Effects of Preexposure to DEET on the Downstream Blood-Feeding Behaviors of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Mosquitoes

In this study, we investigated the effect of preexposure to DEET on the downstream blood-feeding behavior of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes and the duration of the effect. We exposed mosquitoes to four different DEET concentrations: 0.10, 0.12, 0.14, and 0.16% for 10 min then allowed the mosquitoes to blood-feed on an artificial blood-feeding system either immediately or after being held for 1, 3, 6, or 24 h following DEET exposure. We found that preexposing Ae. aegypti mosquitoes to 0.14 or 0.16% DEET lowered their blood engorgement level, but did not alter their landing and probing behavior when compared to the control test populations. The reduction in complete blood-feeding was observed at all time periods tested, but was only statistically significant at 3 and 6 h after the preexposure process. Because reduction in blood meal has been associated with increased refeeding, future studies analyzing the effect of this behavior using arbovirus-infected mosquitoes are needed to address the concern of potentially increased vectorial capacity.

Source: Journal of Medical Entomology - September 2, 2016 Category: Biology Authors: Sugiharto, V. A., Grieco, J. P., Murphy, J. R., Olsen, C. H., Colacicco-Mayhugh, M. G., Stewart, V. A., Achee, N. L., Turell, M. J. Tags: Behavior, Chemical Ecology Source Type: research