New adhesive traps to monitor urban mosquitoes with a case study to assess the efficacy of insecticide control strategies in temperate areas

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Five species of invasive Aedes mosquitoes have recently become established in Europe: Ae. albopictus, Ae. aegypti, Ae. japonicus japonicus, Ae. koreicus and Ae. atropalpus. These mosquitoes are a serious nuisance for people and are also competent vectors for several exotic pathogens such as dengue and chikungunya viruses. As they are a growing public health concern, methods to control these mosquitoes need to be implemented to reduce their biting and their potential for disease transmission. There is a crucial need to evaluate methods as part of an integrated invasive mosquito species control strategy in different European countries, taking into account local Aedes infestations and European regulations. This review presents the control methods available or in development against invasive Aedes mosquitoes, with a particular focus on those that can be implemented in Europe. These control methods are divided into five categories: environmental (source reduction), mechanical (trapping), biological (e.g. copepods, Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis, Wolbachia), chemical (insect growth regulators, pyrethroids) and genetic (sterile insect technique and genetically modified mosquitoes). We discuss the effectiveness, ecological impact, sustainability and stage of development of each control method.

Section: Chemical Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Chemical Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Evaluation Of Control Methods In Large‐scale Field Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Monitoring Of Aedes Mosquitoesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Control methods against invasive Aedes mosquitoes in Europe: a review

Baldacchino

Caputo

Chandre

et al. 2015

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152

A bacterium against the tiger: preliminary evidence of fertility reduction after release of Aedes albopictus males with manipulated Wolbachia infection in an Italian urban area

Caputo

Moretti

Manica

et al. 2019

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BACKGROUND Novel tools are needed to reduce the nuisance and risk of exotic arbovirus transmission associated with the colonization of temperate regions by Aedes albopictus. The incompatible insect technique (IIT) is a population suppression approach based on cytoplasmic incompatibility between males with manipulated endosymbionts and wild females. Here, we present the results of the first field experiment in Europe to assess the capacity of an Ae. albopictus line (ARwP) deprived of its natural endosymbiont Wolbachia and transinfected with a Wolbachia strain from the mosquito Culex pipiens, to sterilize wild females. RESULTS We released ∼ 4500 ARwP males weekly for 6 weeks in a green area within urban Rome (Italy) and carried out egg (N = 13 442), female (N = 128) and male (N = 352) collections. Egg (N = 13 783) and female (N = 48) collections were also carried out at two untreated control sites. The percentage of viable eggs during release was, on average, significantly lower in treated sites than in control sites, with the greatest difference (16%) seen after the fourth release. The ARwP to wild male ratio in the release spots between day 3 after the first ARwP male release and day 7 after the last release was, on average, 7:10. Released males survived up to 2 weeks. Approximately 30% of females collected in the release spots showed 100% sterility and 20% showed strongly reduced fertility compared with control sites. CONCLUSIONS Results support the potential of IIT as a tool contributing to Ae. albopictus control in the urban context, and stress the need for larger field trials to evaluate the cost‐efficacy of the approach in suppressing wild populations. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

The community‐wide effectiveness of municipal larval control programs for West Nile virus risk reduction in Connecticut, USA

McMillan

Harden

Burtis

et al. 2021

BACKGROUND Mosquito larval control through the use of insecticides is the most common strategy for suppressing West Nile virus (WNV) vector populations in Connecticut (CT), USA. To evaluate the ability of larval control to reduce entomological risk metrics associated with WNV, we performed WNV surveillance and assessments of municipal larvicide application programs in Milford and Stratford, CT in 2019 and 2020. Each town treated catch basins and nonbasin habitats (Milford only) with biopesticide products during both WNV transmission seasons. Adult mosquitoes were collected weekly with gravid and CO2‐baited light traps and tested for WNV; larvae and pupae were sampled weekly from basins within 500 m of trapping sites, and Culex pipiens larval mortality was determined with laboratory bioassays of catch basin water samples. RESULTS Declines in 4th instar larvae and pupae were observed in catch basins up to 2‐week post‐treatment, and we detected a positive relationship between adult female C. pipiens collections in gravid traps and pupal abundance in basins. We also detected a significant difference in total light trap collections between the two towns. Despite these findings, C. pipiens adult collections and WNV mosquito infection prevalence in gravid traps were similar between towns. CONCLUSION Larvicide applications reduced pupal abundance and the prevalence of host‐seeking adults with no detectable impact on entomological risk metrics for WNV. Further research is needed to better determine the level of mosquito larval control required to reduce WNV transmission risk.