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 sample preparation and/or in some cases little or no prior separation [65,66]. It 



would be beneficial to have in place a rapid screening method for the identification 



of mosquito attractants. The work in this dissertation is the beginning stage to the 



development of a screening method for the analysis of human attraction to 



mosquitoes. 



Organization of Dissertation 



This dissertation is comprised of six chapters; the overall emphasis is on a 

 combinatorial approach, involving both chemistry and entomology, to better 

 understand the basis of chemical attraction of mosquitoes to hosts. The first chapter 

 has presented the objectives of this work, an introductory overview of entomological 

 fundamentals concerning the mosquito, the relation of this work to semiochemical 

 studies, and an overview of the analytical methods of sampling and detection by mass 

 spectrometry employed in this dissertation. Various methods of sampling emanations 

 are possible; a comparison of techniques tested for this work is summarized in 

 Chapter 2. Chapter 3 focuses on altering attraction with lactic acid as the model 

 compound. Reactions with lactic acid are examined and analysis of solution-based 

 perspiration is described with respect to origin of attractants from the skin. Chapter 

 4 focuses on the utility of MS/MS to this project and addresses compound class 

 screening. The identification of compounds present on the skin is addressed in 

 Chapter 5. This chapter contains studies comparing two subjects of differing 

 attraction to mosquitoes as well as comparing subject bio-assay attraction to mass 



