SEARCH · Search PubMed
Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
In theory, populations of animals can be displaced by overloading a resource with introduced sterile animals. The theory was tested on natural populations of the Queensland fruitfly Dacus tryoni Frogg. Three of four treated populations declined sharply within 2 days after sterile flies had been introduced. This procedure may be useful both as a tool in experimental ecology and as a means of controlling pests.
Published data on an experimental release of Culex pipiens carrying a male-linked translocation are re-examined and it is shown that the steady decline in translocation frequency after termination of releases agrees with theoretical expectations, because of the selective disadvantage of translocation heterozygote males. Systems based on negative heterosis or meiotic drive are considered whereby it might be possible to prolong the population control which would be achieved by a short term release.
Species-specific viruses are being genetically engineered to produce contraceptive biological controls for pest animals such as mice, rabbits and foxes. The virus vaccines are intended to trigger an autoimmune response in the target animals that interferes with their fertility in a process termed virally vectored immunocontraception. Laboratory experiments have shown that high levels of infertility can be induced in mice infected with recombinant murine cytomegalovirus and ectromelia virus expressing reproductive antigens as well as in rabbits using myxoma virus vectors. The strategies used to produce and deliver species-specific immunocontraceptive vaccines to free-living wildlife are presented in this review. Discussion includes coverage of the likely safety of the proposed vaccines as well as the implications of the approach for fertility control in other species.
Interest in insect small RNA viruses (SRVs) has grown slowly but steadily. A number of new viruses have been analyzed at the sequence level, adding to our knowledge of their diversity at the level of both individual virus species and families. In particular, a number of possible new virus families have emerged. This research has largely been driven by interest in their potential for pest control, as well as in their importance as the causal agents of disease in beneficial arthropods. At the same time, research into known viruses has made valuable contributions to our understanding of an emerging new field of central importance to molecular biology-the existence of RNA-based gene silencing, developmental control, and adaptive immune systems in eukaryotes. Subject to RNA-based adaptive immune responses in their hosts, viruses have evolved a variety of genes encoding proteins capable of suppressing the immune response. Such genes were first identified in plant viruses, but the first examples known from animal viruses were identified in insect RNA viruses. This chapter will address the diversity of insect SRVs, and attempts to harness their simplicity in the engineering of transgenic plants expressing viruses for resistance to insect pests. We also describe RNA interference and antiviral pathways identified in plants and animals, how they have led viruses to evolve genes capable of suppressing such adaptive immunity, and the problems presented by these pathways for the strategy of expressing viruses in transgenic plants. Approaches for countering these problems are also discussed.
The main problems with Bacillus thuringiensis products for pest control are their often narrow activity spectrum, high sensitivity to UV degradation, and low cost effectiveness (high potency required). We constructed a sporulation-deficient SigK(-) B. thuringiensis strain that expressed a chimeric cry1C/Ab gene, the product of which had high activity against various lepidopteran pests, including Spodoptera littoralis (Egyptian cotton leaf worm) and Spodoptera exigua (lesser [beet] armyworm), which are not readily controlled by other Cry delta-endotoxins. The SigK(-) host strain carried the cry1Ac gene, the product of which is highly active against the larvae of the major pests Ostrinia nubilalis (European corn borer) and Heliothis virescens (tobacco budworm). This new strain had greater potency and a broader activity spectrum than the parent strain. The crystals produced by the asporogenic strain remained encapsulated within the cells, which protected them from UV degradation. The cry1C/Ab gene was introduced into the B. thuringiensis host via a site-specific recombination vector so that unwanted DNA was eliminated. Therefore, the final construct contained no sequences of non-B. thuringiensis origin. As the recombinant strain is a mutant blocked at late sporulation, it does not produce viable spores and therefore cannot compete with wild-type B. thuringiensis strains in the environment. It is thus a very safe biopesticide. In field trials, this new recombinant strain protected cabbage and broccoli against a pest complex under natural infestation conditions.
Fipronil is a highly effective, broad-spectrum insecticide with potential value for the control of a wide range of crop, public hygiene, amenity, and veterinary pests. It can generally be applied at low to very low dose rates to achieve effective pest control. Application rates vary between 0.6 and 200 g a.i./ha, depending on the target pest and formulation. It belongs to the phenyl pyrazole or fiprole group of chemicals and is a potent disrupter of the insect central nervous system via interference with the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA-) regulated chloride channel. Fipronil degrades slowly on vegetation and relatively slowly in soil and in water, with a half-life ranging between 36 hr and 7.3 mon depending on substrate and conditions. It is relatively immobile in soil and has low potential to leach into groundwater. One of its main degradation products, fipronil desulfinyl, is generally more toxic than the parent compound and is very persistent. There is evidence that fipronil and some of its degradates may bioaccumulate, particularly in fish. Further investigation on bioaccumulation is warranted, especially for the desulfinyl degradate. The suitability of fipronil for use in IPM must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. In certain situations, fipronil may disrupt natural enemy populations, depending on the groups and species involved and the timing of application. The indications are that fipronil may be incompatible with locust IPM; hence, this possibility requires further urgent investigation. It is very highly toxic to termites and has severe and long-lasting negative impacts on termite populations. It thus presents a long-term risk to nutrient cycling and soil fertility where termites are "beneficial" key species in these ecological processes. Its toxicity to termites also increases the risk to the ecology of habitats in which termites are a dominant group, due to their importance as a food source to many higher animals. This risk has been demonstrated in Madagascar, where two endemic species of lizard and an endemic mammal decline in abundance because of their food chain link to termites. Fipronil is highly toxic to bees (LD50 = 0.004 microgram/bee), lizards [LD50 for Acanthodactylus dumerili (Lacertidae) is 30 micrograms a.i./g bw], and gallinaceous birds (LD50 = 11.3 mg/kg for Northern bobwhite quail), but shows low toxicity to waterfowl (LD50 > 2150 mg/kg for mallard duck). It is moderately toxic to laboratory mammals by oral exposure (LD50 = 97 mg/kg for rats; LD50 = 91 mg/kg for mice). Technical fipronil is in toxicity categories II and III, depending on route of administration, and is classed as a nonsensitizer. There are indications of carcinogenic action in rats at 300 ppm, but it is not carcinogenic to female mice at doses of 30 ppm. The acute toxicity of fipronil varies widely even in animals within the same taxonomic groups. Thus, toxicological findings from results on standard test animals are not necessarily applicable to animals in the wild. Testing on local species seems particularly important in determining the suitability of fipronil-based products for registration in different countries or habitats and the potential associated risk to nontarget wildlife. Risk assessment predictions have shown that some fipronil formulations present a risk to endangered bird, fish, and aquatic and marine invertebrates. Great care should thus be taken in using these formulations where they may impact any of these endangered wildlife groups. Work in Madagascar has highlighted field evidence of this risk. The dose levels at which fipronil produces thyroid cancer in rats are very high and are unlikely to occur under normal conditions of use. There is also dispute as to whether this is relevant to human health risk. However, as fipronil is a relatively new insecticide that has not been in use for long enough to evaluate the risk it may pose to human health, from data on human exposure to the product, a precautionary approach may be warranted. The use of some fipronil-based products on domestic animals is not recommended where handlers spend significant amounts of time grooming or handling treated animals. In general, it would appear unwise to use fipronil-based insecticides without accompanying environmental and human health monitoring, in situations, regions, or countries where it has not been used before, and where its use may lead to its introduction into the wider environment or bring it into contact with people. Further work is needed on the impacts of fipronil on nontarget vertebrate fauna (amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) in the field before the risk to wildlife from this insecticide can be adequately validated. Further field study of the effects of fipronil on the nutrient cycling and soil water-infiltration activities of beneficial termites is required to assess the ecological impacts of the known toxicity of fipronil to these insects.
The spinosyns are a new class of fermentation-derived insect control agents that are effective against a variety of chewing insect pests. The successful introduction of spinosad into the agricultural marketplace represents an important milestone in the use of natural products for commercial pest control. The development of a natural product presents additional limitations relative to a synthetic material. While the latter affords some degree of control in building appropriate physical attributes such as photostability, a natural product, designed to function in a different environment, is often less suited for traditional spray applications. Despite its intrinsic photolability, spinosad is stable enough to perform under field conditions. In an effort to generate analogs with improved physical characteristics, we have developed a variety of conditions for selectively modifying different portions of the molecule, and we have discovered analogs with greater activity against a broader spectrum of pests. The inability to translate improved greenhouse activity to actual field conditions resulted in a detailed study of the effects of formulations and crystallinity on biological activity. Through this effort, measurably improved field performance of synthetic spinosyn analogs relative to the natural product have now been observed.
Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphorus compound that displays broad-spectrum insecticidal activity against a number of important arthropod pests. As a result, it is employed in a wide variety of agricultural and specialty pest control scenarios. Various formulations of chlorpyrifos have been developed to maximize stability and contact with pests and minimize human exposure. From corn agriculture in the United States to termite control in Japan to cotton agriculture in Egypt to citrus horticulture in Spain, chloropyrifos has been successfully employed to combat insect and other arthropod pests threatening the production of food and fiber and maintenance of human health. Due to the nonpolar nature of the chlorpyrifos molecule, it possesses a low water solubility (< 2 ppm) and great tendency to partition from aqueous into organic phases in the environment (log P of 4.7-5.3). It is characterized by an average soil and sediment sorption coefficient (Koc) of 8498 and aquatic bioconcentration factor of 100-5100 in fish. As a result of its high propensity for sorption, its movement through and over the soil profile is limited. It has been found to be relatively immobile vertically in soil and has not proved to be a groundwater contaminant. Surface runoff and erosion mobility are also low, and, in general, less than 0.3% of soil surface application has been observed to move even under the heaviest simulated precipitation conditions. Chlorpyrifos has an intermediate vapor pressure (2 x 10(-5) mm Hg, 25 degrees C), and under some conditions volatility is a significant mechanism of dissipation. This is especially true for plant foliage, from which it is the major means of loss, to some extent from water surfaces, and to a lesser degree from moist soil surfaces. Chlorpyrifos is a degradable compound, and both abiotic and biotic transformation processes effect its degradation within environmental compartments (Fig. 1). In all cases, the major pathway of transformation involves cleavage of the phosphate ester bond to form 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP). Hydrolytic transformation, although relatively slow in pure water under ideal conditions (half-lives of 29-74 d at pH 7, 25 degrees C), may be catalyzed under certain environmental conditions. These include alkaline conditions in water (pH > or = 8) and alkaline (pH > or = 7.5) and air-dry conditions in soil, and in some soils hydrolysis may be the major means of dissipation (Fig. 2).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Vegetable open field areas increased for 15 years in Wallonia, mainly in Hesbaye. To be in accordance with quality standards, especially in terms of agro-chimical residues (R.M.L.), biological pest control was developed and allowed to reduce the insecticide use, leading to have safer fresh products. Among cultivated species in Wallonia, leguminous crops represent more than 85% of the vegetable production. To assess the impact of insecticide treatment on both pests (mainly aphids) and beneficial insects (predators and parasitoïds), broad bean (Vicia faba L.) fields were investigated during all the production duration. Twelve fields between Waremme and Hannut were visited weakly from May to July. In each field, control untreated and treated plots were investigated. Insects were caught using yellow traps and determined until the family level. Approximately 90.000 insects belonging to 59 major families (99% of captures) and 64 minor families were identified. These results showed that biodiversity in terms of family numbers was significantly higher in unsprayed plots. In addition, biodiversity and biomass (insect density) increased gradually during the season. Evaluation of pest and beneficial diversity and density was discussed in relation to aphicid (lambda-cyhalothrin, pirimicarb) treatments and the development of I.P.M. program in vegetable crops.
The Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health is using a combination of environmental and biologic measures to evaluate the effects of prenatal insecticide exposures among urban minorities in New York City. Of the 571 women enrolled, 85% report using some form of pest control during pregnancy and 46% report using exterminators, can sprays, and/or pest bombs. Chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and propoxur were detected in 99.7-100% of 48-h personal air samples collected from the mothers during pregnancy (n = 394) and in 39-70% of blood samples collected from the mothers (n = 326) and/or newborns (n = 341) at delivery. Maternal and newborn blood levels are similar and highly correlated (r = 0.4-08, P < 0.001). Levels of insecticides in blood samples and/or personal air samples decreased significantly following the 2000-2001 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory actions to phase out residential use of chlorpyrifos and diazinon. Among infants born prior to 1/1/01, birth weight decreased by 67.3 g (95% confidence interval (CI) -116.6 to -17.8, P = 0.008) and birth length decreased by 0.43 centimeters (95% CI, -0.73 to -0.14, P = 0.004) for each unit increase in log-transformed cord plasma chlorpyrifos levels. Combined measures of (ln)cord plasma chlorpyrifos and diazinon (adjusted for relative potency) were also inversely associated with birth weight and length (P </= 0.007). Birth weight averaged 215.1 g less (95% CI -384.7 to -45.5) among those with the highest exposures compared to those without detectable levels. No association was seen between birth weight and length and cord plasma chlorpyrifos or diazinon among newborns born after 1/1/01 (P > 0.8). Results support recent regulatory action to phase out residential uses of these insecticides.
This paper reviews and discusses a technique that can be used to study the dynamics of populations under the influence of favourable or unfavourable environmental factors or the stress of population control. It is encouraging for those interested in the sterility approach to pest control that the reproductive success of insects with a reputedly high biotic potential is limited to relatively low rates under field conditions. Further studies are needed under other conditions, in other areas, and with other species.
Utilizing cause-of-death information and responses to questionnaires addressed to survivors, mortalities and health impairments in a cohort of workers occupationally exposed to pesticides were compared to occurrences in workers not pesticide exposed, over the period 1971-1977. Seventy-two percent of 2,620 pesticide-exposed workers, and 75% of 1,049 "controls", recruited in 1971-73, were accounted for either by returned questionnaire or mortality. Disease incidence rates were studied in relation to broadly defined occupational subclasses, and to serum concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCl) measured at the time of recruitment. Death by accidental trauma was unusually frequent among pesticide applicators. Mortalities from cancer and arteriosclerosis were not detectably different from those observed in the controls. Among survivors, dermatitis and skin cancer were unusually common in structural pest-control operators. Internal cancer was no more frequent in the intensively pesticide-exposed workers than in the controls, but it appeared to occur at an unusually high rate in workers characterized as "possibly pesticide-exposed". There were apparent associations between high serum pesticide OCl levels measured in 1971-73 and the subsequent appearance of hypertension, arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and possibly diabetes. This could imply a causal role of any of the pesticidal and other environmental stresses to which these workers were exposed. The limitations of this type of followup study are discussed.
Methyl bromide is used to control insects as a space fumigant in flour and feed mills and ship holds, as a product fumigant for some fruit and cereals, and for general quarantine purposes. Methyl bromide acts rapidly, controlling insects in less than 48 h in space fumigations, and it has a wide spectrum of activity, controlling not only insects but also nematodes and plant-pathogenic microbes. This chemical will be banned in 2005 in developed countries, except for exceptional quarantine purposes, because it depletes ozone in the atmosphere. Many alternatives have been tested as replacements for methyl bromide, from physical control methods such as heat, cold, and sanitation to fumigant replacements such as phosphine, sulfuryl fluoride, and carbonyl sulfide, among others. Individual situations will require their own type of pest control techniques, but the most promising include integrated pest management tactics and combinations of treatments such as phosphine, carbon dioxide, and heat.
The attacks of pests and diseases and the presence of weeds make it necessary to apply pesticides to olive trees to ensure crop protection. Residues of these compounds may remain and contaminate the oil produced. For the analysis of pesticide residues in olive oil, the most common methods are multiresidue methods for fatty substrates, based on partitioning between hexane or light petroleum and acetonitrile. Recently, other methods have been applied, such as ready-to-use, disposable minicolumns or direct injection of oil into a capillary gas chromatograph equipped with a precolumn with an oil recovery tank. Although several pesticides are registered in oil-producing countries for use on olive trees, available literature on the level and fate of residues is very limited. However, it is clear that fat-soluble pesticides tend to concentrate in the oil, both after full coverage and bait spraying, and their use close to harvest should therefore be avoided. Because it is sometimes necessary to use such pesticides late in autumn because of their effectiveness in cases of severe attack, residue trials should be carried out to determine the residue concentration in oil and to set a reasonable preharvest safety interval. Data produced by such trials would permit the establishment of MRLs (tolerances) in olive oil to cover cases where the residues, although relatively high, are not of toxicological significance for consumers (risk assessment). Such is the case with corn oil and the fat-soluble insecticide methyl pirimiphos, registered in the U.S. for use on corn. The U.S. EPA tolerance for methyl pirimiphos in corn is 8 mg/kg, whereas it is 11 times higher (88 mg/kg) for corn oil because it is known to concentrate in the oil. Similar provisions for olive oil, based on data from residue trials according to Good Agricultural Practice, the long-term toxicity of each pesticide as expressed by its ADI for man, and olive oil consumption patterns, would facilitate international trade of this commodity. On the other hand, because of the high dietary and health value of olive oil, it is desirable that toxic pesticide residues be kept as low as possible. Therefore, it would be preferable not to rely only on chemical pest control treatments but to develop and apply alternative plant protection techniques such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Methods currently in use in the extraction, isolation, and identification of insect sex attractants, which are needed for use in pest control, are described briefly. Because amounts of these materials in insects are generally minute, specialized microanalytical methods and techniques have been developed to aid in the determination of their chemical structures.
Recent predictions of growth in human populations and food supply suggest that there will be a need to substantially increase food production in the near future. One possible approach to meeting this demand, at least in part, is the control of pests and diseases, which currently cause a 30-40% loss in available crop production. In recent years, strategies for controlling pests and diseases have tended to focus on short-term, single-technology interventions, particularly chemical pesticides. This model frequently applies even where so-called integrated pest management strategies are used because in reality, these often are dominated by single technologies (e.g., biocontrol, host plant resistance, or biopesticides) that are used as replacements for chemicals. Very little attention is given to the interaction or compatibility of the different technologies used. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that such approaches rarely yield satisfactory results and are unlikely to provide sustainable pest control solutions for the future. Drawing on two case histories, this paper demonstrates that by increasing our basic understanding of how individual pest control technologies act and interact, new opportunities for improving pest control can be revealed. This approach stresses the need to break away from the existing single-technology, pesticide-dominated paradigm and to adopt a more ecological approach built around a fundamental understanding of population biology at the local farm level and the true integration of renewable technologies such as host plant resistance and natural biological control, which are available to even the most resource-poor farmers.
Previous studies have suggested an association between exposure to pesticides and different types of childhood cancer. This paper presents results from a population-based case-control interview study of parents of children less than 15 years of age, which was conducted in the states of West Germany from 1993 to 1997. Cases were 1,184 children with leukemia, 234 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and 940 with a solid tumor; 2,588 controls were also included. Parental occupational exposures were found to be related to childhood cancer regardless of the time period of exposure and the type of cancer. This finding might partially be explained by different recall of past exposures by the parents of cases and controls. Residential use of insecticides was associated with childhood lymphoma: both extermination of insects by professional pest controllers (odds ratio (OR) = 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2, 5.7) and frequency of parental use of household insecticides (p for trend = 0.02) were significant risk factors for this diagnosis. The use of pesticides on farms was weakly related to childhood leukemia (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.2), while their use in gardens was not associated with childhood leukemia (OR = 1.0, 95% CI: 0.8, 1.2). The major strengths of this study were the population base and the large number of cases and controls included; a drawback was assessment of exposure on the basis of parental interviews. The data provide some evidence for an increased leukemia risk for children living on farms and for an association between use of household pesticides and risk of childhood leukemia or lymphoma.
The sunn pest are a group of insect representing several genera of the shield bug (Scutelleridae) and stink bug (Pentatomidae) families, with the species Eurygaster integriceps being the most economically important. The sunn pest is a major pest of wheat and barley in central and western Asia and it accounts for annual losses of 20-30% for barley and up to 100% for wheat. In the recent decades problems have intensified largely due to change in farming practices. Thus this pest threatens food security and reduces the stability of traditionally wheat-based agricultural systems. In order to control pest, the major organophosphorus insecticide used is fenitrothion. So, the aim of the current study was to determine toxicity of fenitrothion against summer population of adult sunn pest. Insecticide toxicity was measured using a topical bioassay. To do so, the toxin was dissolved in acetone and six concentrations of toxin including 25, 50, 100, 150, 175 and 200 ppm were prepared. Insects were treated on the pronotum with one micro litre aliquots of insecticide in acetone (for treatments) or acetone alone (for control). The dose-mortality relationship was assessed from above mentioned doses with 30 insects treated per dose. After treatment, insects were maintained at laboratory conditions and mortality was recorded after 48 hours. Results were corrected for control mortality with Abbott's formula and then analyzed and toxicity determined. The obtained results showed that LD10, LD50, and LD90 were 34.7, 90.43, and 235.5, respectively.