Fatty Acids In Anopheline Mosquito Larvae And Their Habitats

[Hugh Johnson]

Abstra ct: Larvae of the three important Central American malaria vectors, Anopheles albimanus, An. vestitipennis, and
An. darlingi, are found in distinctly different habitats broadly defined by hydrology and aquatic vegetation, but little is known
about the actual food quality and quantity of these habitats. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are of special interest, because
mosquitoes require 20:5ω3 (EPA), 20:4ω6 (ARA), and 22:6ω3 (DHA) and without an adequate supply of these PUFAs they are
not able to complete their life cycle. We collected samples of larvae and their corresponding habitats and analyzed their fatty
acid (FA) composition to reveal if there are any species-specific and habitat-specific differences in FA composition, and if habitat
FA differences can be linked to differences in the mosquito FA pattern and, ultimately, mosquito performance. We also assessed
how FA of wild larvae compare to the laboratory-reared larvae. Habitats were generally low in essential PUFAs and there were
no significant differences among the FA composition of habitat samples. There were significant differences in FA composition of
larvae. An. darlingi contained significantly higher amounts of FA, specifically a higher content of ω-6 PUFA, represented mainly
by the linoleic acid (18:2ω-6). Large differences were found between field-collected and laboratory-reared An. vestitipennis
larvae, especially in the content of PUFAs. The laboratory-reared larvae contained significantly more of the total FA, ω3 PUFA,
and MUFA. The laboratory-reared larvae contained three to five times more essential PUFAs, EPA, and DHA. However, there
were no differences in the total dry weight of the 4th instar larvae between the wild vs laboratory-reared larvae. Total FA in both
larvae and habitats of An. albimanus and An. darlingi were positively correlated with the concentration of particulate organic
carbon and nitrogen (POC, PON) in their respective habitats, but no such correlation was found for An. vestitipennis. PUFA are
a good indicator of nutritional quality, although factors controlling the success of anopheline development from larval habitats
are likely to be more complex and would include the presence of predators, pathogens, and toxins as interacting factors. Journal
of Vector Ecology 37 (2): 382-xxx. 2012.

I doubt mosquitoes will bite people whose blood will not feed their larvae. So pufa-deficiency might protect from mosquitoes.

 

[natedawggh]

I just got back from camping at Bass Lake, CA. Most of the other people in my camping group were getting bitten all the time, even in the presence of mosquito spray and candles. One friend had 10-15 bites on just one leg. I sprayed bug spray on one day and it was so gross and chemical feeling I decided to risk just getting bitten instead of using the spray, but to my surprise I was not getting bitten. I have only one mosquito bite on my whole body in spite of being in the woods for six days (and only using spray one day).

The difference: I took a bottle of orange juice mixed with casein protein and COCONUT OIL, and also was using coconut oil to moisturize my skin every day. The other people there do not know about Peat or use coconut oil.