Anatomy and mechanics of tsetse fly blood feeding.

Authors

Stephan Löwe, Laura Hauf, Elisabeth Meyer-Natus, Dianah Katiti, Dennis Petersen, Alexander Kovalev, Sebastian Büsse, Anna Steyer, Yoko Matsumura, Wolfgang Böhme, Daniel Masiga, Stanislav Gorb, Markus Engstler

Published in

eLife. Volume 15. Oct 13, 2026. Epub Oct 13, 2026.

Abstract

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a neglected tropical disease transmitted by infected tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) in sub-Saharan Africa. Infected tsetse flies can transmit trypanosomes, including Trypanosoma brucei subspecies that cause HAT in humans, as well as other trypanosome species that cause animal African trypanosomiasis in domestic animals and infect wildlife. Tsetse flies feed on a broad spectrum of hosts, including humans, elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, hippos, turtles, and monitor lizards. To understand how the insects can penetrate such diverse skin types, we detailed the anatomical structures involved in tsetse blood feeding, their mechanical properties, and the forces exerted by the fly during probing. We found that the tsetse fly's feeding apparatus does not rely on exceptionally unique structures or extraordinary forces. Instead, the tsetse fly has evolved subtle yet highly efficient adaptations, which include a labellum equipped with arrays of small teeth. When combined with a robust retraction movement of the proboscis, these structures create lesions on various types of skin, thus facilitating blood pool feeding on a broad host spectrum.

PMID:
42865118
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 13 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.