preparing-irradiated-marked-male-aedes-aegypti-mosquitoes-for-release

Preparing Irradiated and Marked Male <em>Aedes aegypti</em> Mosquitoes for Release in an Operational Sterile Insect Technique Program

The control of such human diseases as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya relies on the control of their vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, because there is no ...

Agricultural Research Service Center for Medical, Agricultural, & Veterinary Entomology

Testing behavioral response to insecticidal volatiles requires modifications to the existing designs of olfactometers. To create a testing apparatus in which there is no chemical memory to confound tests, we detail the technical aspects of a new tool with design influences from other olfactometry tools. In addition, this new tool was used to evaluate a novel formulation of metofluthrin for use as an outdoor residual treatment. After sourcing materials to prioritize glass and metal construction, a modular wind tunnel was developed that hybridizes wind tunnel and olfactometer specifications. Volatile contaminants were removed by strong ultraviolet light within the chamber before and between trials. Repellent trials were conducted with an experimental formulation of metofluthrin and a commercial formulation of esfenvalerate, prallethrin, and piperonyl butoxide (Onslaught Fast Cap) against Aedes albopictus (Skuse). Toxicant vapors were delivered with attractants from a lure with behavioral responses scored 20 min post-exposure. Upwind attraction to the attractant lure and the Onslaught Fast Cap plus lure resulted in 90 and 75% capture, respectively. In contrast, metofluthrin vapors resulted in less than 10% attraction, while also causing repellency, disorientation, knockdown, and mortality effects. Our findings demonstrated that an inert modular wind tunnel was functional for mitigating toxic secondary exposures of spatial repellents amidst complex behavioral analysis in mosquitoes. The resulting observations with formulated metofluthrin positively reinforce the merit of transitioning metofluthrin into expanded roles in mosquito management.

Jedidiah Kline

US Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Service Center for Medical, Agricultural, & Veterinary Entomology

Preparing Irradiated and Marked Male Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes for Release in an Operational Sterile Insect Technique Program

Jedidiah Kline

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Agricultural Research Service Center for Medical, Agricultural, & Veterinary Entomology

Preparing Irradiated and Marked Male Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes for Release in an Operational Sterile Insect Technique Program

US Department of Agriculture