Alterations of blood-feeding behavior and repellent response of pathogen-infected biting flies

The traditional view of interactions between pathogens and their arthropod vectors is that vectors become increasingly resistant to pathogens over time and parasites do not exhibit any deleterious effects when disseminating within their hosts.1 This view assumes that if the host and pathogen do not coexist, a detrimental effect that hinders the parasite’s fitness will be observed in the invertebrate host. However, the necessity of a pathogen to exploit its host efficiently and to gain access to new hosts has driven pathogen evolution that influences vector behavior. Studies have suggested that the pathogen manipulates the host to enhance their own transmission.2-4 One such behavior that has been reported is pathogen manipulation of the vector’s feeding behavior. Alterations of the feeding behavior leading to an increase in host contact can increase pathogen transmission.