The Olfactory and Microbial Basis of Mosquito Attraction to Humans

Authors

John S. Castillo, jcast341@fiu.eduFollow

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Major/Program

Biology

First Advisor's Name

Matthew DeGennaro

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee chair

Second Advisor's Name

Fernando Noriega

Second Advisor's Committee Title

committee member

Third Advisor's Name

Lidia Kos

Third Advisor's Committee Title

committee member

Fourth Advisor's Name

Laura Serbus

Fourth Advisor's Committee Title

committee member

Fifth Advisor's Name

Francisco Fernandez-Lima

Fifth Advisor's Committee Title

committee member

Keywords

biology, genetics, molecular genetics, other microbiology

Date of Defense

6-21-2023

Abstract

Mosquitoes infect hundreds of millions of people every year with a variety of deadly viruses, making them the most dangerous animal on earth. However, humans are not equally attractive to mosquitoes, leaving some individuals more vulnerable to mosquito borne-illness than others. The infectious behavior of the mosquito is dependent on multiple sensory cues, with odor amongst the most crucial cues for human host detection. Human odor is strongly influenced by an individual’s skin microbiome, as the human body would be largely odorless if not for the volatile organic compounds produced by the commensal bacteria on the human skin. Multiple studies have shown that skin microbiota play an important role in generating volatile compounds from sweat. Using a uniport olfactometer to measure mosquito attraction of Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. 119 human subjects were assayed and the microbiome and volatilome of each subject was sampled in the same session to capture an odor and microbial profile for each individual. To determine what strains of bacteria were associated with high attraction and low attraction individuals we used random forests as well as a mixed effects model. We identified chemical compounds and strains of bacteria that are differentially abundant between subjects. By examining the interaction of attraction, volatilome, and microbiome across subjects, this study aims to determine how the bacteria on our skin affect mosquito attraction.

Identifier

FIDC011175

ORCID

0000-0002-1881-768X

Recommended Citation

Castillo, John S., "The Olfactory and Microbial Basis of Mosquito Attraction to Humans" (2023). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5389.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5389