Effects of bed net use female size and plant abundance on the first meal choice (blood vs sugar) of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae

摘要

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to determine whether the sugar-or-blood meal choice of Anopheles gambiae females one day after emergence is influenced by blood-host presence and accessibility, nectariferous plant abundance, and female size. This tested the hypothesis that the initial meal of female An. gambiae is sugar, even when a blood host is available throughout the night, and, if not, whether the use of a bed net diverts mosquitoes to sugar sources.