PLOS Science Wednesday: Hi reddit, my name is Natasha and my PLOS NTDS study investigates how different insecticides impact blood-feeding behavior of Ae. Aegypti mosquitoes in Puerto Rico -- Ask Me Anything!

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Hi Reddit,

My name is Natasha Agramonte and I am a Research Fellow at the CDC Entomology Branch and a PhD Candidate at the University of Florida. My research focuses on how insecticide resistance affects mosquito blood-feeding behavior.

I recently published a study titled ‘Pyrethroid resistance alters the blood-feeding behavior in Puerto Rican Aedes aegypti mosquitoes exposed to treated fabric in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Insecticide resistance is a problem in mosquito control, because it increases disease risk, control costs, and environmental damage. Using a pyrethroid-susceptible and a pyrethroid-resistant strain of Ae. aegypti, we observed the blood-feeding behavior using fabric treated with four distinct but related insecticides. The results of this study indicated that higher amounts of pyrethroid chemicals are necessary to reduce blood-feeding behavior in the resistant Puerto Rican strain of Ae. aegypti, but interestingly the blood-feeding resistance was different (and lower!) than when the chemicals were directly applied to the mosquitoes for two chemicals: permethrin and etofenprox.

I look forward to answering any and all of your mosquito questions at 1pm ET. Ask me Anything!

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @mosquito_PhD.

">PLOS Science Wednesday: Hi reddit, my name is Natasha and my PLOS NTDS study investigates how different insecticides impact blood-feeding behavior of Ae. Aegypti mosquitoes in Puerto Rico -- Ask Me Anything!