Moreno-Gómez Mara, Abril Sílvia, Mayol-Pérez Júlia, Manzanares-Sierra Ana
Henkel Ibérica S.A, Research and Development (R&D) Insect Control Department, Carrer Llacuna 22, 1-1, 08005 Barcelona, Spain.
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Girona, Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany i Farnès, 69, 17003 Girona, Spain.
Insects. 2025 Mar 3;16(3):265. doi: 10.3390/insects16030265.
Human hosts exhibit remarkable variability in their attractiveness to mosquitoes, leading to differences in biting rates. It is essential to understand the factors behind this variability if we wish to develop more effective strategies for controlling the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. While past studies have shed significant light on the forces shaping host attractiveness to mosquitoes, we continue to lack information about variation in attractiveness within individual hosts. For example, little attention has been paid to the potential impact of the menstrual cycle. Our study explored the relationship between the menstrual cycle, host attractiveness to mosquitoes, and the effectiveness of topical mosquito repellents. We found that mosquito landing rate was higher and repellent protection time was shorter during ovulation than during menstruation and the luteal phase. By beginning to clarify the intricate interplay between human physiology and mosquito behavior, our results contribute to the growing body of knowledge regarding the factors that affect within-individual variability in attractiveness to mosquitoes, which has implications for the efficacy of protection and disease prevention strategies.
人类宿主对蚊子的吸引力存在显著差异，导致被叮咬率有所不同。如果我们希望制定更有效的策略来控制蚊媒疾病的传播，了解这种差异背后的因素至关重要。虽然过去的研究已经显著阐明了塑造宿主对蚊子吸引力的各种力量，但我们仍然缺乏关于个体宿主体内吸引力差异的信息。例如，月经周期的潜在影响很少受到关注。我们的研究探讨了月经周期、宿主对蚊子的吸引力以及局部驱蚊剂的有效性之间的关系。我们发现，与月经期和黄体期相比，排卵期蚊子的着陆率更高，驱蚊剂的保护时间更短。通过开始阐明人类生理学和蚊子行为之间的复杂相互作用，我们的研究结果有助于丰富有关影响个体对蚊子吸引力差异的因素的知识体系，这对保护和疾病预防策略的有效性具有重要意义。
