TY - JOUR
T1 - 'Manipulation' without the parasite
T2 - Altered feeding behaviour of mosquitoes is not dependent on infection with malaria parasites
AU - Cator, Lauren J.
AU - George, Justin
AU - Blanford, Simon
AU - Murdock, Courtney C.
AU - Baker, Thomas C.
AU - Read, Andrew F.
AU - Thomas, Matthew B.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2013/7/22
Y1 - 2013/7/22
N2 - Previous studies have suggested that Plasmodium parasites can manipulate mosquito feeding behaviours such as probing, persistence and engorgement rate in order to enhance transmission success. Here, we broaden analysis of this 'manipulation phenotype' to consider proximate foraging behaviours, including responsiveness to host odours and host location. Using Anopheles stephensi and Plasmodium yoeliias a model system, we demonstrate that mosquitoes with early stage infections (i.e. non-infectious oocysts) exhibit reduced attraction to a human host, whereas those with late-stage infections (i.e. infectious sporozoites) exhibit increased attraction. These stage-specific changes in behaviour were paralleled by changes in the responsiveness of mosquito odourant receptors, providing a possible neurophysiological mechanism for the responses. However, we also found that both the behavioural and neurophysiological changes could be generated by immune challenge with heat-killed Escherichia coli and were thus not tied explicitly to the presence of malaria parasites. Our results support the hypothesis that the feeding behaviour of female mosquitoes is altered by Plasmodium, but question the extent to which this is owing to active manipulation by malaria parasites of host behaviour.
AB - Previous studies have suggested that Plasmodium parasites can manipulate mosquito feeding behaviours such as probing, persistence and engorgement rate in order to enhance transmission success. Here, we broaden analysis of this 'manipulation phenotype' to consider proximate foraging behaviours, including responsiveness to host odours and host location. Using Anopheles stephensi and Plasmodium yoeliias a model system, we demonstrate that mosquitoes with early stage infections (i.e. non-infectious oocysts) exhibit reduced attraction to a human host, whereas those with late-stage infections (i.e. infectious sporozoites) exhibit increased attraction. These stage-specific changes in behaviour were paralleled by changes in the responsiveness of mosquito odourant receptors, providing a possible neurophysiological mechanism for the responses. However, we also found that both the behavioural and neurophysiological changes could be generated by immune challenge with heat-killed Escherichia coli and were thus not tied explicitly to the presence of malaria parasites. Our results support the hypothesis that the feeding behaviour of female mosquitoes is altered by Plasmodium, but question the extent to which this is owing to active manipulation by malaria parasites of host behaviour.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84892423918&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84892423918&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2013.0711
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2013.0711
M3 - Article
C2 - 23698008
AN - SCOPUS:84892423918
VL - 280
JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
SN - 0962-8452
IS - 1763
M1 - 20130803
ER -