Understanding the roles of pathogen infection and sensory cue integration in mosquito blood-feeding behavior (PiQiMosqBite)

Mosquitoes serve as vectors for diseases including dengue and malaria, for which half the world’s population is at risk. Mosquito-borne pathogens are transmitted during blood feeding, yet despite its crucial role in pathogen transmission, blood feeding behavior remains ill understood. The sensory integration of physical and chemical cues on the skin and below its surface, and the effect of pathogen infection on blood feeding are poorly characterized. These knowledge gaps are due to a lack of tools to quantitatively study blood feeding behavior. Imaging mosquitoes feeding on a transparent skin mimic will enable the detailed characterization of the behavioral trajectory leading to blood feeding while simultaneously allowing the analysis of biting dynamics by imaging the expectoration of saliva. To unravel the behavioral effects of pathogen infection, blood feeding by non-infected Aedes aegypti (the main dengue vector) and Anopheles gambiae (an important malaria vector) will be compared with their dengue virus and Plasmodium falciparum infected counterparts. Next, microfabricaton will be used to embed artificial vasculature in the skin mimic to dissect the sensory cue integration underlying blood feeding. The study will characterize the biting dynamics of mutant Aedes aegypti deficient in various sensory pathways feeding on skin mimics that present a defined set of cues. By combining skills in biophysics with the host labs expertise in mosquito-pathogen interactions, this project will provide a deep understanding of the neurobiology underlying blood feeding by mosquitoes, and the effect that pathogen infections may have on this behavior. Elucidating the transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens will provide valuable insights to combat mosquito-borne diseases.

Project details

Enabling Technologies & Assays
Vector Control

Oct 2019 — Nov 2021

$227,121

France