Menstrual Cycle Matters in Host Attractiveness to Mosquitoes and Topical Repellent Protection

Human hosts exhibit remarkable variability in their attractiveness to mosquitoes, leading to differences in biting rates. It is essential to understand the factors behind this variability if we wish to develop more effective strategies for controlling the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. Whi...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Moreno Gómez, Mara, Abril, Sílvia, Mayol Pérez, Júlia, Manzanares Sierra, Ana
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10256/26511
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10256/26511
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Cicle menstrual
Menstrual cycle
Mosquits -- Hàbits i conducta
Mosquitoes behavior
Dones -- Fisiologia
Women -- Physiology
Descripción
Sumario:Human hosts exhibit remarkable variability in their attractiveness to mosquitoes, leading to differences in biting rates. It is essential to understand the factors behind this variability if we wish to develop more effective strategies for controlling the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. While past studies have shed significant light on the forces shaping host attractiveness to mosquitoes, we continue to lack information about variation in attractiveness within individual hosts. For example, little attention has been paid to the potential impact of the menstrual cycle. Our study explored the relationship between the menstrual cycle, host attractiveness to mosquitoes, and the effectiveness of topical mosquito repellents. We found that mosquito landing rate was higher and repellent protection time was shorter during ovulation than during menstruation and the luteal phase. By beginning to clarify the intricate interplay between human physiology and mosquito behavior, our results contribute to the growing body of knowledge regarding the factors that affect within-individual variability in attractiveness to mosquitoes, which has implications for the efficacy of protection and disease prevention strategies