Bloodfeeding behavior of Anopheles sacharovi in Turkey

The feeding habits of Anopheles sacharovi under natural conditions and in feeding rooms were investigated by use of the gel diffusion technique. Mosquitoes were collected from various villages of Cukurova and also from feeding rooms especially prepared for these experiments. Human, cow, sheep, chicken, horse, and donkey were used as hosts in these rooms. The results showed that An. sacharovi is a zoophilic species. The females preferred donkey when human, cow, sheep, chicken, and horse were equally available. Their preference changed to horse, cow, and sheep in the absence of donkey. The host preference index (HPI) was always smaller than 1 for humans in habitats offering a choice of hosts. The human blood index was high only in human dwellings. In other habitats numbers of mosquitoes feeding on animals were higher than on humana. Although the human blood index was low, An. sacharovi is the principal human malaria vector in Turkey partly because a significant proportion of those resting in human dwellings have fed upon the occupants, and partly because of the uneven distribution of human and animal hosts.