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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #143349
Title: SYNERGISTIC ATTRACTION OF AEDES AEGYPTI (L.) TO BINARY BLENDS OF L-LACTIC ACID AND ACETONE, DICHLOROMETHANE, OR DIMETHYL DISULFIDE

Author
item Bernier, Ulrich
item Kline, Daniel - Dan
item Posey, Kenneth
item BOOTH, MATTHEW - UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
item YOST, RICHARD - UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
item Barnard, Donald

Submitted to: Journal of Medical Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2003
Publication Date: 5/15/2003
Citation: BERNIER, U.R., KLINE, D.L., POSEY, K.H., BOOTH, M.M., YOST, R.A., BARNARD, D.R. SYNERGISTIC ATTRACTION OF AEDES AEGYPTI (L.) TO BINARY BLENDS OF L-LACTIC ACID AND ACETONE, DICHLOROMETHANE, OR DIMETHYL DISULFIDE. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY. 2003. v.40(5).p.653-565.

Interpretive Summary: Scientists at the United States Department of Agriculture Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology have developed chemical blends that attract mosquitoes. These blends are based on a variety of human odors and help explain why people differ in their attraction to mosquitoes. The blends can be used in mosquito traps to increase the efficiency of mosquito collection and will ultimately aid mosquito control districts with surveillance of mosquitoes that are a nuisance and spread disease to humans. Additionally, these attractant blends can be used with traps for mosquito control.

Technical Abstract: Kairomones produced by humans provide female anthropophilic mosquitoes with vital cues used in host-seeking for a blood meal. These chemicals are emanated primarily by the skin and provide the mosquitoes a means to orient themselves to humans at a relatively close range. Chemical studies of these emanations have provided new ideas for the formulation of attractant blends. We report mosquito attraction responses for three binary blends and their separate components. The blends are comprised of L-lactic acid plus either acetone, dichloromethane, or dimethyl disulfide. At the emission rates used in our bioassays, these blends synergistically attract laboratory-reared female Aedes aegypti. Carbon dioxide is not a necessary component to yield high levels of attraction with these blends. It is postulated that at least one of these synergistic blends (L-lactic acid and acetone) produces mosquito attraction behavior similar to that observed for the combination of L-lactic acid and CO2. Hypotheses based on observations of this study are reported herein.