The Role of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid in Mosquito-Host Interactions: a Hypothesis1,2

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Abstract
A hypothesis is presented to explain how the interactions of moisture, warmth, and carbon dioxide may operate to drive a mosquito to its warm-blooded host. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was found in mosquitoes, where it may play a role in mediating synaptic inhibition within the mosquito‗s nervous system. GABA combines with carbon dioxide either in aqueous solution or as a dry deposit in the presence of water vapor. The resulting carbamino-GABA compound was shown to be easily destroyed in the temperature region of warmblooded hosts. It is proposed that the carbamino-GABA compound does not possess the synaptic inhibitory power of uncombined GABA, and that the interactions of GABA with the higher than normal moisture, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, and warmth in the vicinity of a potential host underlie the insect's host-seeking behavior.

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