Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers University, 180 Jones Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
Mosquito Control and Habitat Management Division, 8901 NW 58th Street, Miami, FL, 33178, USA.
Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 8;11(1):14119. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-93492-2.
Conventional larvicide delivery strategies originally developed for permanent and floodwater mosquitoes have proved suboptimal in the small, scattered, and cryptic larval habitats preferred by container-inhabiting Aedes mosquitoes. New methods such as autodissemination, wherein adult mosquitoes spread insecticides to their own larval habitats, have been under study. Another novel delivery method termed heterodissemination, i.e. larvicide delivery by other species sharing the same habitats, has also been proposed. We conducted a proof-of-concept study with four independent experiments using American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) and green frogs Lithobates clamitans as carriers of pyriproxyfen, an insect growth regulator, under semi-field conditions in three different locations, two in New Jersey, and one in Utah. Frogs with attached slow-release pyriproxyfen tablets were introduced into outdoor enclosures with water containers. Water samples from the containers were periodically tested using larval Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens mosquitoes to assess mortality and percent eclosure inhibition. Overall pupal mortality [95% credible intervals] estimated by Bayesian analysis for the treatment group was 73.4% [71.3-75.2] compared to 4.1% [2.9-5.5] for the control group. Mortality within treatment groups in four different experiments ranged from 41 to 100%, whereas control mortalities ranged from 0.5% to 11%. We conclude that heterodissemination is a promising and effective approach deserving of further study.
传统的幼虫杀虫剂投放策略最初是为永久性和洪水蚊虫开发的，但在容器栖息的埃及伊蚊偏好的小而分散且隐蔽的幼虫栖息地中效果不佳。已经在研究新的方法，例如自动传播，即成年蚊子将杀虫剂传播到自己的幼虫栖息地。另一种新颖的投放方法称为异体传播，即通过共享相同栖息地的其他物种投放杀虫剂。我们在三个不同地点的四个独立实验中进行了概念验证研究，使用美洲牛蛙（Lithobates catesbeianus）和绿牛蛙（Lithobates clamitans）作为昆虫生长调节剂吡丙醚的载体，在半野外条件下进行，三个地点分别在新泽西州和犹他州。带有附着的缓释吡丙醚片剂的青蛙被引入带有水容器的户外围栏。定期从容器中采集水样，用幼虫埃及伊蚊和库蚊进行测试，以评估死亡率和百分率封闭抑制。通过贝叶斯分析估计处理组的总体蛹死亡率[95%置信区间]为 73.4%[71.3-75.2]，而对照组为 4.1%[2.9-5.5]。四个不同实验中处理组的死亡率范围为 41%至 100%，而对照组的死亡率范围为 0.5%至 11%。我们得出结论，异体传播是一种有前途且有效的方法，值得进一步研究。
