iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, D-76829 Landau, Germany.
Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine, F-38000 Grenoble, France.
Sci Total Environ. 2020 Jul 1;724:137800. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137800. Epub 2020 Apr 2.
Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) has been used in mosquito control programs to reduce nuisance in Europe for decades and is generally considered an environmentally-safe, effective and target-specific biocide. However, the use of Bti is not uncontroversial. Target mosquitoes and affected midges represent an important food source for many aquatic and terrestrial predators and reduction of their populations is likely to result in food-web effects at higher trophic levels. In the context of global biodiversity loss, this appears particularly critical since treated wetlands are often representing conservation areas. In this review, we address the current large-scale use of Bti for mosquito nuisance control in Europe, provide a description of its regulation followed by an overview of the available evidence on the parameters that are essential to evaluate Bti use in mosquito control. Bti accumulation and toxin persistence could result in a chronic expose of mosquito populations ultimately affecting their susceptibility, although observed increase in resistance to Bti in mosquito populations is low due to the four toxins involved. A careful independent monitoring of mosquito susceptibility, using sensitive bioassays, is mandatory to detect resistance development timely. Direct Bti effects were documented for non-target chironomids and other invertebrate groups and are discussed for amphibians. Field studies revealed contrasting results on possible impacts on chironomid abundances. Indirect, food-web effects were rarely studied in the environment. Depending on study design and duration, Bti effects on higher trophic levels were demonstrated or not. Further long-term field studies are needed, especially with observations of bird declines in Bti-treated wetland areas. Socio-economic relevance of mosquito control requires considering nuisance, vector-borne diseases and environmental effects jointly. Existing studies indicate that a majority of the population is concerned regarding potential environmental effects of Bti mosquito control and that they are willing to pay for alternative, more environment-friendly techniques.
苏云金芽孢杆菌亚种以色列变种（Bti）已在欧洲用于蚊虫控制计划数十年，以减少滋扰，并被普遍认为是一种环境安全、有效且具有特定目标的杀生物剂。然而，Bti 的使用并非没有争议。目标蚊子和受影响的摇蚊是许多水生和陆地捕食者的重要食物来源，减少它们的数量可能会导致食物网在更高的营养级产生影响。在全球生物多样性丧失的背景下，这一点显得尤为关键，因为经过处理的湿地通常代表着保护区。在本文中，我们讨论了目前在欧洲大规模使用 Bti 来控制蚊虫滋扰的情况，描述了其监管情况，并概述了评估 Bti 在蚊虫控制中的使用所必需的参数的现有证据。Bti 的积累和毒素的持久性可能会导致蚊虫种群的慢性暴露，最终影响它们的易感性，尽管由于涉及到四种毒素，观察到蚊虫种群对 Bti 的抗性增加幅度较低。使用敏感的生物测定法，对蚊虫易感性进行谨慎的独立监测是及时发现抗性发展的必要条件。非目标摇蚊和其他无脊椎动物群也记录到了直接的 Bti 作用，并对两栖动物进行了讨论。田间研究揭示了可能对摇蚊丰度产生影响的结果存在差异。在环境中很少研究间接的食物网影响。根据研究设计和持续时间，Bti 对更高营养级的影响得到了证明或未得到证明。需要进行更多的长期田间研究，特别是在 Bti 处理的湿地地区观察到鸟类减少的情况。蚊虫控制的社会经济相关性需要综合考虑滋扰、媒介传播疾病和环境影响。现有研究表明，大多数人关注 Bti 蚊虫控制的潜在环境影响，并且愿意为更环保的替代技术付费。
