Jason Pitts, Ph.D.
Director of the Biology of Global Health 4+1 Program | Associate Professor Baylor University
- Waco TX
Investigates the sensory neuronal basis for behaviors in arthropod disease vectors such as mosquitoes carrying Dengue or Zika viruses.
Media
Biography
Areas of Expertise
Education
Vanderbilt University
Ph.D.
Indiana University
M.A.
Ball State University
B.S.
Media Appearances
World Mosquito Day: How Baylor Biologists Battle Mosquito Vector Diseases
Baylor University online
2024-08-20
Mosquitoes are global agents of the spread of diseases – like malaria, dengue, Zika and West Nile virus – which lead to more than a million human deaths per year. To fight this persistent global health threat, Baylor University biology researchers Tamar Carter, Ph.D., Jason Pitts, Ph.D., and Cheolo Sim, Ph.D., and their respective labs are working to understand mosquito biology, behavior and ecology leading to breakthroughs in disease prevention and control strategies, ultimately saving millions of lives worldwide.
“While most people assume that we are not at risk of these diseases in the U.S., events are showing up here with transmitted cases of malaria in 2023 in Florida, Texas and Maryland,” Pitts said. “This was highly unusual and speaks to the ongoing need for vector research, surveillance and control.”
New Research on Mosquito Odorant Receptors Advances Understanding of Feeding Behaviors
Baylor University online
2024-08-05
Baylor University mosquito researchers, led by Jason Pitts, Ph.D., who specializes in vector biology and global health, have researched the complex odor-receptors – or sense of smell – of mosquitoes to help understand how they find meals. Their latest research – “Odorant receptors for floral- and plant-derived volatiles in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti” – is published in the journal, PLOS ONE.
Dr. Tamar Carter and Dr. Jason Pitts
Baylor Connections online
2019-06-14
Dr. Tamar Carter and Dr. Jason Pitts are Baylor biologists who study mosquitoes and use their findings to fight disease. In this Baylor Connections, they share information about one of the ubiquitous and unwelcome guests, both close to home and abroad. Learn tips to diminish the impact of mosquitoes on summer plans and discover how, more broadly, mosquito research can stop the spread of disease in impoverished communities around the world.
'Their development is quite rapid, especially as temperatures warm' | Expert tips on how to get rid of mosquitoes, gnats this summer
KCEN tv
2023-06-01
With rainfall comes standing water attracts the bugs as they breed in aquatic locations, says Jason Pitts, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology in Baylor’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Articles
The conserved IR75 subfamily mediates carboxylic acid detection in insects of public health and agricultural importance
Journal of Insect Science2025
Insects perceive and respond to carboxylic acids (CAs), amines, and aldehydes primarily via conserved ionotropic receptors (IRs). These receptors form the basis for a second olfactory system distinct from the well-characterized odorant receptors. Neurons expressing IRs are housed in dedicated sensilla and innervate glomeruli, separate from those innervated by odorant receptor neurons. The IR8a co-receptor is highly conserved across insect orders and, together with ionotropic receptor tuning receptors, primarily detects CAs. The conservation of genes and the anatomical separation of neural pathways underscore the importance of these compound classes and CAs, specifically in insect chemical ecology. We provide a summary of carboxylic acid detection in insects, focusing on dipteran and lepidopteran species of significance to public health and agriculture.
Functional Characterization of a Female-Biased Chemoreceptor of the Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella) Responding to Aldehydes and Other Volatile Compounds
Journal of Chemical Ecology2025
With the advent of semiochemical-based control strategies used to mitigate damage of agricultural pest moths, many studies have focused on the function of male-specific putative pheromone receptors (PRs). In this investigation, we instead isolated, heterologously expressed, and functionally characterized a female-biased candidate PR, CpomOR22, from the codling moth, Cydia pomonella. Using transgenic Drosophila melanogaster for single sensillum recording (SSR) and gas-chromatographic SSR, we tested both synthetic ligands and various apple headspace extracts, identifying saturated and unsaturated aldehydes (nonanal, decanal, undecanal, dodecanal; (Z)-4-undecenal and (Z)-6-undecenal) among the most active ligands.
The Dysregulation of Tuning Receptors and Transcription Factors in the Antennae of Orco and Ir8a Mutants in Aedes aegypti Suggests a Chemoreceptor …
Insects2025
Olfaction has been extensively studied in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. This species uses its sense of smell to find blood hosts and other resources, contributing to its impact as a vector for human pathogens. Two major families of protein-coding genes, the odorant receptors (Ors) and the ionotropic receptors (Irs), provide the mosquito with sensitivities to distinct classes of volatile compounds in the antennae. Individual tuning receptors in both families require co-receptors for functionality: Orco for all Ors, and Ir8a for many Irs, especially ones that are involved in carboxylic acid detection. In Drosophila melanogaster, disruptions of Orco or Ir8a impair receptor function, tuning receptor expression, and membrane localization, leading to general anosmia.
Odorant receptors for floral- and plant-derived volatiles in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)
PLoS One2024
Adult mosquitoes require regular sugar meals, including nectar, to survive in natural habitats. Both males and females locate potential sugar sources using sensory proteins called odorant receptors (ORs) activated by plant volatiles to orient toward flowers or honeydew. The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762), possesses a large gene family of ORs, many of which are likely to detect floral odors. In this study, we have uncovered ligand-receptor pairings for a suite of Aedes aegypti ORs using a panel of environmentally relevant, plant-derived volatile chemicals and a heterologous expression system. Our results support the hypothesis that these odors mediate sensory responses to floral odors in the mosquito’s central nervous system, thereby influencing appetitive or aversive behaviors.
Diols and sugar substitutes in attractive toxic sugar baits targeting Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes
Journal of Medical Entomology2023
Around the world, mosquitoes continue to transmit disease-causing pathogens and develop resistance to insecticides. We previously discovered that a generally regarded as safe (GRAS) compound, 1,2-propanediol, reduces adult mosquito survivorship when ingested. In this study, we assess and compare 5 more chemically related compounds for mosquito lethality and 8 GRAS sugar substitutes to determine toxicity. We conducted a series of feeding assays to determine if ingesting the compounds influenced mosquito mean survivorship in locally collected lab-reared populations of Aedes aegypti (Diptera, Culicidae, Linnaeus, 1762) and Aedes albopictus (Diptera, Culicidae, Skuse, 1894) mosquitoes.
