scholarly journals An overview on nano-materials as mosquito controlling agents against Anopheles stephensi

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  

Mosquitoes are very obnoxious insects and vectors of many diseases like malaria, filariasis, dengue, yellow fever, encephalitis etc. Among these, malaria is transmitted by Anopheles stephensi mainly in urban areas across the temperate country. So, there is an imperative requirement to imply some mechanisms to reduce the mosquito vector to facilitate the reduction of vector borne diseases throughout the globe. But, mosquito control strategies are now in front of a threat because mosquito populations get resistance against the available synthetic insecticides. Besides the chemical insecticides, several other ways to control the vector population proved unsuccessful in most of the cases. Now, various researchers are trying to develop an alternate effective approach to eradicate malaria from the earth by controlling its vector by using a product which is ecofreindly, cost effective, biodegradable, non-toxic and selective in nature. So, by the amalgamation of the two fields namely the nanotechnology and the vector managements, a new field is now opened up for decades, “the green synthesized nanoparticles as mosquito control agents”. The plant-based, fabricated nanoparticles are beneficial over the synthetic one since it is economical, eco-friendly and non-toxic to nature. Silver, gold, zinc, cobalt, copper etc. nanoparticles are green fabricated with different plant parts, fungi as well as bacteria. These nano-materials are of less than 100 nm in diameter and are currently used in various fields of industry. So, adapting the nano-biotechnology to control the mosquito vector is the need of the hour. In this present review we focused on potential role of nano-materials as mosquito control agent against An. stephensi at different life stages of it.

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. IJIS.S32516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azubuike C. Ukubuiwe ◽  
Israel K. Olayemi ◽  
Aisha I. Jibrin

The need to have an improved knowledge on the bioecology of Culex quinquefasciatus, a prerequisite in the development of cost-effective control strategies, has informed the present preliminary investigation to put in better perspective variations that exist in the egg rafts of the species. Freshly laid egg rafts were collected and incubated at ambient temperature in well-labeled plastic trays. The results showed overall inconsistency in all indices monitored for the egg rafts. Generally, survivorship was high for the species. All immature stage and adult parameters measured varied significantly among the egg rafts and between/within sexes of the species. Therefore, this study suggests the presence of inherent variation in the bionomics of egg rafts of C. quinquefasciatus, probably influenced by the environment and hence underscores the need for additional studies to further elucidate the roles of genetics and environment in vectorial competence of the species, in order to develop robust sustainable mosquito vector control protocols.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. e0009024
Author(s):  
Olivier Telle ◽  
Birgit Nikolay ◽  
Vikram Kumar ◽  
Samuel Benkimoun ◽  
Rupali Pal ◽  
...  

Global urbanization is leading to an inexorable spread of several major diseases that need to be stemmed. Dengue is one of these major diseases spreading in cities today, with its principal mosquito vector superbly adapted to the urban environment. Current mosquito control strategies are proving inadequate, especially in the face of such urbanisation and novel, evidence-based targeted approaches are needed. Through combined epidemiological and entomological approaches, we aimed to identify a novel sanitation strategy to alleviate the burden of dengue through how the dengue virus spreads through the community. We combined surveillance case mapping, prospective serological studies, year-round mosquito surveys, socio-economic and Knowledge Attitudes and Practices surveys across Delhi. We identified lack of access to tap water (≤98%) as an important risk factor for dengue virus IgG sero-positivity (adjusted Odds Ratio 4.69, 95% C.I. 2.06–10.67) and not poverty per se. Wealthier districts had a higher dengue burden despite lower mosquito densities than the Intermediary income communities (adjusted Odds Ratio 2.92, 95% C.I. 1.26–6.72). This probably reflects dengue being introduced by people travelling from poorer areas to work in wealthier houses. These poorer, high density areas, where temperatures are also warmer, also had dengue cases during the winter. Control strategies based on improved access to a reliable supply of tap water plus focal intervention in intra-urban heat islands prior to the dengue season could not only lead to a reduction in mosquito abundance but also eliminate the reservoir of dengue virus clearly circulating at low levels in winter in socio-economically disadvantaged areas.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1353-1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa M. Macias ◽  
Sage McKeand ◽  
Duverney Chaverra-Rodriguez ◽  
Grant L. Hughes ◽  
Aniko Fazekas ◽  
...  

Innovative tools are essential for advancing malaria control and depend on an understanding of molecular mechanisms governing transmission of malaria parasites by Anopheles mosquitoes. CRISPR/Cas9-based gene disruption is a powerful method to uncover underlying biology of vector-pathogen interactions and can itself form the basis of mosquito control strategies. However, embryo injection methods used to genetically manipulate mosquitoes (especially Anopheles) are difficult and inefficient, particularly for non-specialist laboratories. Here, we adapted the ReMOT Control (Receptor-mediated Ovary Transduction of Cargo) technique to deliver Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex to adult mosquito ovaries, generating targeted and heritable mutations in the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi without injecting embryos. In Anopheles, ReMOT Control gene editing was as efficient as standard embryo injections. The application of ReMOT Control to Anopheles opens the power of CRISPR/Cas9 methods to malaria laboratories that lack the equipment or expertise to perform embryo injections and establishes the flexibility of ReMOT Control for diverse mosquito species.


2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
António M. Mendes ◽  
Inês S. Albuquerque ◽  
Marta Machado ◽  
Joana Pissarra ◽  
Patrícia Meireles ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Avermectins are powerful endectocides with an established potential to reduce the incidence of vector-borne diseases. Here, we show that several avermectins inhibit the hepatic stage of Plasmodium infection in vitro. Notably, ivermectin potently inhibits liver infection in vivo by impairing parasite development inside hepatocytes. This impairment has a clear impact on the ensuing blood stage parasitemia, reducing disease severity and enhancing host survival. Ivermectin has been proposed as a tool to control malaria transmission because of its effects on the mosquito vector. Our study extends the effect of ivermectin to the early stages of mammalian host infection and supports the inclusion of this multipurpose drug in malaria control strategies.


Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Malassigné ◽  
Claire Valiente Moro ◽  
Patricia Luis

The growing expansion of mosquito vectors leads to the emergence of vector-borne diseases in new geographic areas and causes major public health concerns. In the absence of effective preventive treatments against most pathogens transmitted, vector control remains one of the most suitable strategies to prevent mosquito-borne diseases. Insecticide overuse raises mosquito resistance and deleterious impacts on the environment and non-target species. Growing knowledge of mosquito biology has allowed the development of alternative control methods. Following the concept of holobiont, mosquito-microbiota interactions play an important role in mosquito biology. Associated microbiota is known to influence many aspects of mosquito biology such as development, survival, immunity or even vector competence. Mosquito-associated microbiota is composed of bacteria, fungi, protists, viruses and nematodes. While an increasing number of studies have focused on bacteria, other microbial partners like fungi have been largely neglected despite their huge diversity. A better knowledge of mosquito-mycobiota interactions offers new opportunities to develop innovative mosquito control strategies. Here, we review the recent advances concerning the impact of mosquito-associated fungi, and particularly nonpathogenic fungi, on life-history traits (development, survival, reproduction), vector competence and behavior of mosquitoes by focusing on Culex, Aedes and Anopheles species.


mSphere ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagne Duguma ◽  
Michael W. Hall ◽  
Chelsea T. Smartt ◽  
Josh D. Neufeld

ABSTRACT Mosquito microbiota provide important physiological and ecological attributes to mosquitoes, including an impact on their susceptibility to pathogens, fitness, and sensitivity to mosquito control agents. Culex nigripalpus mosquito populations transmit various pathogens, including the Saint Louis and West Nile viruses, and proliferate in nutrient-rich environments, such as in wastewater treatment wetlands. Our study examined whether increases in nutrients within larval mosquito developmental habitats impact microbial communities associated with C. nigripalpus mosquitoes. We characterized the effects of organic enrichments on microbiomes associated with C. nigripalpus mosquitoes and identified potential bacterial microbiota that will be further investigated for whether they alter mosquito life history traits and for their potential role in the development of microbial-based control strategies. Pollution from nutrients in aquatic habitats has been linked to increases in disease vectors, including mosquitoes and other pestiferous insects. One possibility is that changes in mosquito microbiomes are impacted by nutrient enrichments and that these changes affect various traits, including larval development, susceptibility to larval control agents, and susceptibility of the adult mosquitoes to pathogens. We tested this hypothesis using field mesocosms supplemented with low- and high-organic-nutrient regimens and then sampled microbial communities associated with the naturally colonizing Culex nigripalpus mosquito vector. By high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene sequences, we found no significant differences in overall microbial communities associated with sampled mosquitoes, despite detecting discernible differences in environmental variables, including pH, dissolved oxygen, and nutrient amendments. Nevertheless, indicator species analysis revealed that members of the Clostridiales were significantly associated with mosquitoes that originated from high-nutrient enrichments. In contrast, members of the Burkholderiales were associated with mosquitoes from the low-nutrient enrichment. High bacterial variability associated with the life stages of the C. nigripalpus was largely unaffected by levels of nutrient enrichments that impacted larval microbial resources, including bacteria, ciliates, and flagellates in the larval environments. IMPORTANCE Mosquito microbiota provide important physiological and ecological attributes to mosquitoes, including an impact on their susceptibility to pathogens, fitness, and sensitivity to mosquito control agents. Culex nigripalpus mosquito populations transmit various pathogens, including the Saint Louis and West Nile viruses, and proliferate in nutrient-rich environments, such as in wastewater treatment wetlands. Our study examined whether increases in nutrients within larval mosquito developmental habitats impact microbial communities associated with C. nigripalpus mosquitoes. We characterized the effects of organic enrichments on microbiomes associated with C. nigripalpus mosquitoes and identified potential bacterial microbiota that will be further investigated for whether they alter mosquito life history traits and for their potential role in the development of microbial-based control strategies.


Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-Shi Yen ◽  
Anna-Bella Failloux

The growing expansion of mosquito vectors has made mosquito-borne arboviral diseases a global threat to public health, and the lack of licensed vaccines and treatments highlight the urgent need for efficient mosquito vector control. Compared to genetically modified control strategies, the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia, endowing a pathogen-blocking phenotype, is considered an environmentally friendly strategy to replace the target population for controlling arboviral diseases. However, the incomplete knowledge regarding the pathogen-blocking mechanism weakens the reliability of a Wolbachia-based population replacement strategy. Wolbachia infections are also vulnerable to environmental factors, temperature, and host diet, affecting their densities in mosquitoes and thus the virus-blocking phenotype. Here, we review the properties of the Wolbachia strategy as an approach to control mosquito populations in comparison with genetically modified control methods. Both strategies tend to limit arbovirus infections but increase the risk of selecting arbovirus escape mutants, rendering these strategies less reliable.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
André B. B. Wilke ◽  
Catherine Chase ◽  
Chalmers Vasquez ◽  
Augusto Carvajal ◽  
Johana Medina ◽  
...  

Abstract Global increases in temperatures and urbanization are impacting the epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases. Urbanization processes create suitable habitats for vector mosquitoes in which there are a reduced number of predators, and human hosts are widely available. We hypothesize that mosquito vector species, especially Aedes aegypti, are locally concentrated primarily in those specific habitats at the neighborhood levels that provide suitable conditions and environmental resources needed for mosquito survival. Determining how mosquito vector species composition and abundance depend on environmental resources across habitats addresses where different types of vector control need to be applied. Therefore, our goal was to analyze and identify the most productive aquatic habitats for mosquitoes in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Immature mosquito surveys were conducted throughout Miami-Dade County from April 2018 to June 2019, totaling 2,488 inspections. Mosquitoes were collected in 76 different types of aquatic habitats scattered throughout 141 neighborhoods located in the urbanized areas of Miami-Dade County. A total of 44,599 immature mosquitoes were collected and Ae. aegypti was the most common and abundant species, comprising 43% of all specimens collected. Aedes aegypti was primarily found in buckets, bromeliads, and flower pots, concentrated in specific neighborhoods. Our results showed that aquatic habitats created by anthropogenic land-use modifications (e.g., ornamental bromeliads, buckets, etc.) were positively correlated with the abundance of Ae. aegypti. This study serves to identify how vector mosquitoes utilize the resources available in urban environments and to determine the exact role of these specific urban features in supporting populations of vector mosquito species. Ultimately, the identification of modifiable urban features will allow the development of targeted mosquito control strategies optimized to preventatively control vector mosquitoes in urban areas.


Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeline Williams ◽  
Alexander Franz ◽  
William Reid ◽  
Ken Olson

The mosquito vector Aedes aegypti transmits arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) of medical importance, including Zika, dengue, and yellow fever viruses. Controlling mosquito populations remains the method of choice to prevent disease transmission. Novel mosquito control strategies based on genetically manipulating mosquitoes are being developed as additional tools to combat arbovirus transmission. Genetic control of mosquitoes includes two basic strategies: population suppression and population replacement. The former aims to eliminate mosquito populations while the latter aims to replace wild populations with engineered, pathogen-resistant mosquitoes. In this review, we outline suppression strategies being applied in the field, as well as current antiviral effector genes that have been characterized and expressed in transgenic Ae. aegypti for population replacement. We discuss cutting-edge gene drive technologies that can be used to enhance the inheritance of effector genes, while highlighting the challenges and opportunities associated with gene drives. Finally, we present currently available models that can estimate mosquito release numbers and time to transgene fixation for several gene drive systems. Based on the recent advances in genetic engineering, we anticipate that antiviral transgenic Ae. aegypti exhibiting gene drive will soon emerge; however, close monitoring in simulated field conditions will be required to demonstrate the efficacy and utility of such transgenic mosquitoes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-104

Effective mosquito control strategies in temporary water storage containers in community are urgently needed to reduce dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever through mosquito larvae reduction without harmful to environment, ecosystems and community. For biological control of Aedes aegypti larvae, native larvivorus fish as Aplocheilus panchax were collected from Hpa-an Township, Kayin State. Mingalar Ywar Thit and Taung Nar Village were selected as test and control villages and 51 households each were randomly selected to recruit the study. Laboratory and field study were done from February 2016 to January 2017. In the laboratory, a series of laboratory experiments compared Aedes larva consuming rates of Aplocheilus panchax and Trichogaster trichopterus in different water volumes, in order to determine their potential as larva control agent in water storage containers. In the field, Aedes larvae and pupae positivity in containers were recorded in both villages. During intervention, two Aplocheilus panchax were put into all major, minor and miscellaneous containers monthly for 3 months in test area of Mingalar Ywar Thit Village. Larval and pupal indices were determined before and after intervention. Laboratory result found that one gram weight of Aplocheilus panchax consumed 463.04 3rd and 4th instar Aedes larvae within 24 hours. It was 3.727 fold higher in consuming rate than one gram of Trichogaster trichopterus against 124.24 Aedes aegypti larvae. After intervention, House Index (HI), Container Index (CI) and Breteau Index (BI) were significantly reduced from 86.27%, 59.86% and 172.55 to 1.96%, 1.36% and 3.92, respectively (P<0.05). Hundred percent reduction was found in key containers and 90% reduction was found in key premises in test area. Pupal indices were also significantly reduced. Native larvivorus fish Aplocheilux panchax is an efficient biological agent for the control of DF and DHF vector Aedes immature stages in Kayin State. The biological method is simple and cost-effective method for control of DF/DHF in community.


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