Mosquito host-seeking diel rhythm and chemosensory gene expression is affected by age and Plasmodium stages

Malaria parasites can affect vector-related behaviours, increasing transmission success. Using Anopheles gambiae and Plasmodium falciparum , we consider the effect of interaction between infection stage and vector age on diel locomotion in response to human odour and the expression of antennal chemosensory genes. We identified age-dependent behavioural diel compartmentalisation by uninfected females post-blood meal. Infection disrupts overall and diel activity patterns compared with age-matched controls. In this study, mosquitoes carrying transmissible sporozoites were more active, shifting activity periods which corresponded with human host availability, in response to human odour. Older, uninfected, blood-fed females displayed reduced activity during their peak host-seeking period in response to human odour. Age- and infection stage-specific changes in odour-mediated locomotion coincide with altered transcript abundance of select chemosensory genes suggesting a possible molecular mechanism regulating the behaviour. We hypothesize that vector-related behaviours of female mosquitoes are altered by infection stage and further modulated by the age post-blood meal of the vector. Findings may have important implications for malaria transmission and disease dynamics.