Behavioural and Chemical Ecology Unit, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi, Kenya.
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa.
Med Vet Entomol. 2021 Sep;35(3):417-425. doi: 10.1111/mve.12514. Epub 2021 Mar 8.
A fundamental understanding of plant sugar feeding behaviour in vector populations can lead to the development of ecologically effective vector monitoring and control strategies. Despite previous studies on mosquito-plant interactions, relatively few have been conducted on the dengue vector Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). The authors studied Ae. aegypti-plant interactions at two sites of varying dengue endemicity in Kenya: Kilifi (endemic) and Isiolo (non-endemic). Using chemical and molecular assays [DNA barcoding targeting the chloroplast ribulose-1,5 bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large chain (rbcL) gene], the authors show that at the two sites plant feeding in this mosquito species: (a) varies by sex and season; (b) results in the acquisition of diverse sugars, and (c) is associated with diverse host plants in the families Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Poaceae and Rosaceae. These results reveal insights into the plant sugar feeding patterns of wild-caught Ae. aegypti and provide a baseline for future studies on the olfactory basis for host plant attraction for the development of vector monitoring and control tools.
深入了解病媒种群的植物取食行为可以帮助制定具有生态效益的病媒监测和控制策略。尽管之前已经有许多关于蚊虫与植物相互作用的研究，但针对登革热媒介埃及伊蚊（双翅目：蚊科）的研究相对较少。作者在肯尼亚两个登革热流行程度不同的地点（基利菲[流行]和伊西奥洛[非流行]）研究了埃及伊蚊与植物的相互作用。作者使用化学和分子检测方法[针对叶绿体核酮糖-1,5-二磷酸羧化酶/加氧酶大亚基（rbcL）基因的 DNA 条形码]，表明在这两个地点，该蚊种的植物取食行为：（a）因性别和季节而异；（b）导致获取不同的糖分；（c）与豆科、锦葵科、禾本科和蔷薇科的多种宿主植物有关。这些结果揭示了野生捕获的埃及伊蚊的植物取食模式，并为未来关于宿主植物吸引力的嗅觉基础的研究提供了基线，以开发病媒监测和控制工具。
