Gel diffusion determinations on feeding behaviour patterns of anophelines in Orissa State, India

In 1981 Entomological Field Research Units were established in three districts of Orissa State, India, from which Anopheles bloodmeals were forwarded regularly for analysis to an Entomological Laboratory in Bhubaneswar. At the onset of 1982, the laboratory introduced a modified gel diffusion technique for determining the origin of mosquito bloodmeals and by the end of 1983, 22,300 smears had been processed and analyzed. The technique is relatively very simple, fast and inexpensive. The results are reproducible and the use of double controls (negative and positive) ensure a high degree of reliability.