Blood (with and without parasites) at 1, 4, or 9 days post blood meal

Female sand flies aged 5 to 9 days were fed blood or parasite-containing blood, resulting in four treatment groups: (i) blood meal only, (ii) blood meal + L. major, (iii) blood meal + L. donovani and (iv) blood meal + H. muscarum. Flies were then left to develop an infection or digest their non-infected blood meal for 1, 4 or 9 days (Three biological replicates).