Are mosquitos protected under the biodiversity agenda? Unless, mosquitos are fundamentally important for life on earth, it is high time to get rid of this pest through a global specific and targeted eradication program!
Here is another good reason to get rid of mosquitos once and for all!
From the abstract:
"The host-seeking activity of hematophagous arthropods is essential for arboviral transmission. Here, we demonstrate that mosquito-transmitted flaviviruses can manipulate host skin microbiota to produce a scent that attracts mosquitoes. We observed that Aedes mosquitoes preferred to seek and feed on mice infected by dengue and Zika viruses. Acetophenone, a volatile compound that is predominantly produced by the skin microbiota, was enriched in the volatiles from the infected hosts to potently stimulate mosquito olfaction for attractiveness. Of note, acetophenone emission was higher in dengue patients than in healthy people. Mechanistically, flaviviruses infection suppressed the expression of RELMα, an essential antimicrobial protein on host skin, thereby leading to the expansion of acetophenone-producing commensal bacteria and, consequently, a high acetophenone level. Given that RELMα can be specifically induced by a vitamin A derivative, the dietary administration of isotretinoin to flavivirus-infected animals interrupted flavivirus life cycle by reducing mosquito host-seeking activity, thus providing a strategy of arboviral control."
Mosquitoes Drawn to Hosts Infected by Dengue, Zika Flavivirus infections alter the skin microbiome of mice to increase the production of a sweet-smelling compound that attracts the viruses’ insect vectors, a study finds.
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