Malaria parasites (e.g., experimentally proven for the mouse species Plasmodium chabaudii) change odors of vertebrate hosts so that they are more often attacked by hungry mosquitoes. This attraction is apparently mediated by an elevation of volatile emissions and characteristic changes in the levels and components respectively of aspired compounds. The same effects were shown in a study involving Kenyan children harboring the parasitic stages of Plasmodium falciparum .
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Further Reading
De Moraes CM et al (2014) Malaria-induced changes in host odors enhance mosquito attraction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111(30):11079–11084
Lacroix R et al (2005) Malaria infection increases bird attractiveness to uninfected mosquitoes. Ecol Lett 16:323–329
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Mehlhorn, H. (2015). Mosquitoes Increased Attraction due to Specific Parasite-Induced Changes in Host Odors. In: Mehlhorn, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Parasitology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27769-6_4998-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27769-6_4998-1
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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