Olfactory receptors for human odor in mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are important vectors of disease, both in the United States and in tropical regions around the world. In order to transmit most diseases, a mosquito must find a human and find on his or her blood at least twice – once to pick up the disease agent, and again some time later to transmit it. Host seeking in mosquitoes depends on the sense of smell. Specific olfactory receptors contribute to the detection of human odor in a combinatorial code which alerts a mosquito to the present of humans at both short and long distances. A greater understanding of how those olfactory receptors respond to odorants found in human odor and synthetic odorants will contribute to the creation of novel lures, masking agents, and lures. We present an electrophysiological analysis of human odor detection by olfactory neurons of the mosquito.