Geosmin Attracts Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes to Oviposition Sites

Melo, NadiaLund University,Lunds universitet,Funktionell zoologi,Biologiska institutionen,Naturvetenskapliga fakulteten,Functional zoology,Department of Biology,Faculty of Science (author)

Geosmin is one of the most recognizable and common microbial smells on the planet. Some insects, like mosquitoes, require microbial-rich environments for their progeny, whereas for other insects such microbes may prove dangerous. In the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, geosmin is decoded in a remarkably precise fashion and induces aversion, presumably signaling the presence of harmful microbes [1]. We have here investigated the effect of geosmin on the behavior of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti. In contrast to flies, geosmin is not aversive but mediates egg-laying site selection. Female mosquitoes likely associate geosmin with microbes, including cyanobacteria consumed by larvae [2], who also find geosmin—as well as geosmin-producing cyanobacteria—attractive. Using in vivo multiphoton calcium imaging from transgenic PUb-GCaMP6s mosquitoes, we show that Ae. aegypti code geosmin in a qualitatively similar fashion to flies, i.e., through a single olfactory channel with a high degree of sensitivity for this volatile. We further demonstrate that geosmin can be used as bait under field conditions, and finally, we show that geosmin, which is both expensive and difficult to obtain, can be substituted by beetroot peel extract, providing a cheap and viable potential mean for mosquito control and surveillance in developing countries.

Wolff, Gabriella H.University of Washington (author)
Costa-da-Silva, Andre LuisFlorida International University (author)
Arribas, RobertFlorida International University (author)
Triana, Merybeth FernandezLund University,Lunds universitet,Funktionell zoologi,Biologiska institutionen,Naturvetenskapliga fakulteten,Functional zoology,Department of Biology,Faculty of Science,Federal University of Alagoas(Swepub:lu)me3267fe (author)
Gugger, MurielPasteur Institute (author)
Riffell, Jeffrey A.University of Washington (author)
DeGennaro, MatthewFlorida International University (author)
Stensmyr, Marcus C.Lund University,Lunds universitet,Funktionell zoologi,Biologiska institutionen,Naturvetenskapliga fakulteten,Functional zoology,Department of Biology,Faculty of Science(Swepub:lu)biol-msm (author)
Funktionell zoologiBiologiska institutionen (creator_code:org_t)

By the author/editor: Melo, Nadia; Wolff, Gabriella ...; Costa-da-Silva, ...; Arribas, Robert; Triana, Merybeth ...; Gugger, Muriel; show more...; Riffell, Jeffrey ...; DeGennaro, Matth ...; Stensmyr, Marcus ...; show less...

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NATURAL SCIENCES: NATURAL SCIENCES; and Biological Scien ...; and Biochemistry and ...

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