Development and Field Evaluation of a Synthetic Mosquito Lure That Is More Attractive than Humans

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Abstract

Background

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.

Methodology and Principal Findings

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.

Conclusion and Significance

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.

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Most cited references 16

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Samantha M Cook, Zeyaur Khan, John A. Pickett (2007)

Push-pull strategies involve the behavioral manipulation of insect pests and their natural enemies via the integration of stimuli that act to make the protected resource unattractive or unsuitable to the pests (push) while luring them toward an attractive source (pull) from where the pests are subsequently removed. The push and pull components are generally nontoxic. Therefore, the strategies are usually integrated with methods for population reduction, preferably biological control. Push-pull strategies maximize efficacy of behavior-manipulating stimuli through the additive and synergistic effects of integrating their use. By orchestrating a predictable distribution of pests, efficiency of population-reducing components can also be increased. The strategy is a useful tool for integrated pest management programs reducing pesticide input. We describe the principles of the strategy, list the potential components, and present case studies reviewing work on the development and use of push-pull strategies in each of the major areas of pest control.

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Author and article information

Contributors

: Role: Editor

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): PLoS One

Journal ID (publisher-id): plos

Journal ID (pmc): plosone

Title: PLoS ONE

Publisher: Public Library of Science (San Francisco, USA )

ISSN (Electronic): 1932-6203

Publication date Collection: 2010

Publication date (Electronic): 28 January 2010

Volume: 5

Issue: 1

Electronic Location Identifier: e8951

Affiliations

[1 ]Biomedical and Environmental Sciences Thematic Group, Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara, Tanzania

[2 ]School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya

[3 ]Disease Control and Vector Biology Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom

[4 ]School of Biological Sciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom

[5 ]Vector Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom

[6 ]College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America

[7 ]Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands

BMSI-A*STAR, Singapore

Author notes

* E-mail: fredros@ 123456ihi.or.tz

Conceived and designed the experiments: FOO GFK WT HM WRM SJM. Performed the experiments: FOO SBO LB EM ET CM HN SJM. Analyzed the data: FOO GFK SJM. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: RCS WT SJM. Wrote the paper: FOO GFK WT SJM.

Article

Publisher ID: 09-PONE-RA-14597R1

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008951

PMC ID: 2812511

PubMed ID: 20126628

SO-VID: 50f65d1e-21ac-4e4c-b12d-b46723ee8d7f

Copyright © Okumu et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

History

Date received : 2 December 2009

Date accepted : 11 January 2010

Page count

Pages: 7

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