Blood-Feeding Behaviors of Anopheles stephensi but not Phlebotomus papatasi are Influenced by Actively Warming Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus) Under General Anesthesia.

Animal models are often used to study hematophagous insect feeding behavior and evaluate products such as topical repellents. However, when these models are used the study animals often experience significant drops in core body temperature because of the effects of anesthesia. This study used a guinea pig model to investigate whether maintaining a normothermic core body temperature during anesthesia influenced the rate of Anopheles stephensi and Phlebotomus papatasi blood feeding. Experiments were conducted with anesthetized animals that had their body temperatures either maintained with a warming device or were allowed to drop naturally. Results showed that when guinea pigs were actively warmed by a heating device, An. stephensi feeding behavior was similar at the beginning and end of anesthesia. However, when a warming device was not used, fewer An. stephensi took a blood meal after the animals' temperatures had dropped. Phlebotomus papatasi were not as sensitive to changes in temperature and feeding rates were similar whether a warming device was used or not. These results are discussed and it is recommended that warming devices are used when conducting feeding experiments with insects sensitive to changes in host body temperature, such as An. stephensi.

Use of a Far-Infrared Active Warming Device in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus).

Small mammals have difficulty maintaining body temperature under anesthesia. This hypothermia is a potential detriment not only to the health and comfort of the animal but also to the integrity of any treatment given or data gathered during the anesthetic period. Using an external warming device to assist with temperature regulation can mitigate these effects. In this study, we investigated the ability of an advanced warming device that uses far-infrared (FIR) heating and responds to real-time core temperature monitoring to maintain a normothermic core temperature in guinea pigs. Body temperatures were measured during 30 min of ketamine-xylazine general anesthesia with and without application of the heating device. The loss of core body heat from anesthetized guinea pigs under typical (unwarmed) conditions was significant, and this loss was almost completely mitigated by application of the FIR heating pad. The significant difference between the temperatures of the actively warmed guinea pigs as compared with the control group began as early as 14 min after anesthetic administration, leading to a 2.6 °C difference at 30 min. Loss of core body temperature was not correlated with animals' body weight; however, weight influences the efficiency of FIR warming slightly. These study results show that the FIR heating device accurately controls core body temperature in guinea pigs, therefore potentially alleviating the effects of body heat loss on animal physiology.