The chemosensory world of mosquitoes: olfactory receptors and their role in blocking mosquito-borne disease transmission
Abstract Mosquitoes are vectors for a variety of infectious diseases, which pose a significant threat to human health, public well-being, and national security. The increasing prevalence of insecticide resistance has further complicated efforts to control these diseases, highlighting the urgent need...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Parasites & Vectors |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06954-1 |
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| author | Sitian Xiong Jingjing Liang Shuyang Gao Zhilong Liu Hong Zheng Xuesen Yang Ying Wang Shasha Yu |
| author_facet | Sitian Xiong Jingjing Liang Shuyang Gao Zhilong Liu Hong Zheng Xuesen Yang Ying Wang Shasha Yu |
| author_sort | Sitian Xiong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Mosquitoes are vectors for a variety of infectious diseases, which pose a significant threat to human health, public well-being, and national security. The increasing prevalence of insecticide resistance has further complicated efforts to control these diseases, highlighting the urgent need for innovative strategies to block their transmission. The mosquito olfactory system, which mediates a wide range of behaviors throughout the mosquito's life cycle, including host-seeking, foraging, oviposition, mating, avoidance behavior, and social communication, offers a promising avenue for intervention. Specifically, olfactory receptors play a crucial role in enabling female mosquitoes to locate human hosts through odor recognition, a process that facilitates the transmission of pathogens responsible for diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Understanding the roles of these receptors in different mosquito behaviors, their mechanisms of odor recognition, and their involvement in disease transmission could provide valuable insights for developing new mosquito control strategies that target olfactory receptors to effectively block disease spread. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the mosquito olfactory system, including its composition, the mechanisms of action of olfactory receptors, their interactions with repellents, and their potential role in the prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases. Graphical Abstract |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e8fa8b5399db44d4b7ee6c1338d42d87 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1756-3305 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Parasites & Vectors |
| spelling | doaj-art-e8fa8b5399db44d4b7ee6c1338d42d872025-08-20T03:45:48ZengBMCParasites & Vectors1756-33052025-08-0118111210.1186/s13071-025-06954-1The chemosensory world of mosquitoes: olfactory receptors and their role in blocking mosquito-borne disease transmissionSitian Xiong0Jingjing Liang1Shuyang Gao2Zhilong Liu3Hong Zheng4Xuesen Yang5Ying Wang6Shasha Yu7Department of Tropical Medicine, College of Military Preventive Medicine, Army Medical UniversityDepartment of Tropical Medicine, College of Military Preventive Medicine, Army Medical UniversityDepartment of Tropical Medicine, College of Military Preventive Medicine, Army Medical UniversityDepartment of Tropical Medicine, College of Military Preventive Medicine, Army Medical UniversityDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical UniversityDepartment of Tropical Medicine, College of Military Preventive Medicine, Army Medical UniversityDepartment of Tropical Medicine, College of Military Preventive Medicine, Army Medical UniversityDepartment of Tropical Medicine, College of Military Preventive Medicine, Army Medical UniversityAbstract Mosquitoes are vectors for a variety of infectious diseases, which pose a significant threat to human health, public well-being, and national security. The increasing prevalence of insecticide resistance has further complicated efforts to control these diseases, highlighting the urgent need for innovative strategies to block their transmission. The mosquito olfactory system, which mediates a wide range of behaviors throughout the mosquito's life cycle, including host-seeking, foraging, oviposition, mating, avoidance behavior, and social communication, offers a promising avenue for intervention. Specifically, olfactory receptors play a crucial role in enabling female mosquitoes to locate human hosts through odor recognition, a process that facilitates the transmission of pathogens responsible for diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Understanding the roles of these receptors in different mosquito behaviors, their mechanisms of odor recognition, and their involvement in disease transmission could provide valuable insights for developing new mosquito control strategies that target olfactory receptors to effectively block disease spread. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the mosquito olfactory system, including its composition, the mechanisms of action of olfactory receptors, their interactions with repellents, and their potential role in the prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06954-1Olfactory receptorsMosquito-borne diseasesRepellentsVector control |
| spellingShingle | Sitian Xiong Jingjing Liang Shuyang Gao Zhilong Liu Hong Zheng Xuesen Yang Ying Wang Shasha Yu The chemosensory world of mosquitoes: olfactory receptors and their role in blocking mosquito-borne disease transmission Parasites & Vectors Olfactory receptors Mosquito-borne diseases Repellents Vector control |
| title | The chemosensory world of mosquitoes: olfactory receptors and their role in blocking mosquito-borne disease transmission |
| title_full | The chemosensory world of mosquitoes: olfactory receptors and their role in blocking mosquito-borne disease transmission |
| title_fullStr | The chemosensory world of mosquitoes: olfactory receptors and their role in blocking mosquito-borne disease transmission |
| title_full_unstemmed | The chemosensory world of mosquitoes: olfactory receptors and their role in blocking mosquito-borne disease transmission |
| title_short | The chemosensory world of mosquitoes: olfactory receptors and their role in blocking mosquito-borne disease transmission |
| title_sort | chemosensory world of mosquitoes olfactory receptors and their role in blocking mosquito borne disease transmission |
| topic | Olfactory receptors Mosquito-borne diseases Repellents Vector control |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06954-1 |
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