SIMULIUM-JENNINGSI MALLOCH (DIPTERA, SIMULIIDAE) - A VECTOR ON ONCHOCERCA-LIENALIS STILES (NEMATODA, FILARIOIDEA) IN NEW-YORK

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 44  (12) , 2355-2358
Abstract
Biting flies were collected from the umbilical areas of O. lienalis-infected cattle in New York (state) [USA] from June through Sept. of 1980. Of the 766 flies collected, 705 were S. jenningsi. Microfilariae were detected in the midguts of 37 (50%) of 73 females dissected immediately after the flies had fed. The mean number of larvae/positive fly (fly with microfilariae) was 15.2. Third-stage larvae were recovered from 25 (21.9%) of 114 S. jenningsi dissected 8 to 13 days after they had fed on the infected cattle; the mean number of 3rd-stage larvae per positive fly was 3.5. Dissections of flies performed on days 1 through 7 after feeding yielded various numbers of 1st and 2nd-stage larvae from the thoracic muscles. Ovarian dissections performed on 304 S. jenningsi attacking cattle indicated an overall parous rate of 58%. Naturally occurring infections with filarial larvae indistinguishable from O. lienalis were found in 7.3% of the parous females. Three of these flies, or 1.7% of the parous collection, harbored 3rd-stage larvae. The onset of naturally occurring filarial infections in the population of S. jenningsi coincided with a peak in the parous rate in late June. Filarial infections were generally detected when the parous rate was above 50%.

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