Why Do Mosquitoes Eat and Bite People?

Wouter

Until recently, scientists could not determine why mosquitoes eat and bite people. Then, researchers discovered that these tiny insects use a complex system of chemical and physical cues to detect their hosts. This research opens new doors for the development of insect repellents.

Scientists have been working for decades to understand the anatomy of a mosquito’s bite. One theory is that the bite causes blood to travel through the mosquito’s body. This transport helps release digestive enzymes into the gut. This process is called vesicle transport. The vesicle transport is a crucial part of the mosquito’s life cycle.

In order to determine the mechanism of vesicle transport, scientists created live mosquitoes. They attached them to a thin pin and set them on a tether. These mosquitoes were then placed in a flight simulator to see how they would react.

The video shows dramatic results. The vesicle transport was blocked, and 90 percent of the mosquitoes died within 48 hours. This means that the blocking of vesicle transport can help reduce the spread of diseases such as dengue and West Nile.

The NIH-funded study was led by Dr. Anandasankar Ray at the University of California, Riverside. In addition, support was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The team dissected the labrum mouthparts of the mosquitoes and looked at the chemicals inside the body. They also used computer software to analyze the behavior of the mosquitoes.

The team found that the glomeruli in the mosquitoes’ brains respond to different kinds of smells. Some glomeruli respond to animal and human odors, while others respond to a wide variety of smells.

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