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A standalone incompatible insect technique enables mosquito suppression in the urban subtropics.

ABSTRACT: The strong suppression of Aedes albopictus on two Guangzhou islands in China has been successfully achieved by releasing males with an artificial triple-Wolbachia infection. However, it requires the use of radiation to sterilize residual females to prevent population replacement. To develop a highly effective tool for dengue control, we tested a standalone incompatible insect technique (IIT) to control A. albopictus in the urban area of Changsha, an inland city where dengue recently emerged. Male mosquitoes were produced in a mass rearing facility in Guangzhou and transported over 670 km under low temperature to the release site. After a once-per-week release with high numbers of males (phase I) and a subsequent twice-per-week release with low numbers of males (phase II), the average numbers of hatched eggs and female adults collected weekly per trap were reduced by 97% and 85%, respectively. The population suppression caused a 94% decrease in mosquito biting at the release site compared to the control site. Remarkably, this strong suppression was achieved using only 28% of the number of males released in a previous trial. Despite the lack of irradiation to sterilize residual females, no triple-infected mosquitoes were detected in the field post release based on the monitoring of adult and larval A. albopictus populations for two years, indicating that population replacement was prevented. Our results support the feasibility of implementing a standalone IIT for dengue control in urban areas.

SUBMITTER: Zeng Q

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9793375 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A standalone incompatible insect technique enables mosquito suppression in the urban subtropics.

Zeng Qin Q She Lingzhi L Yuan Hao H Luo Yuying Y Wang Renke R Mao Wei W Wang Weifeng W She Yueting Y Wang Chaojun C Shi Mengyi M Cao Ting T Gan Renxian R Li Yongjun Y Zhou Jiayi J Qian Wei W Hu Shixiong S Wang Yong Y Zheng Xiaoying X Li Kuibiao K Bai Lianyang L Pan Xiaoling X Xi Zhiyong Z

Communications biology 20221227 1

The strong suppression of Aedes albopictus on two Guangzhou islands in China has been successfully achieved by releasing males with an artificial triple-Wolbachia infection. However, it requires the use of radiation to sterilize residual females to prevent population replacement. To develop a highly effective tool for dengue control, we tested a standalone incompatible insect technique (IIT) to control A. albopictus in the urban area of Changsha, an inland city where dengue recently emerged. Mal ...[more]

PMID: 36575240

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Project description:BackgroundThe transinfection of the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia provides a method to produce functionally sterile males to be used to suppress mosquito vectors. ARwP is a wPip Wolbachia infected Aedes albopictus which exhibits a bidirectional incompatibility pattern with wild-types. We coupled a modelistic approach with laboratory experiments to test ARwP as a control tool and evaluate the possible occurrence of population replacement following the release of ARwP females in a wild-type (SANG) population. Repeated male-only releases were simulated and tested in the laboratory in comparison with releases contaminated with 1% ARwP females. Model simulations also investigated how migration affects the outcome of contaminated releases. Finally, the mean level of egg fertility and the long-term evolution of populations constituted by two Wolbachia infection types were studied by testing SANG and ARwP Ae. albopictus and performing more general model simulations.ResultsThe model was parametrized with laboratory data and simulations were compared with results of biological trials. Small populations of ARwP males and females were theoretically and experimentally demonstrated to rapidly become extinct when released in larger SANG populations. Male-only releases at a 5:1 ratio with respect to the wild-type males led to a complete suppression of the SANG population in a few generations. Contaminated releases were efficient as well but led to population replacement in the long term, when the wild-type population approached eradication. Migration significantly contrasted this trend as a 5% population turnover was sufficient to avoid any risk of population replacement. At equal frequencies between ARwP and SANG individuals, the mean egg fertility of the overall population was more than halved and suppression was self-sustaining until one of the two infection types extinguished.ConclusionsIn the case of bidirectional incompatibility patterns, the repeated release of incompatible males with small percentages of contaminant females could lead to population replacement in confined environments while it could be managed to target high efficiency and sustainability in wild-type suppression when systems are open to migration. This possibility is discussed based on various contexts and taking into consideration the possibility of integration with other control methods such as SIT and the use of larvicides.

Project description:Novel and alternative vector control approaches using a sterile male-based release to suppress Aedes aegypti mosquito vectors have recently been tested in the field in many countries. These approaches included the sterile insect technique (SIT), incompatible insect technique (IIT), and a combination of both techniques. In this study, we conducted a series of experiments to compare the quality between radiation-based and Wolbachia-induced sterile males in terms of flight ability, sterility, mating competitiveness, survival rate, and longevity. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes irradiated at 50 Gy (SIT) and those trans-infected with wAlbB Wolbachia (IIT) were used for quality comparison. Our results showed that irradiated and Wolbachia trans-infected males were not significantly different in flight ability (p > 0.05) and both could induce sterility in wild-type females. In addition, although irradiation at 50 Gy or Wolbachia trans-infection reduced male mating competitiveness, combined irradiation and Wolbachia wAlbB trans-infection increased male competitiveness at the one-to-one ratio. Increasing the number of sterile males released could compensate for reduced competitiveness but it does not make them more competitive. Irradiation did not affect the survival and longevity of irradiated males, but it showed significant negative impacts on females (p < 0.05); while the opposite was observed in the case of Wolbachia infection, i.e., with significant increase in the survival rate of Wolbachia trans-infected males (p < 0.05), but both survival and longevity were reduced in Wolbachia trans-infected females with no significant impacts (p > 0.05). In conclusion, neither irradiation nor Wolbachia trans-infection significantly affected the quality of sterile males except their mating competitiveness; but this could compensate by increasing the number of sterile males released. Sterility could be induced by either 50 Gy irradiation or wAlbB trans-infection. Mating competitiveness results showed that a higher number of sterile males produced by irradiation need to be released in comparison to those produced by Wolbachia trans-infection. Our results should be useful for planning SIT, IIT, or a combination for Ae. aegypti vector control.

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A standalone incompatible insect technique enables mosquito suppression in the urban subtropics.

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A standalone incompatible insect technique enables mosquito suppression in the urban subtropics.

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