An electric aspirator for the collection of Phlebotomus
Grepin, G.; Gonzalez, J.P.
Archives de l'Institut Pasteur de Tunis 61(4): 447-452
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0020-2509 PMID: 6544594 Document Number: 238744
A simple and inexpensive aspirator for the collection of phlebotomine sandflies is described, which is an improved version of those developed at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and described by M. Trpis and by S. C. Husbands & J. R. Holten. Its advantages over these previous versions are listed, including a strong, instantaneous aspiration to dislodge the insects from the substrate, the impossibility of clogging with debris and the good taxonomic condition of the collected insects. The apparatus was successfully used in the Central African Republic to collect up to 200 phlebotomine sandflies at a time without appreciable mortality; however, in sandy substrates the aspiration had to be reduced in strength to prevent the bombardment of the insects with sand particles during the process.