Soap application alters mosquito-host interactions

Morgen VanderGiessen; Anaïs K Tallon; Bryn Damico; Chloé Lahondère; Clément Vinauger

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106667

Soap application alters mosquito-host interactions

iScience. 2023 May 10;26(5):106667. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106667. eCollection 2023 May 19.

Authors

Morgen VanderGiessen¹, Anaïs K Tallon¹, Bryn Damico¹, Chloé Lahondère^{1

2

3

4

5}, Clément Vinauger^{1

2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
² The Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
³ The Global Change Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
⁴ Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens (CeZAP), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
⁵ Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.

Abstract

To find nutrients, mosquitoes use volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by plants and animal hosts. These resources overlap in their chemical composition, and an important layer of information resides in VOCs' relative abundance in the headspace of each resource. In addition, a large majority of the human species regularly uses personal care products such as soaps and perfumes, which add plant-related VOCs to their olfactory signature. Using headspace sampling and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we quantified how human odor is modified by soap application. We showed that soaps alter mosquito host selection, with some soaps increasing the attractiveness of the host and some soaps reducing it. Analytical methods revealed the main chemicals associated with these changes. These results provide proof-of-concept that data on host-soap valences can be reverse-engineered to produce chemical blends for artificial baits or mosquito repellents, and evince the impact of personal care products on host selection processes.

Keywords: Bioactive plant product; Chemical engineering; Ethology.