Malaria Infected Mosquitoes Express Enhanced Attraction to Human Odor

Renate C. Smallegange; Geert-Jan van Gemert; Marga van de Vegte-Bolmer; Salvador Gezan; Willem Takken; Robert W. Sauerwein; James G. Logan

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0063602

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Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

Malaria Infected Mosquitoes Express Enhanced Attraction to Human Odor

Renate C. Smallegange ,

* E-mail: renate.smallegange@gmail.com (RCS); james.logan@lshtm.ac.uk (JL)

Affiliations Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research Center, EH Wageningen, The Netherlands, Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, United Kingdom
⨯
Geert-Jan van Gemert,

Affiliation Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Marga van de Vegte-Bolmer,

Affiliation Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Salvador Gezan,

Affiliation Department of Statistics, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
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Willem Takken,

Affiliation Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research Center, EH Wageningen, The Netherlands
⨯
Robert W. Sauerwein,

Affiliation Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
⨯
James G. Logan

* E-mail: renate.smallegange@gmail.com (RCS); james.logan@lshtm.ac.uk (JL)

Affiliation Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, United Kingdom
⨯

Malaria Infected Mosquitoes Express Enhanced Attraction to Human Odor

Renate C. Smallegange,
Geert-Jan van Gemert,
Marga van de Vegte-Bolmer,
Salvador Gezan,
Willem Takken,
Robert W. Sauerwein,
James G. Logan

Published: May 15, 2013
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0063602

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Alternative explanation?

Posted by Docpelletier on 23 May 2013 at 15:19 GMT

The figure shows that the rate of landing for uninfected mosquitos on odor-free substrate to be undetectable, while the infected mosquitos show some interaction with the odor-free substrate. Authors cannot say whether the increase in rate of landing on human-odor substrate is any greater than the increase in rate on odor free. This could simply be an effect of the well-documented increase in general feeding behavior of infected mosquitos.
A better control than "odor free" would be odor of another mammal that is not a secondary host for P. falciparum.

No competing interests declared.

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Malaria Infected Mosquitoes Express Enhanced Attraction to Human Odor

Malaria Infected Mosquitoes Express Enhanced Attraction to Human Odor

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Alternative explanation?

Posted by Docpelletier on 23 May 2013 at 15:19 GMT