LABORATORY STUDIES ON THE POSSIBILITY OF CULEX QUINQUEFASCIATUS TO HARBOR HEPATOZOON SP. INFECTING CERASTES CERASTES CERASTES VIPER IN EGYPT

A successful experimental infection of culex quinquefasciatus with hepatozoon sp. infecting cerastes cerastes cerastes viper was carried out under laboratory conditions of 24 +/- 3 degrees c and 60-70% r. h. the period monitored for complete sporogonic cycle was 21 days. the effect of high parasitimic blood meal was nonsignificant (p>0.05) on preoviposition period and hatchability. meanwhile a highly significant reduction was observed in oviposition rate,number of deposited eggs,number of hatched larvae and longevity (p<0.01). on the contrary moderate infection with hepatozoon revealed a great significant increase in fecundity (p<0.01) and a nonsignificant decrease in longevity (p>0.05)