Mosquitoes locate and obtain bloodmeals from suitable hosts by using various host location cues, perhaps the strongest of which are the volatile chemicals emanated by the host. These biting flies demonstrate a selection preference for different species of host, e.g. human versus avian, as well as for hosts within the same species, e.g. different humans. Semiochemicals from humans and other animals have been identified and studied to determine how they mediate mosquito-host seeking and feeding. Some of these chemicals function as kairomones, which help mosquitoes find their preferred host. Others of these function as allomones, which can either repel the mosquitoes or result in anosmia, whereby the behavior impact on mosquitoes is that they are seemingly unable to detect and orient towards the source of host kairomones. While there are a number of naturally produced allomones, the most effective repellents (those that protect at nearly 100 % efficacy and for the longest durations) are synthetic and have been designed structurally based upon trends observed in structure-activity relationships. This presentation will cover the chemistry the surrounds the behavior of mosquitoes, specifically on those compounds that function as kairomones (attractants) or allomones (repellents and inhibitors) for mosquitoes.

Discovery of chemicals that mediate mosquito host-seeking and biting behavior

256th National Meeting (2018)

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