Behavioural responses of Phlebotomus duboscqi to plant‐derived volatile organic compounds
Phlebotomine sand flies are vectors of Leishmania parasites that cause leishmaniases. Both sexes of sand flies feed on plants primarily for sugars, although the chemical cues that mediate attraction to host plants remain largely unknown. Previously, using coupled gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry...
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| Published in: | Medical and veterinary entomology Vol. 35; no. 4; pp. 625 - 632 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford, UK
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01-12-2021
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Phlebotomine sand flies are vectors of Leishmania parasites that cause leishmaniases. Both sexes of sand flies feed on plants primarily for sugars, although the chemical cues that mediate attraction to host plants remain largely unknown. Previously, using coupled gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry, the authors identified several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) common to preferred host plants for selected Afrotropical sand flies from the Fabaceae family. Of the identified volatiles, the significance of the monoterpenes linalool oxide, ocimene and p‐cymene and the benzenoid m‐cresol, p‐cresol in sand fly behaviour is unknown. In olfactometer assays, the authors tested these compounds singly and in blends for their attractiveness to Phlebotomus duboscqi, cutaneous leishmaniasis vector in Kenya. In dose–response assays, single compounds increased the responses of males and females over controls, but their optimum attractive doses varied between the sexes. Two five‐component blends, referred to as Blend‐f and Blend‐m for females and males respectively, were formulated and tested in dose–response assays against 1‐octen‐3‐ol (positive control). The results of the present study showed that males and females were significantly attracted to varying levels of the two blends. In pairwise assays, the authors evaluated the most attractive of these blends to each sex (i.e., Blend Am for male against Blend Bf for female), revealing that males were attracted to both blends at varying levels, whereas females were indifferent. The study's results demonstrate that plant‐derived VOCs can be exploited for sand fly management.
Laboratory behavioural responses of Phlebotomus duboscqi evaluated to the volatile organic compounds linalool oxide, ocimene, p‐cymene, p‐cresol and m‐cresol, isolated from sand fly preferred host plants from the Fabaceae family.
In dose–response assays, the compounds singly and in blends increased the attractive responses of males and females over controls.
Plant‐derived attractants can potentially be exploited as lures to improve Afrotropical sand fly surveillance and control. |
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| Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
| ISSN: | 0269-283X 1365-2915 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/mve.12541 |