COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
A Comparison of Common Diets for the Laboratory Culture of the Green Bottle Fly, Lucilia sericata
STUDENTS Allissa M Blystone, Mark A Hawk, Alexandra E Jacob, Clare A Kelly, David Barry Foraker Kling, John M Riordan ADVISORS Karolyn M Hansen LOCATION, TIME RecPlex, 11:00 AM-12:30 PM Biology, Poster - Independent Research Blow flies from the family Calliphoridae, specifically Lucilia sericata, are important for both forensic science and medicinal applications. They serve as agents for post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation in forensics, and are used for maggot debridement therapy (MDT) in medicine. Forensic entomologists currently use several different methods for culture of organisms in laboratory settings. A common streamlined laboratory culture protocol for L. sericata would provide the entomology community a common basis for comparison of studies involving genetics, PMI estimation, and organism culture for medical uses. This study compares and reviews several common, simple diets and the effects of each diet on the survivorship and fecundity of L. sericata. The flies were cultured at 26 degrees Celsius, 30-40% humidity, on a 12 hour light/dark cycle, and fed one of nine diets. Analyses of the data revealed that the life span of the flies was extended, and a greater number of eggs per oviposition event were produced by females, when the organisms were fed a diet of honey water and bovine liver. We propose the use of this two-part diet as an optimal diet for laboratory culture of L. sericata.
Ovary Staging Analysis of the Female Adult Blow Fly, Lucilia sericata
STUDENTS Allissa M Blystone, Clare A Kelly, Timothy J Lee, Connor Ratycz ADVISORS Karolyn M Hansen LOCATION, TIME RecPlex, 11:00 AM-12:30 PM Biology, Poster - Independent Research The green bottle fly, Lucilia sericata, is a forensically important organism for the determination of post-mortem interval (PMI) of deceased individuals. Lucilia sericata plays an important role in the initiation and subsequent pattern of insect colonization, as well as species progression on decomposing organic matter since it is one of the primary colonizers. Adult female L. sericata are attracted to decaying organic material to fulfill a physiological need for a protein meal. Protein is required for completion of sexual development, vitellogenesis (egg production), and production of sex pheromones. Much is known regarding the life cycle of the species, however, the effects of diet quality and timing on ovary and egg development is not well understood. We hypothesize that the production of eggs, and thus ovary development in female Lucilia sericata, occurs four to five days after the initial consumption of a protein meal. Adult flies were separated into two groups: Group #1 included both males and females (1:1 ratio), and Group #2 included only females. Three females from Group #1 and Group #2 were removed at twelve hour intervals each day and preserved for dissection. Ovaries were staged using two methods. The first staged the organs using a more common 0-3 scale where 0=no egg development, and 3=full egg development. The second method staged the ovaries using length and width measurements to calculate the area. Data were averaged for each time point. Preliminary results indicate that ovaries begin to develop between three to five days post-ecclosion with the immediate introduction of a protein source, while full ovarian development occurred in the subsequent 24-36 hours.
Fabrication of Low-Cost Flow Cell and Tapered Optical Fibers for Aqueous Biosensing
STUDENTS Marika S Edwards, Dillon T Grandinette, Branden J. King, Jonathan B Melendez ADVISORS Karolyn M Hansen, Peter E Powers LOCATION, TIME RecPlex, 11:00 AM-12:30 PM Biology, Poster - Independent Research This study focuses on the engineering and design of a biconic, tapered optical fiber platform for biosensing applications. The sensor platform consists of a machined polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon, PTFE) flow cell which is chemically inert, easily machined, and available at low-cost. The flow cell was designed to withstand temperatures of 0 to 60 degrees Celsius, to protect the fragile, tapered fiber, and connected to a syringe pump to allow for the introduction of aqueous solutions for surface chemistry functionalization and analyte exposures. The flow system was used to characterize individual single-mode or polarization-maintaining fibers that were tapered to a waist diameter of approximately 10 microns. Signal was measured as the amount of light transmission through the tapered fibers. Preliminary results obtained for antibody-antigen interactions 36