Contribution of fatty acids to olfactory host finding of female Aedes aegypti

Single carbon to 18 carbon n-aliphatic carboxylic acids were tested for their attractive effects on female Aedes aegypti in a Y-tube olfactometer. Each acid was tested over a wide range of concentrations together with L-(+)-lactic acid, the indispensable synergist for other attractive components emitted from human hosts. The attractiveness of lactic acid was significantly augmented when combined with fatty acids of chain length C(1)-C(3), C(5)-C(8) and C(13)-C(18), respectively. The addition of the C(9) and C(11) acids reduced the attractive effect of lactic acid. According to experiments showing a further increase of attractiveness by adding a second fatty acid, we suggest two groups of attractive carboxylic acids: C(1)-C(3) and C(5)-C(8). The addition of a fatty acid from one group to a mixture of lactic acid and an acid from the other group augmented the attraction to the mixture. Together with ammonia, a previously demonstrated attractant for Aedes aegypti, lactic acid plus two fatty acids from the different groups formed the hitherto most attractive, artificially composed blend. Two of the carboxylic acids which were found to be attractive together with lactic acid were also tested alone and in combination with CO(2), the major attractant in human breath. In both cases no attractive effect of the carboxylic acids could be observed.