Junges, Melania Teresita

Posdoctoral fellow CONICET

Professional resume + Expertise

Melania Teresita Junges has a bachelor degree in biology science from Buenos Aires University in 2013, and a PhD degree on applied science and engineer from San Martin University in 2019. From the bachelor degree, she has been studying mosquito ecology. Her PhD thesis was about optimization of the use of insect growth regulator for Aedes aegypti control in the field. Currently, she is carrying out a study about feeding pattern of immature Culex pipiens and Aedes aegypti in relation to their coexistence. By 2019, she is the author of six international publications.

Research

Feeding pattern of mosquito immature.

The level of nutrition of immature mosquitoes influences physiological characteristics and can affect adults vectorial capacity. Among the nutrients incorporated, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential for mosquito development and survival. The different PUFA requirements of the species are largely associated with the larval feeding strategy and the need for blood intake by adult females. Given the differences observed in the laboratory in the fatty acid metabolisms of Culex and Aedes species, the aim is to contribute to the knowledge of the relationship between the feeding of immature vector mosquito species reared in natural conditions and their vector capacity.