lov;ing work by Brecher and Wigglesworth (194A) on the blood-sucking 

 he-nipteron Rhodinus prolixus , was to test the ability of symbiotes 

 in the tick to produce grouth-pronoting vitamins in the absence of 

 these substances in host blood. Thiamin, it appears, cannot be 

 inanufactTired by symbiotes under these conditions but riboflavin 

 can be produced in sxifficient quantities for normal development 

 and reproduction. Incidentally, it was noticed that the severity 

 of host skin reaction to bites of 0. moubata is greater in animals 

 that are deficient in thiamin tharTit is in normal rats. In the 

 former, an extensive hemorrhage develops at the site of each bite 

 (De Ifeillon and Goldberg 1947A,B, De Meillon 19^9). 



Laboratory Rearing Methods 



This subject has been discussed in more or less detail by all 

 students of the life cycle, mentioned above. Methods for rearing 

 0. moubata , care of hosts, caging, precautions, host diet and 

 handling, etc., have been presented by Harvey (l9/h7j. 



Artificial Feeding 



A capillary tube method for the artificial feeding of _0, 

 moubata and other ticks for studies of disease transmission and 

 physiology has been developed by Chabaiid (195QA). 



Prevention and Control * 



Prevention 



Travellers in infested areas should be cautious especially 

 in choosing sleeping and sitting sites. Indigenous habitations 

 whenever possible should be avoided for sleeping, and care should 



"Although it is not the policy of this stiidy to deal with control 

 and prevention subjects because these are more logically included 

 in a separate report now being prepared, an exception is made in 

 the case of 0. npubata . The control ajid preventive measures re- 

 quired for tliis species are unique among African ticks, and its 

 biological and host predilections are different from all others, 

 I'breover, it is possibly the only medically important African 

 tick that has little or no veterinary iriportance. 



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