A growing number of recent reports have implicated Rickettsia felis as a human pathogen, paralleling the increasing detection of R. felis in arthropod hosts across the globe, primarily in fleas.
Here Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, the primary malarial vectors in sub-Saharan Africa, were fed with either blood meal infected with R. felis or infected cellular media administered in membrane feeding systems. In addition, a group of mosquitoes was fed on R. felis-infected BALB/c mice.
The acquisition and persistence of R. felis in mosquitoes was demonstrated by quantitative PCR detection of the bacteria up to day 15 postinfection.
R. felis was detected in mosquito feces up to day 14.
Furthermore, R. felis was visualized by immunofluorescence in salivary glands, in and around the gut, and in the ovaries, although no vertical transmission was observed.
R. felis was also found in the cotton used for sucrose feeding after the mosquitoes were fed infected blood.
Natural bites from R. felis-infected An. gambiae were able to cause transient rickettsemias in mice, indicating that this mosquito species has the potential to be a vector of R. felis infection.
This is particularly important given the recent report of high prevalence of R. felis infection in patients with "fever of unknown origin" in malaria-endemic areas.
Posted by LisaK (Member # 41384) on :
"""R. felis was detected in mosquito feces up to day 14.""
well this is just what I joked with my husband about yesterday!! he said something about birds pooping and lyme and I laughed, but then said I have never heard that ..... YET.
so now this is true? if it's in mosquito poop then it's in everything's poop????
o brother.
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
Did you start the doxy yet?
It is in tick poop. Personally I have not examined the poop of various animals to check and see about their poop.
It was on my list of things to do, but I've been a bit busy lately.
TAKE THE DOXY!!!!
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
I have never even considered that mosquitoes poop.
What would i do at 3:35 in the morning without LN?
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
Yeah, I heard mosquito poop, like worm poop is a really good fertilizer.
It is very expensive though because it takes a really long time and a lot of mosquitoes to fill up a 20 pound plastic sack with mosquito poop.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)