By Priyanka Deshpande
CNBC-TV18.com
Published August 20, 2024
On the occasion of World Mosquito Day, observed on August 20, take a look at how mosquitoes detect people and spread disease.
Mosquitoes thrive in hot, humid environments and lay eggs in stagnant water. Larvae can develop in as little water as a bottle cap, where they live underwater and feed on tiny organisms before becoming pupae.
WHERE DO MOSQUITOES BREED?
The life cycle from egg to adult mosquito takes about 8-10 days. Females lay eggs in stagnant water; these hatch and turn into larvae, which develop into pupae in 5 days. Pupae then become adult mosquitoes in 2-3 days.
LIFE CYCLE OF A MOSQUITO
Mosquitoes pierce the skin with their proboscis, injecting saliva into your bloodstream. If the mosquito is infected from feeding on an infected host, it can transmit the infection. The saliva triggers an immune response, causing itching and a bump.
HOW DO MOSQUITOES BITE?
Mosquitoes detect CO2 plumes from human breath up to 50 meters away and begin flying toward the source. At 5-15 meters, they use visual cues to locate the host. Within 1 meter, they sense body heat to decide whether to bite.
HOW MOSQUITO DECIDES WHO TO BITE?
Mosquitoes are drawn to people with type O blood, those with higher metabolic rates (like pregnant women and the obese), and individuals who consume alcohol, exert themselves physically, or produce more chemicals like lactic acid.
WHAT ATTRACTS MOSQUITOES?
Diseases that spread by the bite of an infected mosquito are known as mosquito-borne diseases. These include diseases such as Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya, and Malaria.
DISEASES SPREAD BY MOSQUITOES
A mosquito doesn’t suck all of the blood it needs from one source. It feeds on several people for one meal, a method known as sip feeding. This exposes more people to infection.
DID YOU KNOW?