Persistência de Vectobac WDG e Metoprag S-2g contra larvas de Aedes aegypti em ensaio simulado de campo no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Persistence of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Vectobac WDG) and methoprene (Metoprag S-2G) was evaluated against Aedes aegypti late third instar larvae of the Rockefeller strain in a semi-field bioassay. Tests were performed in Rio de Janeiro, using containers made of plastic, iron, concrete and asbestos, placed in a shaded area. The formulations used were 0.2 g of Vectobac-WDG and 1g of Metoprag S-2G per 100 liters of water in house storage containers. Vectobac WDG was tested twice, in March and in April/May, 2002. In March (temperature ranging from 21.5 to 39.3 ºC), 70-100% mortality was observed by the 7th day and declined abruptly thereafter. No significant differences were observed among the container types. In April/May (18.6 to 34.8 ºC) mortality was higher than 70% to 30-36 days in all cases, except in the iron container (40% mortality on the 12th day). Metoprag S-2G was evaluated in April/May, 2002, and induced mortality higher than 70% up to 15 days in the plastic and iron containers and only seven days in the concrete container. In the asbestos container, maximal mortality was achieved on day one post-treatment (66%). Our results point to a low persistence of both formulations in the weather conditions of Rio de Janeiro.A persistência de Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Vectobac WDG) e de Metoprene (Metoprag S-2G) contra larvas de terceiro estadio de Aedes aegypti (linhagem Rockefeller) foi avaliada em ensaios simulados de campo. Os testes foram realizados no Rio de Janeiro, em recipientes domésticos para estoque de água de plástico, ferro, cimento ou amianto, instalados em área sombreada. As formulações foram usadas nas concentrações de 0.2g / 100 l (Vectobac-WDG) e 1g / 100 l (Metoprag S-2G). Vectobac WDG foi submetido a dois testes, em março e abril/maio, 2002. Em março (temperaturas entre 21.5 e 39.3 ºC), 70-100% de mortalidade foi observada no sétimo dia, declinando posteriormente. Não houve diferença significativa entre os recipientes. Em abril / maio (18.6 a 34.8 ºC) a mortalidade foi superior a 70% até 30-36 dias em todos os casos, exceto no recipiente de ferro (40% de mortalidade no 12° dia). Metoprag S-2G, avaliado em abril / maio, 2002, induziu mortalidade acima de 70% durante 15 dias nos recipientes de plástico e de ferro e por apenas sete dias naquele de cimento. No recipiente de amianto, nunca se atingiu 70% de mortalidade. Estes resultados apontam para uma baixa persistência de ambas formulações nas condições climáticas do Rio de Janeiro

Efeito residual de duas formulações de Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis sobre Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) em condições de laboratório e em simulado de campo, no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Resistance of the dengue vector to temephos stimulated its substitution for Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) since 2001 in Brazil. The persistence of the two Bti formulations employed at that time by the Health Ministry, Vectobac G and Aquabac G, was assayed under laboratory and outdoor conditions. Both formulations were tested at 0.2 g/10 liters of water, the same concentration applied in the field for vector control. The tests were done against Ae. aegypti third instar larvae (Rockefeller strain). In the laboratory, Vectobac G and Aquabac G caused at least 95% mortality until 101 and 45 days after treatment, respectively. In the outdoor assays, test containers of different materials were treated with either formulation and placed in a shaded area. Larvae were introduced each 3-6 days and mortality was recorded 24 and 48 hours later. In the first set of assays, performed in June 2001, mortality levels of 70% or more were attained for 2-5 weeks for both formulations in all containers. The exception was for the iron one that rusted, resulting in low mortality after seven days. In the second set of assays (August 2001), 70% mortality was attained for just 1-2 weeks for all the containers and both formulations.RESUMO Resistência do vetor de dengue, Aedes aegypti, a temephos estimulou sua substituição por Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) desde 2001 no Brasil. A persistência de duas formulações de Bti empregadas naquele ano pelo Ministério da Saúde, Vectobac G e Aquabac G, foi testada em condições externas e de laboratório. Ambas formulações foram testadas a 0,2 g/10 litros de água, a mesma concentração recomendada para o controle do vetor no campo. Os testes foram realizados com larvas de Ae. aegypti de terceiro estádio (linhagem Rockefeller). No laboratório, Vectobac G e Aquabac G induziram pelo menos 95% de mortalidade até 101 e 45 dias depois do tratamento, respectivamente. Nos testes externos, recipientes de diferentes materiais foram tratados com cada formulação e colocados em local coberto. Larvas foram introduzidas a cada três a seis dias e a mortalidade foi observada após 24 e 48 horas. Na primeira série de ensaios (junho 2001) mortalidade de 70% ou mais foi alcançada por duas a cinco semanas em todos os recipientes. A exceção foi o recipiente de metal que oxidou, resultando em baixos níveis de mortalidade após sete dias. Na segunda série de ensaios (agosto 2001), 70% de mortalidade foi obtida por apenas uma a duas semanas para todos os recipientes e para ambas formulações

Artificial blood feeding for Culicidae colony maintenance in laboratories: does the blood source condition matter?

Culicidae colonization in laboratory is paramount to conduct studies aiming at a better understanding of mosquitoes’ capacity to transmit pathogens that cause deadly diseases. Colonization requires female blood feeding, a necessary step for maturation of female’s oocytes. Direct blood feeding on anesthetized mammals implies in a number of disadvantages when compared to artificial blood feeding. Consequently, laboratories worldwide have been trying to -feed female mosquitoes artificially in order to replace direct feeding. In this study, we compared the effects of direct blood feeding and artificial blood feeding on important life traits of three Culicidae species. Artificial feeding was performed using citrated or defibrinated sheep blood and citrated or defibrinated rabbit blood. Direct feeding was performed using anesthetized guinea pigs as the blood source and the experiment control. Results indicated that artificial feeding using sheep blood was not good enough to justify its use in the maintenance of laboratory colonies of Culicidae. However, artificial feeding using rabbit blood maintained a recovery rate always very close to the control, especially when blood was citrated. We concluded that artificial feeding using citrated rabbit blood can substitute direct feeding on mammals reducing the use of animals, eliminating the need to maintain a bioterium in the laboratory and reducing costs in scientific researches involving Culicidae vectors

Effect of Insecticide Resistance on Development, Longevity and Reproduction of Field or Laboratory Selected Aedes aegypti Populations

Aedes aegypti dispersion is the major reason for the increase in dengue transmission in South America. In Brazil, control of this mosquito strongly relies on the use of pyrethroids and organophosphates against adults and larvae, respectively. In consequence, many Ae. aegypti field populations are resistant to these compounds. Resistance has a significant adaptive value in the presence of insecticide treatment. However some selected mechanisms can influence important biological processes, leading to a high fitness cost in the absence of insecticide pressure. We investigated the dynamics of insecticide resistance and its potential fitness cost in five field populations and in a lineage selected for deltamethrin resistance in the laboratory, for nine generations. For all populations the life-trait parameters investigated were larval development, sex ratio, adult longevity, relative amount of ingested blood, rate of ovipositing females, size of egglaying and eggs viability. In the five natural populations, the effects on the life-trait parameters were discrete but directly proportional to resistance level. In addition, several viability parameters were strongly affected in the laboratory selected population compared to its unselected control. Our results suggest that mechanisms selected for organophosphate and pyrethroid resistance caused the accumulation of alleles with negative effects on different life-traits and corroborate the hypothesis that insecticide resistance is associated with a high fitness cost

Perfil de susceptibilidad a Temefos en poblaciones de Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) de Ciudad del Este - Alto Paraná, Paraguay

En Paraguay, el control del mosquito Aedes aegypti involucrado en la transmisión de varias arbovirosis implica la utilización del Temefos, un organofosforado que ha sido utilizado por los programas nacionales para el control vectorial por más de dos décadas en busca de la reducción de los estadios larvarios. En vista de la necesidad de evaluar periódicamente la actividad larvicida del compuesto químico mencionado, este estudio tuvo como objetivo monitorear el perfil de susceptibilidad de larvas de Ae. aegypti al Temefos. Para ello se aplicó un estudio analítico experimental con ensayos biológicos tipo dosis - respuesta, utilizando larvas del tercer estadio de la primera generación procedentes de una colonia de mosquitos colectada en Ciudad del Este. Las larvas fueron expuestas a la acción del Temefos a diferentes concentraciones definidas por un pre- test. Se registraron valores correspondientes al número de larvas expuestas y mortalidad al término de cada ensayo. Los resultados fueron concentración letal CL50 = 0,00966 mg/L y CL90 = 0,03015mg/L, a partir de estos valores se obtuvieron los indicadores cuantitativos de resistencia, Razón de resistencia RR50 = 2,3734 y RR90 = 4,1643 respectivamente. Este último es un indicativo de resistencia baja en las poblaciones de Ae. aegypti evaluadas, acorde con rangos estandarizados (RR>3<5). Los resultados observados en las poblaciones silvestres de larvas revelan una situación de alerta, considerando que el presente estudio evidenció un proceso de resistencia incipiente al Temefos. Finalmente, basados en los resultados se recomienda plantear y ejecutar estrategias basadas en acciones que permitan preservar la actividad larvicida de este compuesto, evitando el aumento progresivo de resistencia en las poblaciones silvestres

A genotyping array for the globally invasive vector mosquito, Aedes albopictus

Background: Although whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is the preferred genotyping method for most genomic analyses, limitations are often experienced when studying genomes characterized by a high percentage of repetitive elements, high linkage, and recombination deserts. The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), for example, has a genome comprising up to 72% repetitive elements, and therefore we set out to develop a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip to be more cost-effective. Aedes albopictus is an invasive species originating from Southeast Asia that has recently spread around the world and is a vector for many human diseases. Developing an accessible genotyping platform is essential in advancing biological control methods and understanding the population dynamics of this pest species, with significant implications for public health. Methods: We designed a SNP chip for Ae. albopictus (Aealbo chip) based on approximately 2.7 million SNPs identified using WGS data from 819 worldwide samples. We validated the chip using laboratory single-pair crosses, comparing technical replicates, and comparing genotypes of samples genotyped by WGS and the SNP chip. We then used the chip for a population genomic analysis of 237 samples from 28 sites in the native range to evaluate its usefulness in describing patterns of genomic variation and tracing the origins of invasions. Results: Probes on the Aealbo chip targeted 175,396 SNPs in coding and non-coding regions across all three chromosomes, with a density of 102 SNPs per 1 Mb window, and at least one SNP in each of the 17,461 protein-coding genes. Overall, 70% of the probes captured the genetic variation. Segregation analysis found that 98% of the SNPs followed expectations of single-copy Mendelian genes. Comparisons with WGS indicated that sites with genotype disagreements were mostly heterozygotes at loci with WGS read depth \u3c 20, while there was near complete agreement with WGS read depths \u3e 20, indicating that the chip more accurately detects heterozygotes than low-coverage WGS. Sample sizes did not affect the accuracy of the SNP chip genotype calls. Ancestry analyses identified four to five genetic clusters in the native range with various levels of admixture. Conclusions: The Aealbo chip is highly accurate, is concordant with genotypes from WGS with high sequence coverage, and may be more accurate than low-coverage WGS. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.) © The Author(s) 2024

Biochemical and Functional Characterization of Glycoside Hydrolase Family 16 Genes in Aedes aegypti Larvae: Identification of the Major Digestive β-1,3-Glucanase

Insect β-1,3-glucanases belong to Glycoside Hydrolase Family 16 (GHF16) and are involved in digestion of detritus and plant hemicellulose. In this work, we investigated the role of GHF16 genes in Aedes aegypti larvae, due to their detritivore diet. Aedes aegypti genome has six genes belonging to GHF16 (Aae GH16.1 – Aae GH16.6), containing two to six exons. Sequence analysis suggests that five of these GHF16 sequences (Aae GH16.1, 2, 3, 5, and 6) contain the conserved catalytic residues of this family and correspond to glucanases. All genomes of Nematocera analyzed showed putative gene duplications corresponding to these sequences. Aae GH16.4 has no conserved catalytic residues and is probably a β-1,3-glucan binding protein involved in the activation of innate immune responses. Additionally, Ae. aegypti larvae contain significant β-1,3-glucanase activities in the head, gut and rest of body. These activities have optimum pH about 5–6 and molecular masses between 41 and 150 kDa. All GHF16 genes above showed different levels of expression in the larval head, gut or rest of the body. Knock-down of AeGH16.5 resulted in survival and pupation rates lower than controls (dsGFP and water treated). However, under stress conditions, severe mortalities were observed in AeGH16.1 and AeGH16.6 knocked-down larvae. Enzymatic assays of β-1,3-glucanase in AeGH16.5 silenced larvae exhibited lower activity in the gut and no change in the rest of the body. Chromatographic activity profiles from gut samples after GH16.5 silencing showed suppression of enzymatic activity, suggesting that this gene codes for the digestive larval β-1,3-glucanase of Ae. aegypti. This gene and enzyme are attractive targets for new control strategies, based on the impairment of normal gut physiology