Effects of host blood on mosquito reproduction

Female mosquitoes require blood from their host for egg development. However, the relationship between the composition of host blood and mosquito reproduc-tion, and whether and how this is linked to host selection, remain unclear. A bet -ter understanding of these issues is beneficial for mass-rearing of mosquitoes for vector control. This review provides an overview of the currently known effects of blood constituents on mosquito reproduction. Furthermore, it highlights knowl-edge gaps and proposes new avenues for investigation. We recommend that re-search efforts be focused on physiological differences between generalist and specialist mosquito species as models to investigate if and how host preference correlates with reproductive output.

Automated summary

Female mosquitoes depend on host blood for egg development, but the relationship between host blood composition and mosquito reproduction, as well as its connection to host selection, are still not well understood. This review provides an overview of the known effects of blood constituents on mosquito reproduction, identifies knowledge gaps, and proposes new research directions. Examining physiological differences between generalist and specialist mosquito species is recommended to investigate the correlation between host preference and reproductive output.