Photo: Rickard Ignell

Chemical Ecology - Disease vectors

Page reviewed:  16/06/2025

The chemical ecology of blood feeding insects is our field of research, with the primary focus on disease vector mosquitoes. Through a cross disciplinary approach, we investigate behaviours driven by interactions between the mosquito and its chemical environment, and the mechanisms underlying these vector-related activities. 

Some of the questions we currently address are: 

  • how do mosquitoes select and choose between sugar meals, blood hosts and oviposition sites in a heterogenous landscape 
  • how did these behaviours evolve and how is this reflected in the function of their olfactory receptors 
  • how can we make use of this knowledge to interfere with the natural interactions between mosquitoes and people to disrupt the transmission of diseases in the Anthropocene.

 

Read more about our current projects below

Plant feeding affects mosquitoes' ability to vector diseases. We investigate the natural mosquito-plant interactions at the behavioural, physiological, and molecular levels and how we can use this information to develop mosquito control tools to complement existing integrated vector control strategies. 

Researchers on these projects:

Current: Hillary Kirwa

Alumni:

Aman Bonaventure Omondi (Associate scientist, IITA) 
Betelehem Wondwosen (Addis Ababa University)
Mengistu Dawit (Addis Ababa University)
Yared Debebe (Addis Ababa University)

Odorant receptors play a crucial role in host-seeking behaviour of mosquitoes. To date, little is known about the relationship between such behaviours and the structure-function properties of their odorant receptors. We study the molecular profiles of odorant receptors among mosquito species that contribute to the selection of a host.

Researchers on these projects:

Current: Max Andersson, Josefine Nordlander

Alumni:

Julien Pelletier (Senior post-doc)
Bi Juin Loong (Post-doc)
Annika Hinze (PhD student)
Aman Bonaventure Omondi (Associate scientist, IITA)
Majid Ghaninia (Assistant research professor, Arizona State University)
Stefanie Blankenburg (Post-doc, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg)
Shahid Majeed (Assistant professor, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan)

Here we tie together research findings from our different projects, e.g. odour blends and taste stimuli, and focus our aims towards developing novel, or complementary tools that have the potential to be integrated into current control strategies for disease vectors.

 

 

 

Contact