{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T21:50:18Z","timestamp":1791841818182,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"FapUNIFESP (SciELO)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"am","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz"],"abstract":"<jats:p>BACKGROUND Phlebotomine sand flies are hematophagous vectors of major human pathogens, including Leishmania spp., with blood ingestion essential for reproduction and vector competence. Accurate quantification of blood meal volume is crucial for understanding physiological processes and transmission dynamics.  OBJECTIVES Here, we introduce a novel, non-destructive image-based method to estimate blood intake in Lutzomyia longipalpis, the principal vector of Leishmania infantum in the Americas.  METHODS High-resolution images of unfed and blood-fed females were analysed using Fiji ImageJ (open-source software) when several morphometric parameters were measured and validated against biochemical haemoglobin (Hb) quantification.  FINDINGS Blood-fed females exhibited a 56.6% increase in abdominal width and a shift toward a rounded body shape, which was strongly correlated with a visible transilluminated abdominal area (R\u00b2 = 0.92). Some parameters, such as mean grey value and abdominal length, showed a low to moderate correlation with Hb content (R &lt; 0.60). However, the correlation with abdominal area and width was R \u2248 0.90, indicating those are reliable parameters that can be used to estimate blood intake by Lu. longipalpis females.  MAIN CONCLUSIONS Unlike spectrophotometric methods, this approach preserves specimen integrity, which, in theory, enables longitudinal studies on physiology and host-parasite interactions. This methodology offers a reliable, scalable, and cost-effective alternative for estimating blood meal.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1590\/0074-02760250158","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T11:36:18Z","timestamp":1776425778000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["A non-destructive image-based approach to quantify blood meal size in Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae)"],"prefix":"10.1590","volume":"121","author":[{"given":"Lidiane Medeiros da","family":"Costa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2504-0979","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maur\u00edcio Roberto Viana","family":"Sant\u2019Anna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura Aquino","family":"Generoso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pontif\u00edcia Universidade Cat\u00f3lica de Minas Gerais,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Geisler Peixoto da","family":"Cruz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Grasielle Caldas D\u2019\u00c1vila","family":"Pessoa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ricardo Nascimento","family":"Araujo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nelder de Figueiredo","family":"Gontijo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4843-0088","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcos Horacio","family":"Pereira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais,  Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"530","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"67","DOI":"10.3897\/zookeys.660.10508","article-title":"Checklist of American sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae): genera, species, and their distribution","volume":"660","author":"Shimabukuro PHF","year":"2017","journal-title":"ZooKeys"},{"issue":"3","key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"279","DOI":"10.1016\/S0738-081X(99)00046-2","article-title":"The biology and control of phlebotomine sand flies","volume":"17","author":"Killick-Kendrick R","year":"1999","journal-title":"Clin Dermatol"},{"issue":"4","key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"585","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1469-0691.2010.03371.x","article-title":"A novel phlebovirus in Albanian sandflies","volume":"17","author":"Papa A","year":"2011","journal-title":"Clin Microbiol Infect"},{"issue":"2","key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2915.2012.01034.x","article-title":"Phlebotomine sandflies and the spreading of leishmaniases and other diseases of public health concern","volume":"27","author":"Maroli M","year":"2013","journal-title":"Med Vet Entomol"},{"issue":"7","key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0009517","article-title":"Comparison of sand fly trapping approaches for vector surveillance of Leishmania and Bartonella species in ecologically distinct, endemic regions of Peru","volume":"15","author":"Zorrilla VO","year":"2021","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"key":"ref6","series-title":"Leishmaniasis: epidemiological report on the Region of the Americas","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref7","series-title":"Brazilian sand flies: biology, taxonomy, medical importance and control","author":"Rangel EF","year":"2018"},{"issue":"9","key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"403","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pt.2011.04.001","article-title":"Urban parasitology: visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil","volume":"27","author":"Harhay MO","year":"2011","journal-title":"Trends Parasitol"},{"issue":"1","key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1590\/S0074-02762007000100001","article-title":"Lutzomyia longipalpis in Brazil: a complex or a single species? A mini-review","volume":"102","author":"Bauzer LGSR","year":"2007","journal-title":"Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz"},{"issue":"1","key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pt.2007.10.003","article-title":"The Lutzomyia longipalpis species complex: does population sub-structure matter to Leishmania transmission?","volume":"24","author":"Maingon RD","year":"2008","journal-title":"Trends Parasitol"},{"issue":"6","key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"734","DOI":"10.1016\/j.meegid.2010.05.004","article-title":"Lovesongs and period gene polymorphisms indicate Lutzomyia cruzi as a sibling species of the Lutzomyia longipalpis complex","volume":"10","author":"Vigoder FM","year":"2010","journal-title":"Infect Genet Evol"},{"issue":"1","key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1365-2915.1998.00063.x","article-title":"Sugar feeding and fluid destination control in the phlebotomine sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis","volume":"12","author":"Tang Y","year":"1998","journal-title":"Med Vet Entomol"},{"issue":"5007","key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"302","DOI":"10.1038\/208302a0","article-title":"Feeding mechanism of blood-sucking arthropods","volume":"208","author":"Lavoipierre MMJ","year":"1965","journal-title":"Nature"},{"issue":"10","key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1097","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijpara.2007.04.003","article-title":"Transmission of Leishmania metacyclic promastigotes by phlebotomine sand flies","volume":"37","author":"Bates PA","year":"2007","journal-title":"Int J Parasitol"},{"issue":"2","key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"221","DOI":"10.1093\/jmedent\/4.2.221","article-title":"The biology of California Phlebotomus under laboratory conditions","volume":"4","author":"Chaniotis BN","year":"1967","journal-title":"J Med Entomol"},{"key":"ref16","series-title":"Regulatory mechanisms in insect feeding","author":"Chapman RF","year":"1995"},{"issue":"5","key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"413","DOI":"10.1093\/jmedent\/16.5.413","article-title":"Factors affecting egg production of laboratory-bred Lutzomyia longipalpis","volume":"16","author":"Ready PD","year":"1979","journal-title":"J Med Entomol"},{"issue":"3","key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2915.1993.tb00681.x","article-title":"Bloodmeal digestion in the midgut of Phlebotomus papatasi and Phlebotomus langeroni","volume":"7","author":"Dillon RJ","year":"1993","journal-title":"Med Vet Entomol"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1186\/1756-3305-3-3","article-title":"Chicken blood provides a suitable meal for the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis and does not inhibit Leishmania development in the gut","volume":"3","author":"Sant\u2019Anna MR","year":"2010","journal-title":"Parasite Vectors"},{"key":"ref20","series-title":"Entomology in human and animal health","author":"Harwood RF","year":"1979","edition":"7th ed."},{"issue":"3","key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"423","DOI":"10.1017\/S0007485300058284","article-title":"On the role of blood in ovulation in Aedes aegypti","volume":"27","author":"Roy DN","year":"1936","journal-title":"Bull Entomol Res"},{"issue":"6","key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"809","DOI":"10.1093\/aesa\/88.6.809","article-title":"Embryogenesis of the sand fly Phlebotomus papatasi","volume":"88","author":"Abbassy MM","year":"1995","journal-title":"Ann Entomol Soc Am"},{"issue":"1","key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"150","DOI":"10.1603\/0022-2585(2007)44[150:EOTOMO]2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Effect of temperature on metabolism of Phlebotomus papatasi","volume":"44","author":"Benkova I","year":"2007","journal-title":"J Med Entomol"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-016-1866-x","article-title":"The Lutzomyia longipalpis complex: aggregation-sex pheromone communication","volume":"9","author":"Spiegel CN","year":"2016","journal-title":"Parasite Vectors"},{"issue":"5","key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"839","DOI":"10.1093\/jmedent\/27.5.839","article-title":"Fecundity, metabolism, and body size in Anopheles","volume":"27","author":"Briegel H","year":"1990","journal-title":"J Med Entomol"},{"issue":"2","key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"172","DOI":"10.1111\/1755-0998.12556","article-title":"Vector soup: High-throughput identification of Neotropical phlebotomine sand flies using metabarcoding","volume":"17","author":"Kocher A","year":"2017","journal-title":"Mol Ecol Resour"},{"issue":"1","key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"360","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-024-06418-y","article-title":"Sand fly blood meal volumes and their relation to female body weight under experimental conditions","volume":"17","author":"Volfov\u00e1 V","year":"2024","journal-title":"Parasite Vectors"},{"key":"ref28","first-page":"271","article-title":"Determination by radioactive iron (59Fe) of the amount of blood ingested by insects","volume":"25","author":"Freitas JR","year":"1961","journal-title":"Bull World Health Organ"},{"key":"ref29","first-page":"173","article-title":"A simple micro-assay method for estimating blood meal size of the sand fly, Phlebotomus langeroni (Diptera: Psychodidae)","volume":"34","author":"Daba S","year":"2004","journal-title":"J Egypt Soc Parasitol"},{"issue":"3","key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"235","DOI":"10.1093\/jmedent\/15.3.235","article-title":"Hemoglobinometry as a method for measuring blood meal sizes of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)","volume":"15","author":"Briegel H","year":"1979","journal-title":"J Med Entomol"},{"issue":"6","key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"702","DOI":"10.1093\/jmedent\/24.6.702","article-title":"Quantitation of the blood meal ingested by Culicoides arakawae (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)","volume":"24","author":"Fujisaki K","year":"1987","journal-title":"J Med Entomol"},{"issue":"6","key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"535","DOI":"10.1093\/jmedent\/26.6.535","article-title":"Size of blood meals of Aedes albopictus and Culex tritaeniorhynchus feeding on an unrestrained dog infected with Dirofilaria immitis","volume":"26","author":"Konishi E","year":"1989","journal-title":"J Med Entomol"},{"issue":"5","key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1007006","article-title":"Immunity to LuloHya and Lundep, the salivary spreading factors from Lutzomyia longipalpis, protects against Leishmania major infection","volume":"14","author":"Martin-Martin I","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS Pathog"},{"issue":"5","key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"495","DOI":"10.1017\/S0031182002001439","article-title":"The role of promastigote secretory gel in the origin and transmission of the infective stage of Leishmania mexicana by the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis","volume":"124","author":"Rogers ME","year":"2002","journal-title":"Parasitology"},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"127","DOI":"10.1590\/S0044-59672007000100016","article-title":"Haematophagic behavior in laboratory of Lutzomyia cruzi in relation to three mammalian blood sources in Manaus, Brazil","volume":"37","author":"Chagas AC","year":"2007","journal-title":"Acta Amazonica"},{"issue":"9","key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0230984","article-title":"Influence of GST- and P450-based metabolic resistance to pyrethroids on blood feeding in the major African malaria vector Anopheles funestus","volume":"15","author":"Nouage L","year":"2020","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"7","key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"676","DOI":"10.1038\/nmeth.2019","article-title":"Fiji: an open-source platform for biological-image analysis","volume":"9","author":"Schindelin J","year":"2012","journal-title":"Nat Methods"},{"key":"ref38","first-page":"568","article-title":"Mass rearing sand flies","volume":"20","author":"Modi GB","year":"1983","journal-title":"J Med Entomol"},{"issue":"4","key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"281","DOI":"10.1038\/nmeth.3812","article-title":"Analyzing outliers: influential or nuisance?","volume":"13","author":"Altman N","year":"2016","journal-title":"Nat Methods"},{"key":"ref40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"42","DOI":"10.1051\/parasite\/2017041","article-title":"Laboratory colonization and mass rearing of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae)","volume":"24","author":"Lawyer P","year":"2017","journal-title":"Parasite"},{"key":"ref41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"67","DOI":"10.3897\/zookeys.660.10508","article-title":"Checklist of American sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae): genera, species, and their distribution","volume":"660","author":"Shimabukuro PHF","year":"2017","journal-title":"ZooKeys"},{"issue":"1","key":"ref42","first-page":"94","article-title":"Carbon dioxide anesthesia in phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae): CO2 effect upon two laboratory colonies","volume":"9","author":"Perrotti E","year":"1993","journal-title":"J Am Mosq Control Assoc"},{"key":"ref43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S1","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1948-7134.2011.00106.x","article-title":"Establishment and maintenance of sand fly colonies","volume":"36","author":"Volf P","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Vector Ecol"},{"issue":"6","key":"ref44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"664","DOI":"10.1017\/S0007485315000127","article-title":"Sampling strategies for phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Europe","volume":"105","author":"Alten B","year":"2015","journal-title":"Bull Entomol Res"},{"key":"ref45","first-page":"55","article-title":"Establishment of a method for Lutzomyia longipalpis sand fly egg microinjection: the first step towards potential novel control strategies for leishmaniasis","volume":"3","author":"Jeffries CL","year":"2018","journal-title":"Wellcome Open Res"}],"container-title":["Mem\u00f3rias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.scielo.br\/scielo.php?script=sci_pdf&pid=S0074-02762026000105029&tlng=en","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T11:36:24Z","timestamp":1776425784000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.scielo.br\/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02762026000105029&tlng=en"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"references-count":45,"alternative-id":["S0074-02762026000105029"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1590\/0074-02760250158","relation":{},"ISSN":["1678-8060","0074-0276"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1678-8060","type":"electronic"},{"value":"0074-0276","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"article-number":"e250158"}}