Abstract
Malaria is a devastating mosquito-borne disease, which affects hundreds of millions of people each year. It is transmitted predominantly by Anopheles gambiae, whose females must be >10 days old to become infective. In this study, cuticular lipids from a laboratory strain of this mosquito species were analyzed using a mass spectrometry method to evaluate their utility for age, sex and mating status differentiation. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), in conjunction with an acenaphthene/silver nitrate matrix preparation, was shown to be 100% effective in classifying A. gambiae females into 1, 7-10, and 14 days of age. MALDI-MS analysis, supported by multivariate statistical methods, was also effective in detecting cuticular lipid differences between the sexes and between virgin and mated females. The technique requires further testing, but the obtained results suggest that MALDI-MS cuticular lipid spectra could be used for age grading of A. gambiae females with precision greater than with other available methods.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 157-163 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Analytica Chimica Acta |
Volume | 706 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2011 Nov 7 |
Keywords
- Anopheles gambiae
- Cuticular hydrocarbons
- Cuticular lipids
- Malaria
- Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization
- Mosquito
- Principal component analysis
- Support vector machines
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Analytical Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Environmental Chemistry
- Spectroscopy