Do Mosquitoes Need Human Blood to Reproduce?
WouterHundreds of thousands of people are killed every year by mosquitoes, which transmit hundreds of diseases, including dengue, West Nile, yellow fever, and Zika. Mosquitoes also spread germs from infected animals.
Mosquitoes are blood suckers, so it is not surprising that they bite people. Mosquitoes also carry viruses that can cause malaria and West Nile. Adult mosquitoes can live for two to four weeks depending on the species. They can also subsist on nectar and fruit juice. Adult mosquitoes can live longer if they are kept in high humidity.
Researchers have been trying to understand the anatomy of a mosquito bite for decades. Until recently, scientists could not figure out how the body parts of a mosquito connected. Now, a team led by Alexander S. Raikhel at the University of California, Riverside, is shedding light on the biology of the bite.
Researchers analyzed the blood and egg components of three mosquito species. They found that the number of eggs laid per clutch was correlated to the volume of blood ingested. Specifically, the three groups contained the highest egg numbers.
Researchers found that female mosquitoes are able to lay eggs only if they receive blood from a living host. Several studies have suggested that olfactory cues attract anautogenous mosquitoes to vertebrates. Some mosquito species prefer to feed on specific types of animals, such as birds.
However, most anautogenous mosquitoes bite multiple vertebrates. Therefore, researchers are looking into whether olfactory cues attract them to avian hosts, which may make them more likely to feed on living hosts.
