Mosquito proboscis: an elegant biomicroelectromechanical system.
Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys
; 82(1 Pt 1): 011910, 2010 Jul.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-20866651
ABSTRACT
The mouthparts of female mosquitoes have evolved to form a special proboscis, a natural biomicroelectromechanical system (BMEMS), which is used for painlessly penetrating human skin and sucking blood. Scanning electron microscope observations show that the mosquito proboscis consists of a small bundle of long, tapering, and feeding stylets that are collectively called the fascicle, and a large scaly outer lower lip called the labium. During blood feeding, only the fascicle penetrates into the skin while the labium buckles back to remain on the surface of the skin. Here, we measured the dynamic force of penetration of the fascicle into human skin to reveal the mechanical principle underlying the painless process of penetration. High-speed video observations of movements associated with insertion of the fascicle indicate that the "smart" mosquito does not directly pierce its victim's skin with the fascicle. Instead, it uses the two maxillas as variable frequency microsaws with nanosharp teeth to advance into the skin tissue. This elegant BMEMS enables the mosquito to insert its feeding fascicle into human skin using an exceedingly small force (average of 16.5 µN).
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Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Piel
/
Conducta en la Lactancia
/
Conducta Alimentaria
/
Modelos Biológicos
/
Culicidae
/
Boca
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys
Asunto de la revista:
BIOFISICA
/
FISIOLOGIA
Año:
2010
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
China