Postdoctoral Fellow Columbia University New York, New York
Mosquitoes are important vectors of widespread human diseases from malaria to dengue, Zika and chikungunya. The reproductive requirement of a blood meal for female mosquitoes is central to their ability to spread disease. Using cues including CO2, odors, and temperature, a female seeks out a host on which to feed in order to acquire the protein and necessary nutrients required for egg development. Blood digestion and egg development occurs over two to three days, during which her attraction to hosts and drive to blood feed is suppressed. This host-seeking suppression, which can be thought of as a type of long-term satiety, is maintained until oviposition occurs suggesting that coordination between brain, gut, metabolic and reproductive tissues is required. While several processes involved in blood meal consumption have been studied, including digestion, nutrient sensing and egg development, it is unclear how these multi-organ physiological responses produce the full expression of behavioral host-seeking suppression.
