Abstract
Mosquitoes have recently attracted general public attention in Scandinavia primarily due to their increased annoyance level, affecting both health and quality of life of humans and domestic animals. Outside of Scandinavia, mosquitoes have also attracted attention, but for other reasons, namely due to their increased role in transmitting arthropod-borne protozoans and viruses. Olfaction has been established to be the dominant sensory input for mosquitoes, where its role in host selection behaviors of adult females directly impacts the overall ability of these insects to detect both humans and animals. As such, an examination of the olfactory system and the molecular components responsible for olfactory signal transduction in these insects will provide additional and crucial insight into the mechanisms of mosquito olfaction as well as constitute an important resource for the design and implementation of effective control strategies. In this proposal we aim to study olfactory function and host seeking behavior in Culex pipiens, a common species in Scandinavia, as well as in Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti. The latter two species are included due to the massive amount of data on the biology of these two important vectors collected over the years. In all, our studies will lay a strong foundation for manipulation of mosquito behaviour, a manipulation important for inhabitants of large areas of Sweden, but also proactive against future mosquito-borne disease invasions.
Sweden