Effects of the nutritional quality of locally obtained blood diets on the performance of Glossina palpalis palpalis fed in vitro

Three separate experiments were conducted to evaluate the nutritional quality of locally obtained blood diets on the overall performance of Glossina palpalis palpalis fed in vitro. In the first experiment, 30 teneral G. p. palpalis females were fed in vitro 6 days a week on a protein deficient bovine blood diet for 25 days. Thirty teneral females fed on a normal bovine blood diet were used as the control. The performance of the test and control groups in terms of survival rate, productivity and puparial weight were observed for 25 days post-emergence. The mean puparial weight of the control flies was significantly greater than that of the test flies. However, the survival rate and fecundity in the two groups did not differ significantly. In the second experiment, batches of female G. p. palpalis were similarly fed in vitro on camel or bovine blood diets for 25 days. The survival rate, productivity and puparial weight of the two groups of flies were compared; more puparia of higher weight classes were produced by flies fed on bovine blood than those on camel blood. In a third experiment, six groups of teneral female flies (50 in each group) were maintained on blood diets with different cellular and plasma concentrations. The overall performance of the flies in each group in terms of survival rate, productivity and puparial weight observed over a period of 35 days was similarly evaluated. Flies fed on diets with a packed cell volume (PCV) of 20-30% performed better than those on diets with a PCV of 60% and above. The groups maintained on 100% plasma or 100% cell performed poorly. (author). 7 refs, 4 figs, 4 tabs