Professor, Chair, Director Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey
Juvenile hormone (JH) regulates sexual maturation and metamorphosis in immature insects. JH has also been shown to have diverse physiological functions in adult insects of multiple taxa including modulating social interactions, diapause, and reproduction. Pleiotropic functions of JH allow insects with an inherently limited number of genes to recycle hormonal signaling pathways already existing in immatures for novel functions in adults. In mosquitoes, increased JH titers following adult emergence are associated with host seeking and biting behaviors. Following a blood meal, JH titers rapidly decrease as vitellogenin expression is upregulated for oogenesis. Following egg development and deposition, JH production increases to initiate another host-seeking and biting cycle. Interestingly, JH analogs such as methoprene and pyriproxyfen are commonly used as larvicides in the control of mosquitoes. However, there is only limited information on how exposure to JH analogs affects adult mosquito behavior. In this study, we investigate the effects of topical JH analog application on biting behavior of gravid mosquitoes. Results from this study may inform mosquito control efforts by elucidating unintended consequences of broad application of insect hormone analogs.