The ENAROMATIC study focused on identifying compounds with mosquito repellent properties. The idea was to interfere with the mosquito''s olfactory system as a means of preventing it from biting a human host, an essential step in malaria transmission.
Malaria is the prime example of a lethal disease carried by blood-feeding insects. It is caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which is transmitted to humans by female anopheline mosquitoes, particularly those of the genus Anopheles gambiae, during blood feeding.