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Hormonal Control of Mosquito Bloodlust: New Insights from Michael Strand’s Study
Context:
A new study of Entomologist Michael Strand of the University of Georgia has suggested that a pair of mosquito hormones work in tandem to activate or suppress the pesky insects’ blood cravings.
About The Study:
- Female mosquitoes consume animal blood to aid egg development.
- After a blood meal, female mosquitoes lose their appetite for blood until they lay their eggs. Study investigated the mechanism controlling this cycle.
- Levels of the mosquito gut hormone F(NPF) spike when mosquitoes search for a host and drop after feeding.
- Further analysis of mosquito enteroendocrine cells showed NPF levels rise before feeding and fall six hours later.
- NPF levels influence mosquitoes’ interest in humans, they ignore human blood post-feast but are attracted to it after laying eggs.
- Another gut hormone, RYamide, also influences bloodlust, as NPF levels drop post-meal, RYamide levels rise, and vice versa.
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- NPF and RYamide work together to stimulate and suppress mosquitoes’ attraction to blood.
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Significance of the Study:
- The discovery could provide new pesticide targets for preventing mosquito reproduction and disease transmission.
- Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on the planet, acting as vectors for diseases like malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, yellow fever, Zika, chikungunya, and lymphatic filariasis.
- These diseases collectively kill more people than any other creature.
- Climate change is making mosquitoes more prevalent, spreading diseases like dengue to previously too cold regions.
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