Journal article
Insect repellents mediate species-specific olfactory behaviours in mosquitoes
Malaria journal, v 19(1), pp 127-127
30 Mar 2020
PMCID: PMC7106743
PMID: 32228701
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Background The species-specific mode of action for DEET and many other mosquito repellents is often unclear. Confusion may arise for many reasons. First, the response of a single mosquito species is often used to represent all mosquito species. Second, behavioural studies usually test the effect of repellents on mosquito attraction towards human odorants, rather than their direct repulsive effect on mosquitoes. Third, the mosquito sensory neuron responses towards repellents are often not directly examined. Methods A close proximity response assay was used to test the direct repulsive effect of six mosquito repellents on Anopheles coluzzii, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. Additionally, the behavioural assay and calcium imaging recordings of antennae were used to test the response of An. coluzzii mosquitoes towards two human odorants (1-octen-3-ol and benzaldehyde) at different concentrations, and mixtures of the repellents lemongrass oil and p-menthane-3,8-diol (PMD) with DEET. Results Anopheles coluzzii mosquitoes were repelled by lemongrass oil and PMD, while Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes were repelled by lemongrass oil, PMD, eugenol, and DEET. In addition, high concentrations of 1-octen-3-ol and benzaldehyde were repellent, and activated more olfactory receptor neurons on the An. coluzzii antennae than lower concentrations. Finally, changes in olfactory responses to repellent mixtures reflected changes in repulsive behaviours. Conclusions The findings described here suggest that different species of mosquitoes have different behavioural responses to repellents. The data further suggest that high-odour concentrations may recruit repellent-sensing neurons, or generally excite many olfactory neurons, yielding repellent behavioural responses. Finally, DEET can decrease the neuronal and behavioural response of An. coluzzii mosquitoes towards PMD but not towards lemongrass oil. Overall, these studies can help inform mosquito repellent choice by species, guide decisions on effective repellent blends, and could ultimately identify the olfactory neurons and receptors in mosquitoes that mediate repellency.
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Details
- Title
- Insect repellents mediate species-specific olfactory behaviours in mosquitoes
- Creators
- Ali Afify - Johns Hopkins MedicineChristopher J. Potter - Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Publication Details
- Malaria journal, v 19(1), pp 127-127
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 10
- Grant note
- W81XWH-17-PRMRP / Department of Defense; United States Department of Defense Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute Pilot Fund Bloomberg Philanthropies NIAID R01Al137078 / National Institutes of Health; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000523748200005
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85082731302
- Other Identifier
- 991021229986904721
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Infectious Diseases
- Parasitology
- Tropical Medicine