Screening plant volatiles for attraction of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

Mosquito-borne disease is a serious public health challenge that warrants the development of improved chemical control strategies for mosquitoes. The use of synthetic insecticides to limit the spread of mosquito-borne disease faces significant challenges, including insecticide resistance, environmental impact of widespread insecticide use, and slowed development of new insecticide chemistries.  A biorational approach using attractive plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has potential as a supplementary tool for mosquito-control and -resistance management.  This study focuses on the collection, identification, and analysis of fruit plant VOCs and their ability to spatially attract Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and, thus, serving as a pre-requisite for the discovery of alternative mode(s) of insecticide delivery to control mosquitoes.  Here, we report the activity of mango, banana, guava, and date VOCs to attract mosquitoes using a spatial attraction bioassay