Two viruses that cause tropical diseases manipulate their hosts into emitting more of a mosquito-attracting molecule.
To see whether the Zika and dengue viruses had also evolved ways to attract mosquitoes’ attention, Cheng and his colleagues infected mice with one or the other. They then placed infected and healthy mice in separate enclosures and wafted their scent into a mosquito-filled chamber that was connected to both enclosures, to see which group the insects preferred. Around 65–70% of the mosquitoes moved towards the enclosure with infected mice, suggesting that these animals smelled more appealing.
Bacteria that produce acetophenone grow naturally on the skin, but their numbers are usually kept in check by an antimicrobial protein that is secreted by skin cells. However, the team’s studies revealed that the gene responsible for making this protein was less active when mice had dengue or Zika. As a result, the skin of infected mice was overrun with acetophenone-producing bacteria, making the mice smellier and attracting the attention of hungry mosquitoes. The researchers took armpit swabs from people with dengue and found that humans produce more acetophenone when they’re infected with the virus than when they aren’t. Furthermore, mosquitoes are more attracted to sweaty swabs from people with dengue than to those from uninfected humans.
The team now plans to test the use of vitamin A to reduce transmission of dengue in Malaysia, where the disease is endemic.
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