BLOOD-MEAL SOURCES OF ANOPHELES AQUASALIS (DIPTERA, CULICIDAE) IN A SOUTH-EASTERN STATE OF BRAZIL

Anopheles aquasalis has shown local variations in blood-host preferenc e in Brazil: it seems to be anthropophilic in the northeast and zoophi lic or opportunistic in the Amazon and other regions. A study was carr ied out in Guapimirim county, State of Rio de Janeiro, from May to Nov ember 1992, for the purpose of identifying the blood meal source of th is anopheline by capillary tube precipitin test. A total of 1,366 fema les were captured at natural resting-places, 725 of which were blood-f ed. The gut content of 473 blood fed females reacted to the antisera u sed (human, cow, horse, pig, dog and chicken). The majority of the fem ales - 356 (75.3%) - had blood from only one source. A substantial bov ine preference was observed - 52.2% had fed on cows, 29.8% on horses, 10.7% on pigs, 4.5% on chickens and 1.7% on dogs, but only few had fed on man (1.1%) and none on rats. On the other hand, 24.7% of the femal es had fed on wore than one host, mainly on cows and horses. It was as sumed that An. aquasalis is zoophilic in southeastern Brazil, feeding an a wide variety of animals, the cow being the primary host.