D3116: The human microbiome and its affects on mosquito host-seeking

Aedes aegypti(Ae. aegypti) and Aedes albopictus(Ae. albopictus) are arthropod vectors for a range of human-borne pathogens including Dengue viruses (DENV), Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and Zika virus (ZIKV). Nearly half of the world is susceptible to DENV, and there has been a resurgence of both ZIKV and CHIKV over the last ten years. The capability of these Aedes mosquitoes to transmit these diseases is due to the need for females to obtain a blood meal primarily from a human host to develop their eggs. Odors are among the most crucial for mosquito host detection. Multiple studies have shown that skin microbiota plays an important role in generating volatile compounds from sweat. Previous studies have shown that incubated bacterial strains Staphylococcus epidermidis and Corynebacterium minutissimum were attractive to Anopheles gambiae, the malaria mosquito. Identifying what strains of bacteria are highly attractive to Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes can expand our knowledge on the skin microbiome and mosquito attraction. This study aims to determine how the bacteria on our skin affect mosquito attraction. Using a uniport olfactometer to measure mosquito attraction, 100 human subjects will be assayed and their microbiome sampled. Additionally, their volatilome will be collected to determine what volatile compounds are eliciting mosquito attraction or the lack thereof.