Associative learning turns DEET from aversive to appetitive in Aedes aegypti
Recorded: May 31, 2026, 6:03 a.m.
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Associative learning switches DEET valence from aversive to appetitive in Aedes aegypti | Journal of Experimental Biology | The Company of Biologists Skip to Main Content Advertisement Open Menu Close Journals Open Menu Development Journal of Cell Science Journal of Experimental Biology Disease Models & Mechanisms Biology Open Community sites Open Menu The Node Open External Link preLights Open External Link FocalPlane Open External Link For librarians Open External Link Search Dropdown Menu header search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All contentAll journalsJournal of Experimental Biology Search Advanced Search User Tools Dropdown Register Toggle MenuMenu ArticlesOpen Menu Accepted manuscripts About JEB Submit a manuscript Journal policies Contacts Close navigation menu Article navigation Volume 229, Issue 10 May 2026 Previous Article Next Article Article contents Footnotes Article Navigation
RESEARCH ARTICLE| Available to Purchase Claudio R. Lazzari 0000-0003-3703-0302 , Claudio R. Lazzari Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing 1Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261 – University of Tours, 37200 Tours, France Author for correspondence ([email protected]) Search for other works by this author on: This site PubMed Google Scholar
David De Luca, David De Luca Data curation, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing – review & editing 1Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261 – University of Tours, 37200 Tours, France Search for other works by this author on: This site PubMed Google Scholar
Ayelén Nally 0009-0003-2130-787X , Ayelén Nally Data curation, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing – review & editing 1Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261 – University of Tours, 37200 Tours, France2Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, University of Buenos Aires, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina Search for other works by this author on: This site PubMed Google Scholar
Charly Dufour, Charly Dufour Data curation, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing – review & editing 1Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261 – University of Tours, 37200 Tours, France Search for other works by this author on: This site PubMed Google Scholar
Clément Vinauger 0000-0002-3704-5427 Clément Vinauger Conceptualization, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing 3Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA Search for other works by this author on: This site PubMed Google Scholar
Author and article information Claudio R. Lazzari https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3703-0302 Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing 1Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261 – University of Tours, 37200 Tours, France David De Luca 1Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261 – University of Tours, 37200 Tours, France Ayelén Nally https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2130-787X Data curation, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing – review & editing 1Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261 – University of Tours, 37200 Tours, France2Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, University of Buenos Aires, C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina Charly Dufour 1Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261 – University of Tours, 37200 Tours, France Clément Vinauger https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3704-5427 Conceptualization, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing 3Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA Author for correspondence ([email protected]) Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing or financial interests. Received: Accepted: Online ISSN: 1477-9145 Funding Funding Group: Award Group: Funder(s): The Journal of Experimental Biology Funding Group: Award Group: Funder(s): University of Tours Funding Group: Award Group: Funder(s): Centre national de la recherche scientifique © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists2026https://www.biologists.com/user-licence-1-2/ J Exp Biol (2026) 229 (10): jeb251935. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.251935 Article history Received: Accepted: Related content This is a related article to: This is a related article to: Views Icon Views Article contents Article Versions Icon Versions Version of Record 28 May 2026 Share Icon Share Bluesky Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Ris (Zotero) toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All contentAll journalsJournal of Experimental Biology Search Advanced Search Open figure viewer Repellents are central to personal protection and to reducing transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. Although substantial effort has been devoted to identifying the sensory and molecular pathways underlying repellent detection, the diversity of reported modes of action has hindered the development of a unified framework. It is generally assumed that insects respond to repellents in a fixed, aversive manner. However, an unexplored possibility is how plastic the innate meaning of repellents may be. We present experiments testing whether the innate response of Aedes aegypti to DEET (the gold-standard repellent) can be shifted from aversion to attraction. First, we identified and validated an appetitive behavioural response in mosquitoes equivalent to PER conditioning in flies and bees: the biting attempt response (BAR). Next, we trained individual mosquitoes to associate DEET with a blood meal using Pavlovian conditioning. We then examined whether mosquitoes trained with blood as a positive reinforcer would display the BAR when presented with DEET alone or on host skin. Finally, we trained females to associate DEET with sugar and tested their subsequent response to DEET alone. Across all experiments, trained mosquitoes showed a reversal in the valence of DEET, shifting from innate avoidance to a learned appetitive response. These results demonstrate that experience can render DEET attractive by establishing associations with two rewarding contexts: vertebrate blood feeding and plant sugar feeding. We discuss the implications of this learned attraction for understanding repellent mechanisms and for designing strategies to improve personal protection. Keywords: Footnotes Author contributionsConceptualization: C.R.L., C.V.; Data curation: C.R.L., D.D.L., A.N., C.D.; Formal analysis: C.R.L.; Funding acquisition: C.R.L.; Investigation: C.R.L., D.D.L., A.N., C.D.; Methodology: C.R.L., D.D.L., A.N., C.D.; Project administration: C.R.L.; Resources: C.R.L.; Supervision: C.R.L.; Validation: C.R.L., D.D.L., A.N., C.D., C.V.; Visualization: C.R.L.; Writing – original draft: C.R.L., C.V.; Writing – review & editing: C.R.L., D.D.L., A.N., C.D., C.V. FundingA.N. was supported by a Travelling Fellowship from The Journal of Experimental Biology. This study was supported by recurrent funds from the University of Tours, the ECOS-Sud programme ‘Understanding Repellence’, and the IRP-INNE programme from Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) REPEL. Data and resource availabilityDatasets are available in Mendeley at doi:10.17632/66cfdwtcs8.1. All other relevant data and details of resources can be found within the article and its supplementary information. ECR SpotlightThis paper has an associated ECR Spotlight interview with Ayelén Nally. © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists2026https://www.biologists.com/user-licence-1-2/ Keywords: You do not currently have access to this content.
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The study investigated whether the innate aversion of *Aedes aegypti* mosquitoes to DEET, a standard repellent, could be reversed through associative learning, shifting this valence from aversive to appetitive. The researchers aimed to explore the possibility that the innate meaning of repellents is plastic, rather than fixed. To achieve this, the study first identified and validated an appetitive behavioral response in mosquitoes equivalent to the biting attempt response (BAR) observed in flies and bees, which served as the measurable outcome. Subsequently, the researchers employed Pavlovian conditioning techniques to train individual mosquitoes to associate DEET with rewarding stimuli. Specifically, they trained mosquitoes to associate DEET with a blood meal, which served as a positive reinforcer. They then examined whether these trained mosquitoes exhibited the BAR when presented with DEET alone or when DEET was applied to host skin. Furthermore, the study explored a second associative link by training female mosquitoes to associate DEET with sugar, assessing their subsequent behavioral response to DEET when presented in isolation. The results demonstrated that across all experimental manipulations, the trained mosquitoes exhibited a reversal in the valence of DEET, transitioning from their innate avoidance behavior to a learned appetitive response. This shift was mediated by the establishment of associations between DEET and two rewarding contexts: vertebrate blood feeding and plant sugar feeding. These findings suggest that experience plays a role in modifying the perception of repellents, indicating that learned associations with rewarding contexts can render chemical substances attractive to organisms. The authors discuss the implications of this learned attraction for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying repellent action and for developing more effective strategies for personal protection. |