An Assay for Quantifying Aedes aegypti Host Odor Preference Using a Two-Port Olfactometer.

ABSTRACT

Female mosquitoes use odor cues to locate hosts for blood meals and are often more likely to approach the odor of certain species or individuals over others. Here, we describe an assay for measuring such odor-based host preference. This assay uses a two-port olfactometer and can be adapted to study a wide variety of odor sources including live hosts, host-scented nylon sleeves or host hair samples, and single odorants or odorant blends.