scholarly journals Effect of Dinotefuran, Permethrin, and Pyriproxyfen (Vectra® 3D) on the Foraging and Blood-Feeding Behaviors of Aedes albopictus Using Laboratory Rodent Model

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 507
Author(s):  
Younes Laidoudi ◽  
Djamel Tahir ◽  
Hacène Medkour ◽  
Marie Varloud ◽  
Oleg Mediannikov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Exposure Period ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Feeding Behaviors ◽  
Host Seeking ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Feeding Effect ◽  
Rats And Mice ◽  
And Control

Dinotefuran-Permethrin-Pyriproxyfen (DPP) is used to kill and repel mosquitoes from dogs. However, the influence of the product on the host-seeking behavior of mosquitoes remains unknown. The interference of DPP with the host selection of unfed female Aedes albopictus was investigated. A total of 18 animals (9 mice and 9 rats) were divided into three groups of six animals each. DU: DPP treated rats (n = 3) with untreated mice (n = 3), UD: DPP treated mice (n = 3) with untreated rats (n = 3) and control UU: untreated mice (n = 3) and untreated rats (n = 3). In each group, the rats and mice were placed 30 cm apart. After sedation, the animals in each group were exposed twice (Day 1 and Day 7 post-treatment) for one hour to 71 ± 3 female mosquitoes. Mosquitoes were categorized after the 2-h post-exposure period as dead or alive. Blood-meal origin was determined from mosquitoes using a newly customized duplex qPCR. The highest values of forage ratio (1.36 ≥ wi ≤ 1.88) and selection index (0.63 ≥ Bi ≤ 0.94) for rat hosts indicates a preference of mosquitoes for this species as compared to mice when co-housed during the exposure. The mosquitoes only seldom fed on mice, even in the untreated group. The anti-feeding effect of DPP was therefore only assessed on rat’s hosts. The results showed that DPP, when directly applied on rats, provided a direct protection of 82% and 61% on Day 1 and Day 7, respectively, while when applied on mice hosts (UD), the DPP provided an indirect protection of 21% and 10% on Day 1 and Day 7, respectively. The results showed also that DPP, when applied on rats, provided a direct protection against Ae. albopictus bites. This effect did not result in increased exposure of the untreated host placed in the same cage at a distance of 30 cm.

scholarly journals Novel small molecule agonists of an Aedes aegypti neuropeptide Y receptor block mosquito biting behavior

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura B. Duvall ◽  
Lavoisier Ramos-Espiritu ◽  
Kyrollos E. Barsoum ◽  
J. Fraser Glickman ◽  
Leslie B. Vosshall
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Neuropeptide Y ◽  
Small Molecule ◽  
Blood Meal ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Behavioral Suppression ◽  
Host Seeking ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Seeking Behavior

AbstractFemale Aedes aegypti mosquitoes bite humans to obtain a blood-meal to develop their eggs. Remarkably, strong attraction to humans is suppressed for several days after the blood-meal by an unknown mechanism. We investigated a role for neuropeptide Y (NPY)-related signaling in this long-term behavioral suppression, and discovered that drugs targeting human NPY receptors modulate mosquito host-seeking behavior. In a screen of all 49 predicted Ae. aegypti peptide receptors, we identified NPY-like receptor 7 (NPYLR7) as the sole target of these human drugs. To obtain small molecule agonists selective for NPYLR7, we carried out a high-throughput cell-based assay of 265,211 compounds, and isolated 6 highly selective NPYLR7 agonists that inhibit mosquito attraction to humans. NPYLR7 CRISPR-Cas9 null mutants are defective in behavioral suppression, and resistant to these drugs. Finally, we show that these drugs are capable of inhibiting biting and blood-feeding on a live host, suggesting a novel approach to control infectious disease transmission by controlling mosquito behavior.

scholarly journals Sugar feeding patterns of New York Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are affected by saturation deficit, flowers, and host seeking

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. e0008244
Author(s):  
Kara Fikrig ◽  
Sonile Peck ◽  
Peter Deckerman ◽  
Sharon Dang ◽  
Kimberly St Fleur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Feeding Patterns ◽  
Saturation Deficit ◽  
Sugar Feeding ◽  
Host Seeking ◽  
The Impact

Background Sugar feeding is an important behavior which may determine vector potential of female mosquitoes. Sugar meals can reduce blood feeding frequency, enhance survival, and decrease fecundity, as well as provide energetic reserves to fuel energy intensive behaviors such as mating and host seeking. Sugar feeding behavior can be harnessed for vector control (e.g. attractive toxic sugar baits). Few studies have addressed sugar feeding of Aedes albopictus, a vector of arboviruses of public health importance, including dengue and Zika viruses. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed sugar feeding patterns of Ae. albopictus for the first time in its invasive northeastern USA range. Methodology/Principal findings Using the cold anthrone fructose assay with robust sample sizes, we demonstrated that a large percentage of both male (49.6%) and female (41.8%) Ae. albopictus fed on plant or homopteran derived sugar sources within 24 hrs prior to capture. Our results suggest that sugar feeding behavior increases when environmental conditions are dry (high saturation deficit) and may vary by behavioral status (host seeking vs. resting). Furthermore, mosquitoes collected on properties with flowers (>3 blooms) had higher fructose concentrations compared to those collected from properties with few to no flowers (0–3). Conclusions/Significance Our results provide the first evidence of Ae. albopictus sugar feeding behavior in the Northeastern US and reveal relatively high rates of sugar feeding. These results suggest the potential success for regional deployment of toxic sugar baits. In addition, we demonstrate the impact of several environmental and mosquito parameters (saturation deficit, presence of flowers, host seeking status, and sex) on sugar feeding. Placing sugar feeding behavior in the context of these environmental and mosquito parameters provides further insight into spatiotemporal dynamics of feeding behavior for Ae. albopictus, and in turn, provides information for evidence-based control decisions.

Color Preference for Host-Seeking Activity of Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sun Ho Jung ◽  
Dongmin Kim ◽  
Ki-Suck Jung ◽  
Dong-Kyu Lee
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Culex Pipiens ◽  
B Value ◽  
Color Preference ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Preference Index ◽  
Host Seeking ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
L Value

Abstract A cue for long-range vision allows mosquitoes to identify hosts and differentiate the ecological niches (e.g., habitats). However, the visual factors involved in attracting mosquitoes to a host are complex and have not been fully understood. Therefore, we assessed color preference to Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Culex pipiens (Conquillett) as diurnal and nocturnal species, respectively, using seven fundamental colors including black, white, red, yellow, green, blue, and purple with each trap at 100 lux in a laboratory. We used a binary behavioral assay using the Mosquito Preference Index (MPI) as a preference ratio with a range of 0–1. Our analyses showed that Ae. albopictus had a greater response to black (MPIs, 0.7), followed closely by red, blue, and purple (MPIs, 0.6). We also found that red, blue, and purple were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of green (MPI, 0.5), white (MPI, 0.3), and yellow (MPI, 0.2). Similarly, the MPIs for Cx. pipiens were significantly higher at black and red (MPIs, 0.7; P < 0.05) compare to those of white and yellow (MPIs, 0.3; P < 0.05). The color preference of Ae. albopictus showed significant correlation to luminous intensities (L-value) (r = −0.640; P = 0.000) and blue intensities (b-value) (r = −0.372; P = 0.000) for all seven colors. In addition, Cx. pipiens negatively correlated (r = −0.703; P = 0.000) between color preference and L-value. Our analyses provide a greater understanding of how color plays a role in visual sensory stimuli, and how that could potentially affect mosquito host-seeking behavior.

scholarly journals A field-based modeling study on ecological characterization of hourly host-seeking behavior and its associated climatic variables in Aedes albopictus

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingqing Yin ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Xiang Guo ◽  
Rangke Wu ◽  
Benyun Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Climatic Variables ◽  
Host Seeking ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Modeling Study

Abstract Background The global spread of mosquito-borne diseases (MBD) has presented increasing challenges to public health. The transmission of MBD is mainly attributable to the biting behaviors of female mosquitoes. However, the ecological pattern of hourly host-seeking behavior in Aedes albopictus and its association with climatic variables are still not well understood, especially for a precise requirement for establishing an effective risk prediction system of MBD transmission. Methods Mosquito samples and data on mosquito hourly density and site-specific climatic variables, including temperature, relative humidity, illuminance and wind speed, were collected simultaneously in urban outdoor environments in Guangzhou during 2016–2018. Kernel regression models were used to assess the temporal patterns of hourly host-seeking behavior in mosquito populations, and negative binomial regression models in the Bayesian framework were used to investigate the associations of host-seeking behavior with climatic variables. Results Aedes albopictus was abundant, constituting 82% (5569/6790) of the total collected mosquitoes. Host-seeking behavior in Ae. albopictus varied across time and was significantly influenced by climatic variables. The predicted hourly mosquito densities showed non-linear relationships with temperature and illuminance, whereas density increased with relative humidity but generally decreased with wind speed. The range of temperature estimates for female biting was 16.4–37.1 °C, peaking at 26.5 °C (95% credible interval: 25.3–28.1). During the favorable periods, biting behavior of female Ae. albopictus was estimated to occur frequently all day long, presenting a bimodal distribution with peaks within 2–3 h around both dawn and dusk (05:00–08:00 h and 16:00–19:00 h). Moreover, a short-term association in hourly density between the females and males was found. Conclusions Our field-based modeling study reveals that hourly host-seeking behavior of Ae. albopictus exhibits a complex pattern, with hourly variation constrained significantly by climatic variables. These findings lay a foundation for improving MBD risk assessments as well as practical strategies for vector control. For instances of all-day-long frequent female biting during the favorable periods in Guangzhou, effective integrated mosquito control measures must be taken throughout the day and night.

scholarly journals The need for practical insecticide-resistance guidelines to effectively inform mosquito-borne disease control programs

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Namias ◽  
Ndey Bassin Jobe ◽  
Krijn Petrus Paaijmans ◽  
Silvie Huijben
Keyword(s):  
Insecticide Resistance ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Vector Control ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Exposure Dose ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Host Seeking ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Monitoring local mosquito populations for insecticide resistance is critical for effective vector-borne disease control. However, widely used phenotypic assays, which are designed to monitor the emergence and spread of insecticide resistance (technical resistance), do not translate well to the efficacy of vector control products to suppress mosquito numbers in the field (practical resistance). This is because standard testing conditions such as environmental conditions, exposure dose, and type of substrate differ dramatically from those experienced by mosquitoes under field conditions. In addition, field mosquitoes have considerably different physiological characteristics such as age and blood-feeding status. Beyond this, indirect impacts of insecticide resistance and/or exposure on mosquito longevity, pathogen development, host-seeking behavior, and blood-feeding success impact disease transmission. Given the limited number of active ingredients currently available and the observed discordance between resistance and disease transmission, we conclude that additional testing guidelines are needed to determine practical resistance—the efficacy of vector control tools under relevant local conditions— in order to obtain programmatic impact.

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