Blood Meal
Definition
Blood ingested by a haematophagous insect during feeding on a vertebrate host. The host's DNA persists in the insect's gut for hours to days and can be extracted and profiled to identify the species or individual that was bitten.
Related terms
- COI Barcoding
- DNA-based species identification using a standard 658 bp segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. Sequences are matched against reference...
- Gut Content Extraction
- Physical dissection of a larva to remove the crop and midgut contents, which are then extracted separately from the larval carcass. The...
- Haematophagous Insect
- An insect that feeds on the blood of a vertebrate host. Examples include mosquitoes (Culicidae), sand flies (Phlebotomus, Lutzomyia), and certain midges...
- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Haplotype
- A characteristic sequence of the mitochondrial genome used to assign an individual to a maternal lineage. More copies per cell than nuclear...
- Mixed-Source Profile
- A DNA profile resulting from a mixture of two or more contributors. Gut content extractions routinely produce mixtures of insect DNA and...
Explained in
- Insects as Alternate Samples for Toxicology and DNABlood ingested by a haematophagous insect during feeding on a vertebrate host. The host's DNA persists in the insect's gut for hours to days and can be extract...