Rodriguez Pereira, Ainhoa, Hawkes, Frances ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0964-3702 and Emami, S. Noushin (2026) Crop: the black box of mosquito vector fitness. Insects, 17 (3):234. ISSN 2075-4450 (Online) (doi:10.3390/insects17030234)

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Abstract

In mosquitoes, digestion involves the foregut (including the crop), midgut, and hindgut, with the midgut and crop playing important roles in processing sugar and blood meals. The well-studied midgut is a known major pathogen entry point, however, the less-explored crop may affect vector fitness and immunity. This review provides an overview of the anatomy and function of the crop, before drawing together the current state of knowledge of (I) the crop’s role in digestion, (II) its immune function, and (III) the importance of the crop microbiome and its potential role in mosquito fitness. After decades of chemical control, vector management must move beyond immediate disease prevention toward a global approach that considers mosquito biology and the crop’s diverse roles. This may make it a suitable target for new innovations by providing insights into detoxification mechanisms, microbiome-mediated functions, and their potential combined effects on vectorial capacity. Future research is needed to better understand crop function.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Chemical Language between Vector, Parasite, and Host.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	crop, mosquito, digestion, immunity, microbiome, vector control
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General) Q Science > QL Zoology S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Human Sciences (HUM) Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Centre for Sustainable Agriculture 4 One Health Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Centre for Sustainable Agriculture 4 One Health > Behavioural Ecology
Last Modified:	01 May 2026 14:10
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/52546

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