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Table 1 Mosquito feeding rate according the feeding parameters being tested

From: Optimization of the feeding rate of Anopheles farauti s.s. colony mosquitoes in direct membrane feeding assays

Feeding parameters

Total number of mosquitoes in cups

Total number fed

Total unfed

Empirical average feeding rate (%)*

Range (%)

p value**

Starving time

 0 h

916

240

676

27

4–45

< 0.01

 2 h

864

288

576

34

15–56

< 0.01

 4 h

933

368

565

40

20–54

< 0.05

 6 h

954

405

549

45

23–82

< 0.01

 Overnight (~ 21 h)

841

492

349

60

19–97

Ref

Type of starving

 Access to water

217

134

83

62

43–89

0.47

 Dry starving

234

167

67

71

31–92

Ref

Membrane type

 Baudruche

476

389

87

85

70–100

 < 0.05

 Parafilm

457

268

189

53

42–76

Ref

Exposure time

 10 min

426

326

100

77

63–98

0.63

 20 min

469

368

101

80

43–100

0.61

 30 min

386

314

72

81

72–89

Ref

Mosquito age

 3 days

631

447

184

75

39–96

0.38

 5 days

606

473

133

81

50–93

Ref

 7 days

613

449

164

75

55–90

0.08

Light/Dark

 Light

317

274

43

85

64–96

0.88

 Dark

326

276

50

84

63–96

Ref

Volume of blood

 125 µL

289

190

99

65

50–88

< 0.05

 250 µL

272

229

43

84

67–96

0.54

 500 µL

295

256

39

87

77–98

Ref

Mosquito density

 20 mosquitoes

194

148

46

76

64–79

0.13

 50 mosquitoes

480

410

70

85

79–87

Ref

 100 mosquitoes

927

696

231

75

67–74

< 0.01

Water bath temperature

 34 °C

330

271

59

82

51–95

0.23

 38 °C

335

299

36

89

81–100

Ref

 42 °C

320

277

43

86

72–98

0.61

 46 °C

305

244

61

79

58–96

0.09

  1. Ref: reference group for the calculation of the p values
  2. *Empirical averages were calculated as the average feeding rate of all replicates obtained for a specific condition
  3. **Significantly different from the reference when p < 0.05. Data were transformed using arcsine (p) prior to doing the paired t test