Chicken odour has repellent against host seeking malaria and Zika mosquitoes

Sweden July 22:Even though it sounds like a ‘fowl’ suggestion,growing a chicken or having its presence is the next best thing humans could have against the combat of epidemics like malaria and Zika according to studies published in the Malaria Journal.

In a startling discovery ,Swedish and Ethiopian scientists have found that mosquitoes steer clear of homes which house a living chicken. The team  tried examining participants sleeping in mosquito-netted beds, but with the added presence of a living chicken,  reports Live Science.

Anopheles arabiensis, the mosquito species that transmits malaria, was found to actively avoid chickens by its presence or even just the smell of their feathers deterred the flying menace.

Aedes aegypti, the mosquito  species responsible for transmitting Zika virus,prefers feeding on humans and dogs, although will occasionally bite restrained chickens .

Professor Richard Ignell, of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, said: “We were surprised to find that malaria mosquitoes are repelled by the odors emitted by chickens.”

The researchers believe mosquitoes are wary of chickens because the birds eat the insects, and their blood is not nutritious enough to be worth the taking the risk.

The smell creates a poultry ‘odour bubble’ which dissuades  even the hungriest mosquito from going near the pungent source.

Scientists say that they may have isolated the chemical compounds  occurring in the odour and are now planning to develop a mosquito repellent.

This study shows for the first time that malaria mosquitoes actively avoid feeding on certain animal species, and the behavior is regulated through odor cues.

Zika virus was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization earlier this year

The research team collected data on the population of human and domestic animals in three Ethiopian villages, with the aid  of Addis Ababa University, in Ethiopia.

They found that the mosquito species that spreads malaria, in the sub-Saharan Africa ,avoid chickens both indoors and outdoors.

The team identified chemical compounds that were only present in chicken feathers and placed them on traps in 11 homes.

Prof.Ignell says that they could use the same repellents to deter the Zika carrying mosquito species.

The study increasingly physiologically resistance to pesticides by the  bugs was the main reason for exploring novel control methods.