Abstract

No attempt has been made to give a complete review of the value of bloodmeal identifications of haematophagous arthropods in relation to the epidemiology of disease but rather to choose certain topics of current interest. A brief review of the current techniques for bloodmeal identification is given with particular reference to recent studies on mosquitoes and sandflies using the haemagglutination inhibition test. New data on mixed feeding by Anopheles gambiae (a mixture of species B and C) collected in Ethiopia confirm the earlier work with A. sacharovi that interrupted feeding is important. Details of current attempts to measure the cryptic portion of multiple meals using blood-typing techniques are given. Information collected on the feeding patterns of Culex univittatus group and Mansonia uniformis from Kenya demonstrates that caution must be shown in interpreting blood meal analyses since sampling techniques as well as several other factors can affect the results. A recent survey of sandflies in West Bengal suggest that a dangerous situation now exists and an outbreak of visceral leishmaniasis could occur.