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Do you know why female anopheles feed on human blood
Why female anopheles feed on human blood. Short answer: due to developing eggs. Male mosquitoes feed on nectar, plants sap. But female mosquitoes feed on blood. They not only feed on humans. They feed the blood of other animals also. Female mosquitoes have to develop their eggs. Development of egg and larva required human blood protein.
And for that their physiology is also different from male mosquitoes. Female mosquitoes have mouth parts specialised for blood sucking. Blood contains protein. The developing embryo inside the egg required amino acids for their nourishment. It works as an amino acid support to develop embryos.
On the other hand male mosquitoes do not have to develop eggs. They only need reproduction. And they feed on plants. In addition, during hot summer days they drink blood to quench their thirst. On dehydration they bite more due to quenching their thirst.
More queries about female anopheles
Female Anopheles primary or secondary host for malaria?
Ans: Protozoa Plasmodium is responsible for malaria. Female mosquito is the vector for Plasmodium. Plasmodium needs two hosts to complete their life cycle. One host is primary and another host is secondary. Plasmodium has two phases in their lifecycle. One is sexual reproduction phase and another is asexual phase.
Now the question is female anopheles is primary host or secondary host for Plasmodium. Plasmodium completes their sexual phase in female Anopheles. Female Anopheles are the primary host for Plasmodium. Plasmodium complete their asexual phase in human beings. Human beings are their secondary host. So the answer is primary host.
Why female anopheles can not be considered as a parasite?
Ans: We know that female anopheles feed on human blood. So we should consider them as a parasite. But actually they are not parasites. Now who are parasites? When an organism depends for nutrition on another organism considered as a parasite. Female Anopheles feed on human blood for reproduction. They are not dependent for nutrition on human beings.
For egg development of eggs they need blood protein. There is one another reason for not considering female anopheles as a parasite. Generally parasites spend a reasonable amount of time with the host. But in the case of female anopheles they leave after they collect blood. It is a very short time to consider them as a parasite.
Can malaria parasites transfer from mother to newborn babies?
Ans: It is not possible to cause malaria in newborn babies. Infective stages of Plasmodium are sporozoites. If sporozoites reach new born babies from mother it is not an active form. It needs to be active to become capable of infection. They need to transfer into female anopheles for completing their lifecycle.
How to identify an Anopheles mosquito?
Ans: If you want to identify anopheles mosquito then you have to observe their different phases of lifecycle. Larva of anopheles mosquitoes lack siphon. They are present on the water surface in parallel. Adult anopheles mosquitoes can be identified by their sitting posture. Anopheles mosquito makes a 45 degree angle with the horizontal in sitting position. Their body colour is yellowish.
Why only female anopheles spread malaria?
Ans: Only female anopheles mosquitoes transmit the parasites of malaria. Malaria is caused by a protozoa plasmodium. Female Anopheles act as a vector for spreading malaria. Both female anopheles and male anopheles feed on plants nectar. But female anopheles have to develop her egg. For this reason female anopheles need protein sources. Female anopheles meet that requirement by collecting blood protein.
When female anopheles collect blood from a malaria carrier person then plasmodium comes along with the blood in the female anopheles mosquito. After that when female anopheles bite other people plasmodium infect the people. In this way female anopheles spread malaria. But male mosquitoes feed on plant nectar. So no chance for collecting plasmodium and spreading malaria.
What other diseases are transmitted by female anopheles mosquitoes?
Ans: Female anopheles mosquito not only spread malaria. They are vectors of other diseases. They transmit filariasis. They transmit eastern, western, Venezuelan equine encephalitis. They transmit tataguine.
How female anopheles mosquito bites?
Ans: Female anopheles mosquito mouth apparatus have two styles on proboscis to slice the skin. Once they create holes in the skin they start to collect blood from blood vessels. They insert their proboscis into the skin hole to find blood vessels. If they find blood vessels on the first attempt then they start to collect blood from that blood vessel.
If they do not find blood vessels on the first attempt then they pull back their proboscis and try more on different angles. They do not create multiple holes; they find blood vessels on the same hole but in different angles. Their proboscis has two tubes. From these tubes they secrete saliva.
Saliva contains anti inflammatory enzymes and anti coagulation enzymes. Anti coagulation enzymes prevent blood to clot during collection of blood. Anti inflammatory enzymes prevent irritation on skin during collection of blood. It makes the victim unaware about mosquito bites.
On which time female anopheles mosquitoes bite humans most?
Ans: Female anopheles mosquitoes become very active during early morning, evening to midnight. So during early morning, evening and midnight they bite most. During these times of day you should take care about mosquito bites. If you prevent mosquitoes from entering these times then you can control malaria. Keep your body covered by clothes and if you sleep use mosquito nets.
How much distance female anopheles can travel?
Ans: Female anopheles can travel upto several kilometres. They can travel an unlimited distance using the way by which humans travel. Like airplanes they can travel continent to continent. They can travel using train, ships. So they can spread malaria long distance.
Where female anopheles lay eggs?
Ans: Female anopheles generally lay eggs in stored water. For rainy reasons water stores here and there. Especially when we keep any things which can store rain water, female anopheles mosquitoes lay eggs there. They multiply in the rainy season. So to avoid it we need to give attention that store water should not present here and there. Tyres, plastic can, container, bucket store rain water.
They lay eggs there and increase their number. Pond water, well, paddy fields water are breeding grounds for female anopheles mosquitoes. If drain water is blocked then it becomes store water. Then female anopheles mosquitoes lay eggs. All these are responsible for multiplication of anopheles mosquito and malaria.
Where female anopheles mosquitoes hide?
Ans: Female anopheles mosquitoes hide during daytime and come to bite man during night. They generally hide those places where light is not able to reach. Like behind the furniture, inside the cupboard, drainage system. They become active in the early morning and evening. This time day light intensity is not very strong.
Read More: What is average lifespan of a mosquito
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