Visual and olfactory associative learning in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto
Visual and olfactory associative learning in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto
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DOI：
10.1186/1475-2875-11-27
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发表时间：
2012-01-27
期刊：
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Tripet, Frederic
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Chilaka, Nora;Perkins, Elisabeth;Tripet, Frederic
背景资料：记忆和学习是人类病原体昆虫媒介生态学的关键方面，因为它们对媒介与其宿主之间的接触具有潜在影响。尽管这种流行病学的重要性，只有数量有限的研究调查关联学习的昆虫媒介物种，没有按蚊mosquitoes.Methods：一个简单的行为测定，研究视觉和嗅觉的关联学习冈比亚按蚊，疟疾在非洲的主要媒介。两个对比的膜质量或血液适口性水平被用作加强刺激的双向调节在bloodfeeding.Results：在这样的实验条件下，一个。冈比亚女性很快学会了将视觉（方格和白色图案）和嗅觉线索（有无奶酪或香茅气味）与强化刺激（血粉质量）联系起来，并记住这种联系长达三天。联合学习显着增加与强度的条件刺激。重要的是，当一个积极的强化刺激（可口的血液）与一个天生的偏好线索（如较暗的视觉模式）相关联时，学习有时会发生得更快。然而，使用太有吸引力的线索（e。G.什罗普郡奶酪气味）是适得其反，减少学习successful.Conclusions：结果解决了一个重要的知识差距，蚊子生态学和强调的作用，联想记忆为安。冈比亚的宿主发现和吸血行为对病媒控制具有重要的潜在影响。
Background: Memory and learning are critical aspects of the ecology of insect vectors of human pathogens because of their potential effects on contacts between vectors and their hosts. Despite this epidemiological importance, there have been only a limited number of studies investigating associative learning in insect vector species and none on Anopheline mosquitoes.Methods: A simple behavioural assays was developed to study visual and olfactory associative learning in Anopheles gambiae, the main vector of malaria in Africa. Two contrasted membrane qualities or levels of blood palatability were used as reinforcing stimuli for bi-directional conditioning during blood feeding.Results: Under such experimental conditions An. gambiae females learned very rapidly to associate visual (chequered and white patterns) and olfactory cues (presence and absence of cheese or Citronella smell) with the reinforcing stimuli (bloodmeal quality) and remembered the association for up to three days. Associative learning significantly increased with the strength of the conditioning stimuli used. Importantly, learning sometimes occurred faster when a positive reinforcing stimulus (palatable blood) was associated with an innately preferred cue (such as a darker visual pattern). However, the use of too attractive a cue (e. g. Shropshire cheese smell) was counterproductive and decreased learning success.Conclusions: The results address an important knowledge gap in mosquito ecology and emphasize the role of associative memory for An. gambiae's host finding and blood-feeding behaviour with important potential implications for vector control.