The effect of abnormal human hemoglobin (HbS) on the blood meal size of the hematophagous bug Rhodnius prolixus
de Almeida Arandas, E.M.; Loureiro, S.; Azevedo, E.S.
Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo 16(5): 283-285
1974
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-4665 PMID: 4617277 Document Number: 76283
An account is given of experiments in which 50 carriers of sickle-cell trait were paired by age, race and sex with 50 people with normal haemoglobin, and the two members of each pair were exposed simultaneously for 30 min to Rhodnius prolixus Stal. The bugs of each pair had fasted for the same length of time and were of the same size. Bugs that fed on carriers of the sickle-cell trait took blood-meals of significantly greater average size than those that fed on the normal people.