Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: Donnah on 24/07/2011 19:49:42

Title: Do blackflies vomit into their bites?
Post by: Donnah on 24/07/2011 19:49:42

After getting several blackfly bites on my face and arms that turned into huge lumps with scabs, my son told me that numerous flies vomit into their bites.  Is this true, and are blackflies (and sandflies) some of those little pukes?

PS - I'm looking lovely these days.  If it was close to Halloween the bite lumps might be useful.

Title: Do blackflies vomit into their bites?
Post by: RD on 24/07/2011 23:00:21

spit rather than vomit ...

Quote

The female black flies exhibit pool feeding behaviour where their salivary proteins are injected at the injury site and maintain the blood meal in a fluid state due to the antihemostatic properties present in the saliva. These proteins include anticoagulants (Jacobs et al. 1990, Abebe et al. 1994, 1995, 1996), vasodilators (Cupp et al. 1994), modulators of platelet aggregation as mediated by apyrase (Cupp et al. 1993, 1995) and modulators of the mouse cellular immune response (Cross et al. 1993).

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02762010000200011

Quote

Strictly speaking, vomiting is the regurgitation of stomach contents, and house flies never regurgitate their stomach contents. What they do is technically spitting (or drooling), not vomiting.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2061/do-flies-vomit-every-time-they-land

Title: Do blackflies vomit into their bites?
Post by: Donnah on 25/07/2011 23:00:51

Thanks RD. I understand that, except for the reference to mouse cellular immune response.  After reading about the diseases they transmit, I think it's good that my immune system had such a strong reaction.