Malaria, Dengue Fever, Chagas disease and West Nile Virus are a few well known pathogens transferred to human populations from insects. By assessing physiological traits of thermal tolerance and water balance or response to variation in the concentration of oxygen and carbon dioxide, it is possible to reveal and understand the factors that limit or enhance insect fitness and to develop pest management strategies to mitigate the spread of disease.
Salient Features
- Measurement and control of thermal range
- Measurement and control of atmospheric gas concentrations including water vapor
- Metabolic measurement
Sable Solutions
Drosophila Metabolic Screening System
MAVEn™ System for Small Insect Flow-Through Respirometry
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Relevant Publications
George, J., Jenkins, N. E., Blanford, S., Thomas, M. B., & Baker, T. C. (2013). Malaria mosquitoes attracted by fatal fungus. PloS one, 8(5), e62632.
Huestis, D. L., Traoré, A. I., Dieter, K. L., Nwagbara, J. I., Bowie, A. C., Adamou, A., … & Lehmann, T. (2012). Seasonal variation in metabolic rate, flight activity and body size of Anopheles gambiae in the Sahel. The Journal of experimental biology, 215(12), 2013-2021.
Terblanche, J. S., Clusella-Trullas, S., Deere, J. A., & Chown, S. L. (2008). Thermal tolerance in a south-east African population of the tsetse fly Glossina pallidipes (Diptera, Glossinidae): Implications for forecasting climate change impacts. Journal of Insect Physiology, 54(1), 114-127.
DeVries, Z. C., Kells, S. A., & Appel, A. G. (2013). Standard metabolic rate of the bed bug,< i> Cimex lectularius</i>: Effects of temperature, mass, and life stage. Journal of insect physiology, 59(11), 1133-1139.