Internal and external drivers interact to create highly dynamic mosquito blood-feeding behaviour.
Proc Biol Sci
; 291(2029): 20241105, 2024 Aug.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39196275
ABSTRACT
Blood-feeding, which is necessary for most female mosquitoes to reproduce, provides an opportunity for pathogen transmission. Blood-feeding is influenced by external factors such as light, temperature, humidity and intra- and inter-specific interactions. Physiologically, blood-feeding cycles are linked to nutritional conditions and governed by conserved hormonal signalling pathways that prepare mosquito sensory systems to locate and evaluate hosts. Human activities also alter mosquito blood-feeding behaviour through selection pressures such as insecticide usage, habitat and ecosystem alterations, and climate change. Notably, blood-feeding behaviour changes within a mosquito's lifespan, an underexplored phenomenon from an epidemiological standpoint. A review of the literature indicates that our understanding of mosquito biology and blood-feeding behaviour is predominantly based on studies of a handful of primarily tropical species. This focus likely skews our comprehension of the diversity of critical drivers of blood-feeding behaviour, especially under constraints imposed by harsh conditions. We found evidence of remarkable adaptability in blood-feeding and significant knowledge gaps regarding the determinants of host use. Specifically, epidemiological analyses assume host use is modified by external factors, while neglecting internal physiology. Integrating all significant factors is essential for developing effective models of mosquito-borne disease transmission in a rapidly changing world.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Feeding Behavior
/
Culicidae
Limits:
Animals
/
Female
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Proc Biol Sci
Journal subject:
BIOLOGIA
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Country of publication: