Manipulative mosquito semen

During mating, male mosquitoes transfer proteins in their seminal fluid that alters female breeding and feeding behavior. These proteins, identified in a linkurl:study;http://www.plosntds.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0000989 published today (March 15) in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, may serve as potential targets of control of mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever.

Female dengue virus vector Aedes aegypti feeding Image: Wikimedia Commons, James Gathany

"This work is a milestone in identification of factors that are important for mosquito reproduction," said linkurl:Flaminia Catteruccia,;http://www.vectorbiology.net/ a molecular entomologist at Imperial College of London who was not involved in the research. "It's a first step towards possible novel strategies for [disease] control."Female mosquitoes only mate once, and after they do, their behavior and physiology are different: They are less receptive to mating, lay more eggs, and feed less frequently. The ability to manipulate these behaviors could be a boon to vector control efforts by reducing mating or...