H2020Индивидуална стипендия2019–2021

PiQiMosqBite · Understanding the roles of pathogen infection and sensory cue integration in mosquito blood-feeding behavior

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2019-10-01 → 2021-11-07
Финансиране от ЕС: 196 708 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Поведението на комарите при хапването се анализира чрез специален уред, който имитира човешка кожа, за да се разбере как патогените и сензорните сигнали влияят на процеса. Това помага за по-доброто разбиране на предаването на болести като малария и денга.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Understanding the roles of pathogen infection and sensory cue integration in mosquito blood-feeding behavior

Mosquitoes serve as vectors for diseases including dengue and malaria, for which half the world's population is at risk. Mosquito-borne pathogens are transmitted during blood feeding, yet despite its crucial role in pathogen transmission, blood feeding behavior remains ill understood. It is for instance unclear how pathogen infections affect blood feeding, nor is it understood how cues on the skin surface influence biting behavior. These knowledge gaps are partly due to a lack of tools to study blood feeding behavior. PiQiMosqBite addressed this challenge by leveraging quantitative imaging, computer vision, and an engineered human skin mimic to create the 'biteOscope' — a high-throughput assay to characterize blood feeding behavior. The biteOscope enables the detailed characterization of the behavioral trajectory leading to blood feeding. Using the biteOscope, PiQiMosqBite unraveled the mode of action of a common insect repellent, and investigated how mosquitoes detect blood. A separate line of inquiry serves as the basis to use the biteOscope as a tool to characterize the impact of pathogen infections on blood feeding behavior. The tools developed in PiQiMosqBite were shared open access and quickly gained traction in the mosquito research community. In addition to the scientific insights gained in PiQiMosqBite, the open access availability of these tools holds the potential to drive mosquito research forward.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

Mosquitoes serve as vectors for diseases including dengue and malaria, for which half the world's population is at risk. Mosquito-borne pathogens are transmitted during blood feeding, yet despite its crucial role in pathogen transmission, blood feeding behavior remains ill understood. The sensory integration of physical and chemical cues on the skin and below its surface, and the effect of pathogen infection on blood feeding are poorly characterized. These knowledge gaps are due to a lack of tools to quantitatively study blood feeding behavior. To overcome these limitations, I propose an innovative approach to study blood feeding by leveraging quantitative imaging, computer vision, and an engineered human skin mimic to create a high-throughput behavioral assay. Imaging mosquitoes feeding on a transparent skin mimic will enable the detailed characterization of the behavioral trajectory leading to blood feeding while simultaneously allowing the analysis of biting dynamics by imaging the expectoration of saliva. To unravel the behavioral effects of pathogen infection, I will compare blood feeding by non-infected Aedes aegypti (the main dengue vector) and Anopheles gambiae (an important malaria vector) with their dengue virus and Plasmodium falciparum infected counterparts. Next, I will use microfabricaton to embed artificial vasculature in the skin mimic to dissect the sensory cue integration underlying blood feeding. I will characterize the biting dynamics of mutant Aedes aegypti deficient in various sensory pathways feeding on skin mimics that present a defined set of cues. By combining my skills in biophysics with the host labs expertise in mosquito-pathogen interactions, this project will provide a deep understanding of the neurobiology underlying blood feeding by mosquitoes, and the effect that pathogen infections may have on this behavior. Elucidating the transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens will provide valuable insights to combat mosquito-borne diseases.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

INSTITUT PASTEUR · ParisКоординаторФранция