Sterile Insect Technique: Successful Suppression of an Aedes aegypti Field Population in Cuba

Abstract

Dengue virus infections are a serious public health problem worldwide. Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue in Cuba. As there is no vaccine or specific treatment, the control efforts are directed to the reduction of mosquito populations. The indiscriminate use of insecticides can lead to adverse effects on ecosystems, including human health. The sterile insect technique is a species-specific and environment-friendly method of insect population control based on the release of large numbers of sterile insects, ideally males only. The success of this technique for the sustainable management of agricultural pests has encouraged its evaluation for the population suppression of mosquito vector species. Here, we describe an open field trial to evaluate the effect of the release of irradiated male Ae. aegypti on a wild population. The pilot trial was carried out in a suburb of Havana and compared the mosquito population density before and after the intervention, in both untreated control and release areas. The wild population was monitored by an ovitrap network, recording frequency and density of eggs as well as their hatch rate. A significant amount of sterility was induced in the field population of the release area, as compared with the untreated control area. The ovitrap index and the mean number of eggs/trap declined dramatically after 12 and 5 weeks of releases, respectively. For the last 3 weeks, no eggs were collected in the treatment area, clearly indicating a significant suppression of the wild target population. We conclude that the sterile males released competed successfully and induced enough sterility to suppress the local Ae. aegypti population.

Transgenic expression of Nix converts genetic females into males and allows automated sex sorting in Aedes albopictus

“…Given the global expansion of this mosquito 7 , 8 and its increasing insecticide resistance 9 , 10 , new and more sustainable vector control tools are urgently needed 11 . Genetic control methods to suppress mosquito population, including the Sterile Insect Technique 12 and the Incompatible Insect Technique 13 , have proven effective in several field trials 14 – 17 . These methods rely on mass releases of male mosquitoes that compete with their field counterparts for mating.…”

Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and Its Applications

“…Gato and colleagues (2021) [ 34 ] present the impressive results of an SIT field trial against Ae. aegypti in two sub-urban areas of Havana, Cuba.…”

Response of male adult Aedes mosquitoes to gamma radiation in different nitrogen environments

“…The sterile insect technique (SIT), a species-specific and environment-friendly method, is a promising technique for the area-wide integrated management of vector mosquitoes, which cause diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, and Zika ( Dyck et al, 2021 ). Indeed, many field trials to demonstrate the effectiveness of the SIT against Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus have shown satisfactory results on a small scale ( Bellini et al, 2013 , 2021 ; Gato et al, 2021 ; Becker et al, 2022 ). Although significant advances have been made in its development ( Culbert et al, 2018 ; Bimbilé Somda et al, 2019 ; Mamai et al, 2019 ; Mamai et al, 2020 ; Yamada et al, 2019 ; Bouyer et al, 2020 ; Maïga et al, 2020 ), there is considerable scope for further development, especially for large-scale implementation.…”