Neurophysiological Study of Vector Responses to Repellents.
Abstract
Nectar- and blood-feeding and oviposition behaviors, which are important to the survival of the mosquito, depend heavily on the detection of airborne chemical signals. The objective of this research is to gain a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of chemoreception and the action of repellents on the sensory system, thus facilitating the development of more efficient means for interfering with the detection of the host or otherwise altering the behavior of the vector. The overall aim is to protect military personnel against vecot-airborne diseases. Based on electrophysiologic responses, three modes of repellent action have been postulated. (1) High concentrations of repellents or other compounds, in acting on sensilla (which may varying sensitivity to those compounds), may jam the central nervous system thereby inhibiting host behavior and/or eliciting avoidance behavior. (2) Repellents eliciting responses from sensilla that are functional for behavior other than host-seeking may direct the selection of that behavior, thus inhibiting host-seeking. Behavioral tests will be necessary to support these two postulates. (3) Repellents may be competitively inhibiting the action of lactic acid (LA) on the LA-excited A3 sensilla.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA127003
Entities
People
- Edward E. Davis
- Francis T. Takahashi Jr.
Organizations
- SRI International