# The effect of the microbiota on male Aedes aegypti life history traits

> **NIH NIH R21** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $196,875

## Abstract

Project Summary:
Mosquitoes transmit multiple diseases worldwide accounting for millions of disease cases and
hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. The United States is not immune to the scourge of
mosquito-borne disease, as mosquitoes in the USA can transmit dengue and Zika viruses as
well as West Nile and La Crosse encephalitis virus. Mosquitoes are also a substantial nuisance
that reduce quality of life and enjoyment of outdoor activity. Control of mosquito populations is
the primary way we prevent disease transmission and nuisance issues. Many new methods of
mosquito population reduction involve a modified version of a method called sterile insect
technique (SIT) in which males are made reproductively sterile in a laboratory and released to
mate with wild females. This results in zero offspring and a reduction in the population of that
targeted mosquito species. SIT requires mass rearing of male mosquitoes in large rearing
facilities and these males must be healthy and able to compete with wild males for mates. Here,
we propose to investigate the potential impact the mosquito bacterial microbiota (i.e. bacteria in
the mosquito body) may have on male Aedes aegypti mosquito traits that are relevant for SIT
including longevity, body size, and ability to compete for mates. We will also investigate the way
the microbiota affects the transcriptome of males. This work will be the first in-depth
investigation into the role of the microbiota in male mosquito fitness traits and will provide key
insight into ways the microbiota might be leveraged to improve SIT for mosquito control.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10745338
- **Project number:** 5R21AI174093-02
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah M Short
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $196,875
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-11-22 → 2025-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10745338

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10745338, The effect of the microbiota on male Aedes aegypti life history traits (5R21AI174093-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10745338. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*