feeding-quantifying-animal-derived-blood-artificial-meals-aedes

Feeding and Quantifying Animal-Derived Blood and Artificial Meals in <em>Aedes aegypti</em> Mosquitoes

Females of certain mosquito species can spread diseases while biting vertebrate hosts to obtain protein-rich blood meals required for egg development. In ...

Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes require protein from blood to develop eggs. They have evolved a strong innate drive to find and bite humans and engorge on their blood. Decades of research have revealed that attraction to hosts is suppressed for days after blood-feeding. During this time, females coordinate complex physiological changes, allowing them to utilize blood protein to develop eggs: clearing excess fluid, digesting protein, and egg maturation. How do mechanosensation, nutrient consumption, and reproductive pathways combine to produce the full expression of host-seeking suppression? Understanding mechanisms of endogenous host-seeking suppression may allow them to be 'weaponized' against mosquitoes through exogenous activation and developed as tools for vector control. Recent work allows unprecedented genetic and pharmacological access to characterize and disrupt this behavioral cycle.

Laura B. Duvall

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