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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #156821
Title: IDENTIFICATION BY GC/MS OF CHEMICALS FROM HUMAN AND AVIAN HOSTS THAT ATTRACT MOSQUITOES

Author
item OTERO, SAMARET - UNIV OF FLORIDA
item Bernier, Ulrich
item Kline, Daniel - Dan
item Barnard, Donald
item YOST, RICHARD - UNIV OF FLORIDA

Submitted to: Proceedings of the ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/8/2003
Publication Date: 6/8/2003
Citation: OTERO, S., BERNIER, U.R., KLINE, D.L., BARNARD, D.R., YOST, R.A. IDENTIFICATION BY GC/MS OF CHEMICALS FROM HUMAN AND AVIAN HOSTS THAT ATTRACT MOSQUITOES. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASMS CONFERENCE ON MASS SPECTROMETRY AND ALLIED TOPICS. 2003.

Interpretive Summary: Interpretive summary not required.

Technical Abstract: Avian species have had an impact in the recent outbreak of the West Nile virus in the United States. They are primary hosts for mosquitoes that are a vector for the transmission of West Nile Virus. Identification of volatile and semi-volatile compounds emanated from skin of different vertebrate hosts is of importance because they can serve as possible attractants for mosquitoes vector of the West Nile. Thermal desorption of glass beads followed by cryofocusing GC/MS was used to compare emanations from avian skin to those from human skin. Compounds such as alcohols, aldehydes and carboxylic acids were detected as with previous studies on human skin emanations. Studies done on chicken skin show many compounds of interest that have not yet been identified but may be possible attractants for the Culex mosquito species.