The variable performance of attractants used in Aedes aegypti traps suggests that the mosquito’s behavioral response to odors is not static. We hypothesize that physiological factors, notably the number of gonotrophic cycles (GC) and arbovirus infection, directly alter sensory perception by modulating antennal function. Since most studies use uninfected, primiparous females, there is a significant gap in understanding how these dynamic physiological states impact olfaction in wild populations. Investigating these changes is crucial for developing more consistently effective vector control tools.
The main objectives of this project are to determine the influence of gonotrophic cycles on Ae. aegypti antennal odor perception and behavioral response to odors and to evaluate the tropism of arboviral infections on Ae. aegypti antennae and its impact on odor perception and neural gene expression.
To do so, the kinetics of infection with chikungunya virus will be analysed in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, and gene expression will be evaluated by RNAseq performed on antennae from uninfected mosquitoes at first and second gonotrophic cycles, as well as in infected mosquitoes at first GC.
