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Attraction of Rhodnius prolixus males to a synthetic female-pheromone blend

Overview of attention for article published in Parasites & Vectors, July 2018
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Title
Attraction of Rhodnius prolixus males to a synthetic female-pheromone blend
Published in
Parasites & Vectors, July 2018
DOI 10.1186/s13071-018-2997-z
Pubmed ID
Authors

Björn Bohman, Alyssa M. Weinstein, C. Rikard Unelius, Marcelo G. Lorenzo

Abstract

The triatomine bug Rhodnius prolixus Stål, 1859 (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) is the primary vector of Chagas disease in Colombia and Venezuela. An important step in controlling Chagas disease is monitoring the growth and spread of bug populations to inform effective management. Such monitoring could be carried out using pheromone traps. To develop effective pheromone traps, it is vital to understand the pheromone chemistry of R. prolixus. Previous studies have found that female R. prolixus metasternal gland secretions induce males to: leave shelters, take off, orientate during walking, aggregate around mating pairs, and mate. This study aims to identify a synthetic blend of female metasternal gland compounds that could be used to attract R. prolixus. We investigated the electrophysiological activity of the ten most abundant compounds in female R. prolixus metasternal glands using single sensillum recordings. In total we obtained 60 recordings from basiconic sensilla in male R. prolixus. In 31 of these recordings, responses to individual compounds were observed. Each of the ten tested compounds elicited neuron responses in a minimum of eight recordings. Having confirmed their electrophysiological activity, we tested these ten compounds by presenting them to male Rhodnius prolixus in a "T" olfactometer. Male bugs showed a significant preference for the blend of metasternal gland compounds compared to the clean air control. A simple blend of ten compounds found in female R. prolixus metasternal glands is attractive to conspecific males. All compounds in the blend are either commercially available at low cost, or easily synthetically prepared from simple precursors. We hope that this blend will be evaluated as a lure for pheromone traps in field bioassays.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 25 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 25 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Researcher 5 20%
Student > Doctoral Student 4 16%
Student > Bachelor 4 16%
Student > Ph. D. Student 3 12%
Student > Master 3 12%
Other 3 12%
Unknown 3 12%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 6 24%
Medicine and Dentistry 3 12%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 3 12%
Chemistry 2 8%
Immunology and Microbiology 2 8%
Other 5 20%
Unknown 4 16%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 2. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 19 July 2018.
All research outputs
#14,287,326
of 23,342,232 outputs
Outputs from Parasites & Vectors
#2,705
of 5,557 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#179,600
of 327,440 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Parasites & Vectors
#84
of 150 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,342,232 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 37th percentile – i.e., 37% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 5,557 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.7. This one is in the 48th percentile – i.e., 48% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 327,440 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 43rd percentile – i.e., 43% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 150 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 40th percentile – i.e., 40% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.