Plasmodium-associated changes in human odor attract mosquitoes

TY - JOUR

T1 - Plasmodium-associated changes in human odor attract mosquitoes

AU - Robinson, Ailie

AU - Busula, Annette O

AU - Voets, Mirjam A

AU - Beshir, Khalid B

AU - Caulfield, John C

AU - Powers, Stephen J

AU - Verhulst, Niels O

AU - Winskill, Peter

AU - Muwanguzi, Julian

AU - Birkett, Michael A

AU - Smallegange, Renate C

AU - Masiga, Daniel K

AU - Mukabana, W Richard

AU - Sauerwein, Robert W

AU - Sutherland, Colin J

AU - Bousema, Teun

AU - Pickett, John A

AU - Takken, Willem

AU - Logan, James G

AU - de Boer, Jetske G

N1 - 6566, TE;

PY - 2018/5/1

Y1 - 2018/5/1

N2 - Malaria parasites (Plasmodium) can change the attractiveness of their vertebrate hosts to Anopheles vectors, leading to a greater number of vector-host contacts and increased transmission. Indeed, naturally Plasmodium-infected children have been shown to attract more mosquitoes than parasite-free children. Here, we demonstrate Plasmodium-induced increases in the attractiveness of skin odor in Kenyan children and reveal quantitative differences in the production of specific odor components in infected vs. parasite-free individuals. We found the aldehydes heptanal, octanal, and nonanal to be produced in greater amounts by infected individuals and detected by mosquito antennae. In behavioral experiments, we demonstrated that these, and other, Plasmodium-induced aldehydes enhanced the attractiveness of a synthetic odor blend mimicking "healthy" human odor. Heptanal alone increased the attractiveness of "parasite-free" natural human odor. Should the increased production of these aldehydes by Plasmodium-infected humans lead to increased mosquito biting in a natural setting, this would likely affect the transmission of malaria.

AB - Malaria parasites (Plasmodium) can change the attractiveness of their vertebrate hosts to Anopheles vectors, leading to a greater number of vector-host contacts and increased transmission. Indeed, naturally Plasmodium-infected children have been shown to attract more mosquitoes than parasite-free children. Here, we demonstrate Plasmodium-induced increases in the attractiveness of skin odor in Kenyan children and reveal quantitative differences in the production of specific odor components in infected vs. parasite-free individuals. We found the aldehydes heptanal, octanal, and nonanal to be produced in greater amounts by infected individuals and detected by mosquito antennae. In behavioral experiments, we demonstrated that these, and other, Plasmodium-induced aldehydes enhanced the attractiveness of a synthetic odor blend mimicking "healthy" human odor. Heptanal alone increased the attractiveness of "parasite-free" natural human odor. Should the increased production of these aldehydes by Plasmodium-infected humans lead to increased mosquito biting in a natural setting, this would likely affect the transmission of malaria.

KW - international

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1721610115

DO - 10.1073/pnas.1721610115

M3 - Article

C2 - 29666273

SN - 0027-8424

VL - 115

SP - E4209-E4218

JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

IS - 18

ER -