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Kairomones Responsible for Mosquito Attraction Toward Humans

Content Editor: Dr. M Swathi Shenoy

July 5, 2023 at 12:03:16 AM

Vector Borne Diseases, Carboxylic Acid, Olfaction, Kairomones

Content Editor: Dr. M Swathi Shenoy

  • A novel study was conducted in Zambia, the WHO African region, to test the behavior of Anopheles gambiae against various human scents in natural settings.  

  • The novelty of this study included-        

  1. Use of an outdoor natural setting.         

  2. The semi-flight cage area used was much larger (2000 times) than the ones traditionally used for laboratory assays.         

  3. Comparison of multiple scents at the same time.  

  • Kairomones are an interspecific mixture of semiochemicals, produced by one species which induces responses advantageous to an individual of a different species perceiving the signal.

  • The study concluded that the mosquitoes exhibit olfactory preferences, especially towards carboxylic acids.  

  • This data can be used in the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases.

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