Washington, June 2 : Female mosquitoes hunt their human blood meals by detecting organic substances such as carbon dioxide exhaled by the host.
But soon, mosquito bites could become nothing more than a bad memory, as a study led by an Indian-origin researcher has identified three types of odor molecules that disrupt the carbon dioxide-sensing machinery of mosquitoes.
One molecule switches the mosquitoes'' olfactory nerves "on" for prolonged periods, one turns the olfactory nerves "off" and a third type mimics carbon dioxide.
According to Anandasankar Ray of the University of California, Riverside, the finding could lead to a new generation of repellents and lures that might help prevent mosquito-borne human diseases such as yellow fever and West Nile virus as well as malaria and dengue. (ANI)