JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments
Microbiology
0 views • 2:40 min • February 2nd, 2026
Begin with a slide containing an anesthetized adult mosquito in a drop of phosphate-buffered saline or PBS.
Under a dissecting microscope, remove the mosquito’s legs, wings, and head.
Cut off the tip of the abdomen to avoid damaging the digestive tract.
Secure the thorax and end of the abdomen, then gently pull out the digestive tract to extract it.
The extracted digestive tract includes the midgut, which is responsible for digestion and harbors diverse gut bacteria that influence mosquito physiology.
Under higher magnification, carefully remove the surrounding structures to isolate the midgut.
Transfer the isolated midgut into a fresh tube containing PBS.
Homogenize the midgut to release the bacteria into the PBS.
Spread the diluted homogenate onto a nutrient agar plate.
Incubate the plate to allow bacterial colonies to grow, representing the microbial flora of the mosquito midgut.
Dissect the mosquito separately on a sterile glass slide containing a drop of PBS. Carefully remove the legs, wings, and head of the mosquito using forceps.
Clamp the mosquito's chest and the last section of abdomen with forceps and pull apart to isolate the digestive tract.
Use forceps to remove the crop and the m
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