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The trick to preventing mosquito-borne diseases may have been hidden in the hearing of male mosquitoes all these years. According to a recent study conducted by the University of California, Santa Barbara, male mosquitoes rely on their hearing to pursue their female mates. When male mosquitoes become deaf or are diverted, they become reluctant to mate.
According to a press release, female mosquitoes flap their wings at about 500 Hz, and males that detect it fly to them at about 800 Hz. The physiology of mosquitoes indicates the importance of hearing. They have more auditory neurons than any other insect. The researchers eliminated a protein called TRPVA that is essential for hearing in mosquitoes. The mutated mosquitoes were then locked in a cage with the females.
Also read: Beat the bite: Necessary precautions you should take as dengue cases rise in India
learning outcome:
It was observed that after three days, the male mosquitoes did not mate with the females. On the other hand, wild males that were kept in a separate cage with female mosquitoes mated with and fertilized almost every female.
Female mosquitoes are responsible for spreading mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, Zika and yellow fever and when they are not fertilized, the risk of these diseases can be reduced. In an interview with the BBC, Dr. Georg Albert, an expert on mosquito mating at the University of Oldenburg in Germany, said the study proves how important hearing is for mosquitoes to mate. According to this study, if male mosquitoes do not chase female wind beats, mosquitoes could become extinct.
Even though mosquitoes are hated for spreading deadly diseases, they are still an important part of the food chain, providing food and nutrition to fish, birds, bats and frogs, some of which are essential pollinators.
Also read: World Mosquito Day 2024: From malaria to yellow fever, beware of dangerous mosquito-borne diseases during monsoon
“We found that mating was abolished in deaf males, indicating that hearing and TRPVA are essential for male mating behavior. “This work reveals a mode of communication that is strictly essential for male mating success in the mosquito disease vector,” read an excerpt from the study.
Another method of mosquito mating is also being studied where sterile mosquitoes are released into areas with mosquito-borne diseases.
Also read: World Mosquito Day 2022: List of vector-borne diseases caused by mosquito bites
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