On a hot summer day, hiking through a wet area, you find yourself being a plate of food for mosquitoes. By the end of the trip, you are covered in bug bites and the all you can think about it is cursing those damn mosquitoes. In a
ScienceDaily article, it was reported that researchers have developed a way to alter an insect's sense of smell. Ocro was identified to be a gene that contributed to odor sensing in mosquitoes. When this gene was silenced, mosquitoes had difficulty sensing odors. Furthermore, the study showed that mosquitoes did not hold a preference toward a certain species (including humans). However, mosquitoes were shown to land on
DEET (main component in bug repellent) covered subjects, but quickly fly away. Therefore, this indicates that there are multiple mechanism involved with sensing odors. All in all, orco was shown to interfere with an insect's receptors on sensing smells. As a result, future studies will dive deeper into understanding the other mechanisms involved with certain repellents and why mosquitoes prefer humans.
The Genetically Engineered Mosquito
The sense of smell is such an important way to retrieve information from our surroundings. It only took one gene to confuse a mosquito from its normal behavior. I believe that even though there is a genetically modified version of the mosquitoes that has no preference to humans, it would not survive in the wild due to the fact that humans are the most accessible type of nutrient for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes continue to favor Human for a reason. That is why the genes for this specific affinity were passed down. It was favorable to them, and those that could better sense Human odor better, survived more easily.
The natural environment of our coasts and protected woodlands has become a major part of my life. My passion for marine biology and photographing wildlife has created many challenges. The wooded areas and fields, especially create many obstacles. Besides using camouflage clothing with special facial nets, and insect repellent, I have to be aware, and be prepared to avoid the disease carriers of mosquitos and ticks. There are specific products available to repel theses insects; however, they too carry their own chemical and physical hazards. Stockton’s’ surrounding areas are abundant in nymph long star ticks, deer ticks and mosquitos. I found that they have a unique attraction to me. The importance of this study conducted by Dr. Vocchall provides a new insight into how mosquitoes interact with smells in their environment. The orco mutations showed reduced preference for the smell of humans in the presence of carbon dioxide, which assists how mosquitoes respond to human scent. If this study provides the mechanisms for disrupting the odorant receptors of all biting incepts, this would create a more pleasurable place for outdoor explorations. Additional research is required to make sure that the certain species of birds and bats that survive off the mosquitoes are not endangered.
ReplyDeleteThis study sounds great especially since I've lived in this area my entire life! The mosquitoes are the one thing that bother me most about the warmer parts of the year. I've always known that our scent is a way that attracts mosquitoes and therefore have tried to avoid certain skin products in order to keep a "low profile" when being outdoors during camping especially! I've found that bug repellent helps but only so much. Hopefully with further research, the nuisance of mosquitoes (and ticks!) can be greatly reduced. The success of this study would help decrease sickness and diseases that are carried by these bugs.
ReplyDeleteThis research could be very important and life saving in countries where being bit by a mosquito could be a matter of life and death. Hopefully an application of this study could be to change the genetics of the mosquitoes in Africa so the people there are less likely to get bit and sick. If this project can be inexpensive and have a long lasting affect then money can be saved on vaccines and mosquito nets. Also, instead of just helping those who have those things available, everyone in the area of the genetically modified mosquitoes will benefit.
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