The role of the Skin Microbiome in Human Attractiveness to Malaria Mosquitoes

Some people naturally attract mosquitoes more than others, and are therefore more at risk of becoming infected with deadly diseases including malaria. Microbes on the skin are known to be important players in driving these differences in levels of attractiveness to mosquitoes. In particular, bacteria living on the human skin have a major impact on the production of body odour, specifically through breakdown of products found on the skin into volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that mosquitoes use to locate their host. However, the underlying mechanisms by which the skin microbiome influences levels of attractiveness to mosquitoes, "repellent" vs "attractive" skin microbiome compositions and how the skin microbiome interacts with host genetic factors, have yet to be identified.
The proposed project aims to understand the relative contributions of the skin microbiome, genetics and infection in human attractiveness to mosquitoes. During the project I will analyse the skin microbiome composition of participants recruited in the UK and The Gambia, who have had their levels of attractiveness to the malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii measured and production of VOCs characterised.
I will apply the advanced quantitative skills developed through my Epidemiology MSc to the metagenomic data from the bioinformatic analysis to test associations between skin microbiome composition, host genetic factors, levels of attractiveness and production of VOCs. This will be done by applying statistical approaches such as regression models and principal component analyis to measure correlations between factors. This interdisciplinary project will give me the opportunity to develop my medical microbiology, entomology, bioinformatic, genomic and statistical skills.