Olfactory regulation of mosquito-host interactions

Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2004 Jul;34(7):645-52. doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2004.03.017.

Abstract

Mosquitoes that act as disease vectors rely upon olfactory cues to direct several important behaviors that are fundamentally involved in establishing their overall vectorial capacity. Of these, the propensity to select humans for blood feeding is arguably the most important of these olfactory driven behaviors in so far as it significantly contributes to the ability of these mosquitoes to transmit pathogens that cause diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and most significantly human malaria. Here, we review significant advances in behavioral, physiological and molecular investigations into mosquito host preference, with a particular emphasis on studies that have emerged in the post-genomic era that seek to combine these approaches.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Culicidae / genetics
  • Culicidae / physiology*
  • Host-Parasite Interactions*
  • Humans
  • Malaria / transmission
  • Signal Transduction
  • Smell / genetics
  • Smell / physiology*