Hapugoda Menaka, Gunawardena Nilmini Silva, Ranathunge Tharaka, Bouyer Jeremy, Maiga Hamidou, Karunathilake Kankanige, Withanage Gayan Parakrama, Weerasinghe Indika, Sow Bazoumana B D, Harishchandra Jeevanie
Molecular Medicine Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Ragama 11010, Sri Lanka.
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Eastern University, Batticaloa 30000, Sri Lanka.
Insects. 2024 Jun 22;15(7):466. doi: 10.3390/insects15070466.
Dengue is an important mosquito-borne disease in Sri Lanka. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is an environment-friendly and novel method that can suppress dengue vector mosquitoes in Sri Lanka. This study aimed to evaluate the field performance of sterile males and the density of wild male (Skuse) using a Mark-Release-Recapture (MRR) assay. Laboratory-colonized male pupae were exposed to 50 Gy gamma using a Co source. Sterile males (approx. 10,000) marked with fluorescent dust were released weekly for 4 consecutive weeks (January-February 2021) in a geographically isolated 30 ha site in Gampaha. Results show sterile males could disperse up to 543.8 m with a mean distance of 255.1 ± 44.6 m and survive up to 6 days with a mean life expectancy of 3.55 ± 2.32 days. A high field mating competitiveness of sterile males based on a Fried value of 0.47 ± 0.007 and significant induced sterility in the wild eggs in the second generation were found. The mean wild male mosquito population density was 163 males/ha. The data generated will be useful for designing future trials in Sri Lanka and other countries with similar situations.
登革热是斯里兰卡一种重要的蚊媒疾病。昆虫不育技术（SIT）是一种环保且新颖的方法，可用于抑制斯里兰卡的登革热媒介蚊子。本研究旨在通过标记释放再捕获（MRR）试验评估不育雄蚊的野外性能以及野生雄蚊（斯库斯）的密度。将实验室饲养的雄蛹用钴源暴露于50戈瑞的伽马射线。在2021年1月至2月期间，连续4周每周在甘帕哈一个地理隔离的30公顷场地释放约10000只标记有荧光粉尘的不育雄蚊。结果显示，不育雄蚊可扩散至543.8米，平均距离为255.1±44.6米，存活长达6天，平均预期寿命为3.55±2.32天。基于0.47±0.007的弗里德值发现不育雄蚊具有较高的野外交配竞争力，且第二代野生卵中有显著的诱导不育现象。野生雄蚊的平均种群密度为163只/公顷。所产生的数据将有助于设计斯里兰卡及其他情况类似国家未来的试验。
