Biting Behaviour

Vectors for diseases from malaria to Zika, mosquitoes transmit pathogens when females bite, piercing our skin in search of a blood meal. Studying this behaviour typically involves volunteers exposed to mosquito bites, an unpleasant experience that also precludes research on mosquitoes carrying infectious agents. To overcome this, scientists developed a host-mimicking device, nicknamed the biteOscope. Consisting of a parafilm membrane concealing an artificial blood meal, warmed by a temperature-controlled water bath, it attracts females to land and feed. High-resolution filming through the transparent device, and accurate tracking with machine learning tools, provide detailed insights into mosquito behaviour, such as exploration before feeding, and their response to repellents: in this video, a female contacts an area coated with the insecticide DEET with her legs, and quickly leaves. A new tool for mosquito research, the biteOscope offers a host of opportunities, from understanding how pathogens affect mosquito behaviour to testing potential deterrents.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

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• Video from work by Felix JH Hol, Louis Lambrechts & Manu Prakash
• Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA and Insect-Virus Interactions Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris France
• Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in eLife, Sept 2020