Mosquito inoculation: an alternative bioassay for toxins.

Mosquitoes were evaluated as a bioassay host for several classes of biological toxins. Mosquitoes were sensitive to snake toxic or neurotoxic phospholipase A2 enzymes (but not to nontoxic phospholipase A2 enzymes), cobrotoxin, saxitoxin, microcystin and the scorpion insect sodium channel toxin. Mosquitoes were not sensitive to ricin, diphtheria toxin, anthrax toxin, botulinum toxin, tetanus toxin, conotoxin G or a scorpion sodium channel toxin toxic to mammals. Specific antisera neutralization tests with mosquitoes gave comparable results to those of a mouse assay. The mosquito is a suitable bioassay animal for many, but not all biological toxins, and offers a safer, more efficient and economical assay than mice.