12.3 % from the cave, and only 1.7 % from the rabbit farm. Pig, rabbit, chicken, dog, and human blood were detected in the fed specimens. Swine blood, present in all tested samples, was a preferred blood source, while chicken and dog blood were present in a third of the samples. Conclusions In Jiuzhaigou County, Sichuan Province of China, the considerable sandfly density and the peridomestic feeding behavior all increases the risk of VL transmission, and insecticide spraying in animal sheds could be exploited to reduce sand fly populations in human surroundings. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40249-016-0126-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

金沢大学留学生センター, Effects of blood sources on fertility and the ovariole maturation rate (proportion of ovarioles which produced mature eggs to total ovarioles) were studied in a malaria vector, Anopheles farauti Laveran, in the Solomon Islands. Blood of different mammals affected fertility and ovariole maturation rate. In the number of eggs and the rate, the difference was significant between females fed on humans and those fed on rats. Wild females of An. farauti had a mean of 140.5 eggs when fed on humans, compared to 216.1 with rats. A mean of 57.7% and 91.5% of total ovarioles produced mature eggs in females fed on humans and rats, respectively. The mean number of eggs and the ovariole maturation rate were not significantly different between the females fed on humans and those fed on dogs. Females obtained from a laboratory colony showed the same tendencies as wild females.