Entomology Unit, FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, IAEA Laboratories, A-2444 Seibersdorf, Austria.
Malar J. 2009 Nov 16;8 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S1. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-8-S2-S1.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) has been shown to be an effective and sustainable genetic approach to control populations of selected major pest insects, when part of area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programmes. The technique introduces genetic sterility in females of the target population in the field following their mating with released sterile males. This process results in population reduction or elimination via embryo lethality caused by dominant lethal mutations induced in sperm of the released males. In the past, several field trials have been carried out for mosquitoes with varying degrees of success. New technology and experience gained with other species of insect pests has encouraged a reassessment of the use of the sterility principle as part of integrated control of malaria vectors. Significant technical and logistic hurdles will need to be overcome to develop the technology and make it effective to suppress selected vector populations, and its application will probably be limited to specific ecological situations. Using sterile males to control mosquito vector populations can only be effective as part of an AW-IPM programme. The area-wide concept entails the targeting of the total mosquito population within a defined area. It requires, therefore, a thorough understanding of the target pest population biology especially as regards mating behaviour, population dynamics, dispersal and level of reproductive isolation. The key challenges for success are: 1) devising methods to monitor vector populations and measuring competitiveness of sterile males in the field, 2) designing mass rearing, sterilization and release strategies that maintain competitiveness of the sterile male mosquitoes, 3) developing methods to separate sexes in order to release only male mosquitoes and 4) adapting suppression measures and release rates to take into account the high reproductive rate of mosquitoes. Finally, success in area-wide implementation in the field can only be achieved if close attention is paid to political, socio-economic and environmental sensitivities and an efficient management organization is established taking into account the interests of all potential stakeholders of an AW-IPM programme.
不育昆虫技术（SIT）已被证明是一种控制选定主要害虫种群的有效和可持续的遗传方法，当它是区域综合虫害管理（AW-IPM）计划的一部分时。该技术通过在目标种群的雌性与释放的不育雄性交配后在野外引入遗传不育性来实现。这一过程通过在释放雄性精子中诱导显性致死突变导致胚胎致死来导致种群减少或消除。过去，已经进行了几项不同程度成功的蚊子田间试验。其他昆虫害虫的新技术和经验的获得鼓励重新评估利用不育原理作为疟疾媒介综合控制的一部分。需要克服重大的技术和后勤障碍来开发这项技术，并使其有效抑制选定的媒介种群，其应用可能仅限于特定的生态情况。使用不育雄性来控制蚊子媒介种群只能作为 AW-IPM 计划的一部分有效。区域广泛的概念需要在一个确定的区域内瞄准整个蚊子种群。因此，需要对目标害虫种群生物学有透彻的了解，特别是在交配行为、种群动态、扩散和生殖隔离水平方面。成功的关键挑战是：1）设计监测媒介种群和测量野外不育雄性竞争力的方法，2）设计大规模繁殖、绝育和释放策略，以保持不育雄性蚊子的竞争力，3）开发分离性别的方法，以便仅释放雄性蚊子，以及 4）调整抑制措施和释放率，以考虑到蚊子的高繁殖率。最后，如果密切关注政治、社会经济和环境敏感性，并建立一个有效的管理组织，考虑到 AW-IPM 计划的所有潜在利益相关者的利益，才能在实地实现区域广泛实施的成功。
