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About the Authors:
Vincent O. Nyasembe
Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Validation, Visualization, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing
Affiliations International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
David P. Tchouassi
Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Software, Supervision, Visualization, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing
Affiliation: International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya
Christian W. W. Pirk
Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Writing - review & editing
Affiliation: Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
Catherine L. Sole
Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Writing - review & editing
Affiliation: Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
Baldwyn Torto
Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing
* E-mail: [email protected]
Affiliations International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5080-9903Abstract
The global spread of vector-borne diseases remains a worrying public health threat, raising the need for development of new combat strategies for vector control. Knowledge of vector ecology can be exploited in this regard, including plant feeding; a critical resource that mosquitoes of both sexes rely on for survival and other metabolic processes. However, the identity of plant species mosquitoes feed on in nature remains largely unknown. By testing the hypothesis about selectivity in plant feeding, we employed a DNA-based approach targeting trnH-psbA and matK genes and identified host plants of field-collected Afro-tropical mosquito vectors of dengue, Rift Valley fever and malaria being among the most important mosquito-borne diseases in East Africa. These included three plant species for Aedes aegypti (dengue), two for both Aedes mcintoshi and Aedes ochraceus (Rift Valley fever) and five for Anopheles gambiae (malaria). Since plant feeding is mediated by olfactory cues, we further sought to identify specific odor signatures that may modulate host plant location. Using coupled gas chromatography (GC)-electroantennographic detection, GC/mass spectrometry and electroantennogram analyses, we identified a total of 21 antennally-active components variably detected...