Brugia pahangi: Growth improvement with lecithin in the diet of axenically reared hosts, Aedes aegypti

Growth and development of the filarial nematode Brugia pahangi was examined in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes axenically reared on defined synthetic dietary media containing crude animal lecithin and synthetic dipalmitoyl lecithin. The first was a crude preparation containing impurities (mostly lipids) up to 40%, while the second was a highly purified preparation of lecithin (99.95%). Substantial proportions of apparently alive but undeveloped prefirst-stage parasite juveniles (presausage forms) were found in mosquitoes reared on all synthetic dietary media but not in mosquitoes reared on liver powder (control). Of the two lecithin preparations tested, parasites grew best in mosquitoes reared on a diet augmented with crude animal lecithin. Development was synchronized and the filarial parasites were able to complete two molts to become third-stage juveniles. Synthetic dl-dipalmitoyl lecithin in mosquito diets did not improve filarial development. The improvement of worm growth in terms of rate of morphogenesis and facility in molting, with the addition of crude, and not the pure lecithin preparation, suggested that the effect observed on filariae may not be directly due to the lecithin molecule, but due to a compound (probably a lipid), associated with the lecithin molecule in the crude preparation.