Science

Malaria mozzies can’t resist smelly feet

Yum yum.

Malaria mozzies can’t resist smelly feet

Compared to uninfected mosquitoes malaria parasite-containing mosquitoes are approximately three times more attracted to the smell of humans, a study shows.

The researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine infected malaria mosquitoes with the deadly parasite that causes malaria, Plasmodium falciparum.

They put the mosquitoes in a container with socks that had been worn for 20 hours before the experiment.

The scientists recorded the number of times the mosquitoes attacked the socks. They repeated the experiment with uninfected mosquitoes.

The infected mosquitoes attacked the socks more often and fed for longer than uninfected mosquitoes.

The findings, published in PLOS ONE, suggest that the malaria parasite manipulates the behaviour of mosquitoes and makes them more blood thirsty.

It cannot resist the smell of human blood and bites more often and for longer. This gives the parasite a higher chance of getting passed on to humans, so its lifecycle and the deadly disease can continue.

Dr Logan from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said, “We have shown for the first time that the sense of smell could hold the key to understanding how the parasite successfully manipulates the mosquito to ensure its spread. Exploring this further opens up the possibility that we could use this knowledge against the parasite by developing tools with crucial chemicals found in human odour.”

These findings will enable researchers to develop better mosquito traps that specifically lure malaria-infected mosquitoes by human scent. This should help eradicate the parasite, which infects more than 200 million people every year, over three times the population of the UK.

DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0063602

From Issue 1548

24th May 2013

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Read more

Peter Haynes to take over Provost role in October

News

Peter Haynes to take over Provost role in October

Professor Peter Haynes has been appointed as the new Provost and Deputy President of Imperial College. The current  Vice-Provost for Education and Student Experience, Haynes will succeed the outgoing Provost, Professor Ian Walmsley, who has served in the role since 2018. Imperial President Hugh Brady said Professors Haynes and Walmsley

By Guillaume Felix
Why RAG’s bungee jump event never took place

News

Why RAG’s bungee jump event never took place

Earlier this academic year, Imperial Raising and Giving (RAG), had announced the return of their charity bungee jump after a hiatus of 10 years. The event, however, was postponed several times, and Felix can now reveal why it was cancelled. The event, initially scheduled for November 13th, was postponed several

By Mohammad Majlisi and Nadeen Daka
Palestine protests ramp up as year ends and tensions rise

News

Palestine protests ramp up as year ends and tensions rise

Saturday 7th June: Pro-Palestinian protestors hold banners as they stand on ALERT at the Great Exhibition Road Festival. Tuesday 10th June: A student announces a hunger strike asking for Imperial to investigate Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism, form a student-staff working group on ethical investment, and divest from arms companies accused

By Mohammad Majlisi