17 

 and various amino acids (phenylalanine, leucine, valine, and alanine) [29]. Amino 



acids, e.g. alanine, are believed to have too low of a vapor pressure to be present at 



detectable levels by mosquito chemosensilla [12]. 



Direct analysis of perspiration differs from work conducted for purposes of 

 identification of mosquito attractants in that direct analysis detects both involatiles 

 and volatiles. A necessity for mosquito attraction is that the attractant is suitably 

 volatile such that long-range detection by mosquito chemosensilla can occur. 

 Analysis of human body odors satisfies the criterion of examining volatiles which 

 emanate from the skin. 



Odor analyses are typically conducted with GC separation. The detection can 

 be accomplished by mass spectrometry, or another suitable detector, such as a flame 

 ionization detector (FID). Determination of odiferous compounds can be done by 

 using GC/MS in conjunction with GC/organoleptic evaluation by humans [30,31]. 

 This is analogous to the use of GC/MS and an olfactometer in the work of this 

 dissertation; the olfactometer performs the function of determining attraction level 

 analogous to the use of the human nose to determine fragrance. Performing GC/MS 

 and olfactomer studies on-line was not feasible at this time due to the complexity 

 involved in the relocation of either the mass spectrometer or olfactometer. 

 Additionally, mosquitoes typically require time to re-settle after detection of an 

 attractive odor stimulus. Work involving GC separation with electrophysiological 

 responses from antennae would obviate the need for re-settling time. Combined GC- 



