Development and field evaluation of a synthetic mosquito lure that is more attractive than humans.
<h4>Background</h4>Disease transmitting mosquitoes locate humans and other blood hosts by identifying their characteristic odor profiles. Using their olfactory organs, the mosquitoes detect compounds present in human breath, sweat and skins, and use these as cues to locate and obtain blo...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2010-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20126628/pdf/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1831583235444834304 |
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| author | Fredros O Okumu Gerry F Killeen Sheila Ogoma Lubandwa Biswaro Renate C Smallegange Edgar Mbeyela Emmanuel Titus Cristina Munk Hassan Ngonyani Willem Takken Hassan Mshinda Wolfgang R Mukabana Sarah J Moore |
| author_facet | Fredros O Okumu Gerry F Killeen Sheila Ogoma Lubandwa Biswaro Renate C Smallegange Edgar Mbeyela Emmanuel Titus Cristina Munk Hassan Ngonyani Willem Takken Hassan Mshinda Wolfgang R Mukabana Sarah J Moore |
| author_sort | Fredros O Okumu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Disease transmitting mosquitoes locate humans and other blood hosts by identifying their characteristic odor profiles. Using their olfactory organs, the mosquitoes detect compounds present in human breath, sweat and skins, and use these as cues to locate and obtain blood from the humans. These odor compounds can be synthesized in vitro, then formulated to mimic humans. While some synthetic mosquito lures already exist, evidence supporting their utility is limited to laboratory settings, where long-range stimuli cannot be investigated.<h4>Methodology and principal findings</h4>Here we report the development and field evaluation of an odor blend consisting of known mosquito attractants namely carbon dioxide, ammonia and carboxylic acids, which was optimized at distances comparable with attractive ranges of humans to mosquitoes. Binary choice assays were conducted inside a large-cage semi-field enclosure using attractant-baited traps placed 20 m apart. This enabled high-throughput optimization of concentrations at which the individual candidate attractants needed to be added so as to obtain a blend maximally attractive to laboratory-reared An. gambiae. To determine whether wild mosquitoes would also be attracted to this synthetic odor blend and to compare it with whole humans under epidemiologically relevant conditions, field experiments were conducted inside experimental huts, where the blend was compared with 10 different adult male volunteers (20-34 years old). The blend attracted 3 to 5 times more mosquitoes than humans when the two baits were in different experimental huts (10-100 metres apart), but was equally or less attractive than humans when compared side by side within same huts.<h4>Conclusion and significance</h4>This highly attractive substitute for human baits might enable development of technologies for trapping mosquitoes in numbers sufficient to prevent rather than merely monitor transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T20:38:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ede7284ab7ec42a395e51bf6e3b38060 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T20:38:37Z |
| publishDate | 2010-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-ede7284ab7ec42a395e51bf6e3b380602022-12-21T21:33:23ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032010-01-0151e895110.1371/journal.pone.0008951Development and field evaluation of a synthetic mosquito lure that is more attractive than humans.Fredros O OkumuGerry F KilleenSheila OgomaLubandwa BiswaroRenate C SmallegangeEdgar MbeyelaEmmanuel TitusCristina MunkHassan NgonyaniWillem TakkenHassan MshindaWolfgang R MukabanaSarah J Moore<h4>Background</h4>Disease transmitting mosquitoes locate humans and other blood hosts by identifying their characteristic odor profiles. Using their olfactory organs, the mosquitoes detect compounds present in human breath, sweat and skins, and use these as cues to locate and obtain blood from the humans. These odor compounds can be synthesized in vitro, then formulated to mimic humans. While some synthetic mosquito lures already exist, evidence supporting their utility is limited to laboratory settings, where long-range stimuli cannot be investigated.<h4>Methodology and principal findings</h4>Here we report the development and field evaluation of an odor blend consisting of known mosquito attractants namely carbon dioxide, ammonia and carboxylic acids, which was optimized at distances comparable with attractive ranges of humans to mosquitoes. Binary choice assays were conducted inside a large-cage semi-field enclosure using attractant-baited traps placed 20 m apart. This enabled high-throughput optimization of concentrations at which the individual candidate attractants needed to be added so as to obtain a blend maximally attractive to laboratory-reared An. gambiae. To determine whether wild mosquitoes would also be attracted to this synthetic odor blend and to compare it with whole humans under epidemiologically relevant conditions, field experiments were conducted inside experimental huts, where the blend was compared with 10 different adult male volunteers (20-34 years old). The blend attracted 3 to 5 times more mosquitoes than humans when the two baits were in different experimental huts (10-100 metres apart), but was equally or less attractive than humans when compared side by side within same huts.<h4>Conclusion and significance</h4>This highly attractive substitute for human baits might enable development of technologies for trapping mosquitoes in numbers sufficient to prevent rather than merely monitor transmission of mosquito-borne diseases.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20126628/pdf/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Fredros O Okumu Gerry F Killeen Sheila Ogoma Lubandwa Biswaro Renate C Smallegange Edgar Mbeyela Emmanuel Titus Cristina Munk Hassan Ngonyani Willem Takken Hassan Mshinda Wolfgang R Mukabana Sarah J Moore Development and field evaluation of a synthetic mosquito lure that is more attractive than humans. PLoS ONE |
| title | Development and field evaluation of a synthetic mosquito lure that is more attractive than humans. |
| title_full | Development and field evaluation of a synthetic mosquito lure that is more attractive than humans. |
| title_fullStr | Development and field evaluation of a synthetic mosquito lure that is more attractive than humans. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development and field evaluation of a synthetic mosquito lure that is more attractive than humans. |
| title_short | Development and field evaluation of a synthetic mosquito lure that is more attractive than humans. |
| title_sort | development and field evaluation of a synthetic mosquito lure that is more attractive than humans |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20126628/pdf/?tool=EBI |
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