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PubMedDate not supplied

Transfer of toxin genes to alternate bacterial hosts for mosquito control.

Mosquitoes are vector of serious human and animal diseases, such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever, among others. The use of biological control agents has provide an environmentally safe and highly specific alternative to the use of chemical insecticides in the control of vector borne diseases. Bacillus thuringiensis and B. sphaericus produce toxic proteins to mosquito larvae. Great progress has been made on the biochemical and molecular characterization of such proteins and the genes encoding them. Nevertheless, the low residuality of these biological insecticides is one of the major drawbacks. This article present some interesting aspects of the mosquito larvae feeding habits and review the attempts that have been made to genetically engineer microorganisms that while are used by mosquito larvae as a food source should express the Bacillus toxin genes in order to improve the residuality and stability in the mosquito breeding ponds.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Mosquito control in wastewater: a controlled and quantitative comparison of pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis amargosae), mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) and guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in Sago pondweed marshes.

We compared the abilities of pupfish, mosquitofish and guppies to control mosquitoes in wastewater marshes. All species of fish reduced mosquito emergence. When fish population densities were similar, fish reduced emergence to similar levels. As experiments progressed, guppies developed greater population densities and provided better mosquito control than mosquitofish, which developed greater densities and better control than pupfish. Fish also reduced numbers of zooplankton, and guppies increased total plant biomass, suggesting fish may influence the ability of wastewater marshes to treat wastewater.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Significant associations between mosquito control service requests and mosquito populations.

Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between mosquito population densities and the numbers of telephone requests for mosquito control services made by people in Polk County, Florida. In 32 of 42 census tracts, there were significant (P less than 0.05) correlations between mosquitoes and requests and that, for 16 tracts, a significant linear relationship could be demonstrated between service requests and only one mosquito taxon. The significant associations were dependent on the types of mosquitoes rather than the relative abundance among mosquito groups. Service requests were most often related to Aedes, followed in importance by Culex salinarius and Anopheles; least often to Cx. nigripalpus. Evidence to support a cause and effect relationship is also presented.

Aedes↗
PubMed1986

On assessing the benefits of public mosquito control practices.

Public mosquito control can be characterized as a nonmarket good whereby the absence of price-quantity information normally used to determine demand and benefits creates a dilemma to the researcher. In response to this dilemma economists have advanced several methods to assess demand components and value of nonmarket goods. The contingent market valuation (CMV) approach is but one method. This paper outlines the relevant theory behind benefit measures, and develops and demonstrates a CMV approach that can be used to value public mosquito control.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Juvenile turtles for mosquito control in water storage tanks.

Juvenile turtles, Trachemys scripta, provided highly effective control of mosquito larvae in cement tanks (pilas) where water was stored for household cleaning. When single turtles were introduced to tanks with histories of high mosquito production, nearly all turtles remained in good health and no mosquito larvae survived to the pupal stage. Families welcome turtles in their water storage containers in Honduras. Humane conditions for turtles can be assured by providing small quantities of table scraps to supplement their diet and by placing a small floating platform in the tank for basking. Although turtles can serve as alternate hosts for Salmonella, available evidence suggests that turtles in tanks should not be a source of human infection. Further confirmation that there is no Salmonella hazard should precede routine use of turtles for mosquito control.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

The legal context of mosquito control for West Nile Virus in New York City.

When New York City became the first area in the United States to experience an outbreak of West Nile Virus, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene assumed responsibility for responding to the threat. That department's actions in spraying and taking other actions to control the mosquitoes that spread the disease to humans encountered significant opposition from various environmental groups. Moreover, complying with existing law that governed mosquito control activities became a challenge. This article provides an overview of the department's experience in responding to the threat posed by West Nile Virus. That experience reinforces the importance of a public health organization's collaborating with public health lawyers to produce a better public health outcome.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Analysis of mosquito control agency public education programs in the United States.

Mosquito control is an important element of public health maintenance in the United States. Mosquito control agencies in this country have embraced the concept of Integrated Mosquito Control for the last decade or more. This concept ideally integrates the elements of chemical control, biological control and physical control, augmented by a planned public education program, into the total operational mosquito control program. Public education is the activity of routinely providing mosquito control information to the public-at-large, so that breeding sources on private properties can be reduced or eliminated. Public education appears to be highly regarded by the vast majority of American mosquito control workers. Despite this, it is not used as extensively by most mosquito control agencies as the more traditional chemical, biological and physical control methods. This study indicates that only a very small portion of the budgets of this country's mosquito control agencies is allocated to public education activities.

Health Education↗
PubMed1995

Can we control mosquitoes without pesticides? A summary.

Up to now insecticides have remained the main tool for both killing mosquitoes and controlling mosquito-borne diseases, but perhaps we should broaden our horizons by looking at the effectiveness of traps in controlling tsetse flies. The problem is that we have not developed any really efficient mosquito traps, and of course population densities and reproduction rates of mosquitoes are far greater than those of tsetses. To interrupt disease transmission we do not need to eradicate vectors, but must reduce their populations to a critical threshold (breakpoint). Despite much enthusiasm, true biological control agents have not generally proved very effective, especially against floodwater species. Insect growth regulators and insect repellents have their uses but they do not provide any panacea for control. Understanding the ecology of mosquitoes is usually of paramount importance in developing control programs, especially those employing biological agents. We need, for example, to understand the intricacies of density-dependent population regulation, and computer modeling can help us to do this, as well as assist in identifying the most efficient control strategies. We need to promote noninsecticidal control of mosquitoes, but until we have developed more efficient methods, there will continue to be reliance on chemical control.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Efficient synthesis of mosquitocidal toxins in Asticcacaulis excentricus demonstrates potential of gram-negative bacteria in mosquito control.

The control of mosquitoes with chemical insecticides pollutes the environment and leads to resistance in mosquito populations. Bacterial control of mosquito larvae with Bacillus sphaericus and Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, which produce protein toxins, has proved useful, safe, and nonpolluting. These bacteria do, however, suffer from disadvantages, including rapid setting, UV sensitivity, and lack of persistance of spores, proteolysis of toxins, narrow host range, and high production costs. Here we show that the Gram-negative bacterium Asticcacaulis excentricus is a promising host for delivering toxins to mosquito larvae. Plasmid-transformed A. excentricus cells expressing the binary toxin of B. sphaericus exhibited toxicity to Culex and Anopheles mosquito larvae similar to that of the high-toxicity strains of B. sphaericus which produce several toxins. A. excentricus has potential advantages as a larvicide compared with the bacilli, especially persistance in the larval feeding zone, resistance to UV light, lack of toxin-degrading proteases, and low production costs.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Comparative efficacy of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and the mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) for mosquito control.

The effectiveness of the threespine stickleback as a mosquito control agent was compared to that of the mosquitofish in 28-m2 earthen ponds during 26-wk experiments where the 2 fish were stocked alone and together. Relative to ponds without fish, the stickleback was not effective for controlling larval mosquito populations; however, sticklebacks reduced the abundance of Culex pupae. Mosquitofish provided significant levels of control whether stocked alone or concurrently with the stickleback. As compared to mosquitofish alone, mosquito control was not significantly enhanced when both fish were stocked together. Mortality of adult sticklebacks was related to a gradient of increasing water temperature across the ponds rather than the direct effects of other abiotic factors such as low dissolved oxygen concentrations or biotic interactions with the mosquitofish. The stickleback exhibited a lower thermal tolerance and slower population recruitment as compared to the mosquitofish populations,which reproduced successfully in water > 33 degrees C and grew rapidly. Stickleback biomass either declined or increased slightly (approximately 50% of initial stocking weight). Mosquitofish biomass increased 33- to 38-fold at rates averaging between 0.079 and 0.095 g wet weight/g/day and total wet weight per pond at 6 wk after stocking did not differ significantly between the 2 mosquitofish treatments.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Surveillance for acute insecticide-related illness associated with mosquito-control efforts--nine states, 1999-2002.

Ground and aerial applications of insecticides are used to control populations of adult mosquitoes, which spread such diseases as West Nile virus--related illness, eastern equine encephalitis, and dengue fever. This report summarizes investigations of illnesses associated with exposures to insecticides used during 1999-2002 to control mosquito populations in nine states (Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington) (estimated 2000 population: 118 million). The findings indicate that application of certain insecticides posed a low risk for acute, temporary health effects among persons in areas that were sprayed and among workers handling and applying insecticides. To reduce the risk for negative health effects, public health authorities should 1) provide public notice of application times and locations and appropriate advice about preventing exposures, 2) ensure that insecticide handlers and applicators meet state-mandated training and experience requirements to prevent insecticide exposure to themselves and the public, and 3) implement integrated pest management control strategies that emphasize mosquito larval control, reduction of mosquito breeding sites, and judicious use of insecticides to control adult mosquito populations.

Arizona↗
PubMed1996

A review of ultralow-volume aerial sprays of insecticide for mosquito control.

This review of research on ultralow-volume (ULV) aerial sprays for mosquito control is a component of an Aerial SPray EXpert system (ASPEX). Topics include application volume, adulticiding, larviciding, droplet size, and meteorology. The review discusses the efficacy of ULV aerial sprays against many important pest and vector species of mosquitoes in a wide range of locations and habitats in the USA and in some countries of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Nine conclusions were drawn from this review. 1) ULV applications are as effective for mosquito control as highly-diluted, water-based sprays. 2) More acres can be sprayed per aircraft load with the ULV method than with dilute sprays. 3) High-altitude ULV sprays using wide or stacked swaths could be used in emergencies if wind speed and direction data at appropriate altitudes are available to accurately place the spray. 4) Successful adult mosquito control can be achieved in dense foliage or open housing with ULV aerial sprays, but doses of insecticide must be increased. 5) ULV aerial application of mosquito larvicides can be used successfully in large areas. 6) The optimum droplet size for adult mosquito control is 5-25 microns volume median diameter (VMD). 7) For mosquito adulticiding, near optimum atomization of ULV sprays is achieved with flat-fan nozzles oriented straight down or slightly forward for high-speed aircraft (> or = 150 mph) or rotary atomizers on slow-speed aircraft (< 150 mph). 8) Optimum atomization minimizes paint spotting. 9) Maximum adult mosquito control is achieved just after sunrise and just before sunset with 2-10-mph crosswinds.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

A geographic information system approach to evaluating the effects of the endangered species protection program on mosquito control.

The purpose of this study was to assess what impacts on organized mosquito control the implementation of an Endangered Species Protection Program for the Houston toad might have in Chambers and Harris counties, Texas. The study was also intended to demonstrate the value of using geographic information system (GIS) techniques and methodologies in making such assessments to those in mosquito control who are unfamiliar with GIS and its applications. Using the GIS, Geographical Analysis Support System (GRASS), databases were developed on the habitats and patterns of mosquito control insecticide usage occurring in Chambers and Harris counties. These databases were then employed by means of various utilities associated with GRASS and computer-supported, rule-based reasoning processes to create maps depicting the amount and locations of toad habitat and the areas treated annually with insecticides by districts in Chambers and Harris counties. This map information was then used via other GRASS utilities to identify and depict zones of overlap or coincidence between toad habitat and areas treated with insecticides for mosquito control in the 2 counties. As compared to existing maps for toad habitat, our resulting GIS-generated maps gave more precise, easy-to-use information that could be used to make decisions as to how to protect the toad in the zones of coincidence in each county without causing undue disruption to mosquito control activities in these zones.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Susceptibility of the leaf-eating beetle, Galerucella calmariensis, a biological control agent for purple loosestrife (Lythrum salcaria), to three mosquito control larvicides.

We evaluated the susceptibility of Galerucella calmariensis, a species used to control purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), to three mosquito control larvicides. Larvae and adults were fed loosestrife cuttings dipped in Abate (< or = 375 g x L(-1)), Altosid (< or = 250 g x L(-1)), and Bacillus thuringiensis var israeliensis (Bti) (< or = 110 g x L(-1)). Eggs on cuttings were dipped in the same concentrations. Pupae were immersed in Abate and Altosid solutions (< or = 474.4 microg x L(-1) and < or = 1,169.2 microg x L(-1), respectively). Hatching success of eggs dipped in Abate (> or = 3.75 g x L(-1)) was reduced significantly and survival was significantly lower among larvae and adults eating cuttings dipped in Abate (> or = 0.17 g x L(-1) and > or = 2.27 g x L(-1), respectively). Hatching success of eggs dipped in Altosid (> or = 2.52 g x L(-1)) was reduced significantly. With exposure to Altosid, larval survival to pupation and adult emergence was reduced significantly at concentrations of > or = 2.92 g x L(-1) and > or = 0.63 g x L(-1), respectively. Altosid (> or = 0.23 g x L(-1)) also delayed the onset of pupation and adult emergence among larvae that survived to pupate. Larvae that survived with exposure to Altosid (> or = 1.72 g x L(-1)) grew to 70% larger than those exposed to lower concentrations. Pupal survival was unaffected with exposure to Abate and Altosid and adult survival was unaffected with exposure to Altosid. Bacillus thuringiensis var israeliensis did not adversely affect any life stage of G. calmariensis. The mean Abate concentration on cuttings exposed to operational spraying was in the range that reduced egg hatchability and adult survival but was higher than concentrations that caused complete mortality of larvae. The mean Altosid concentration on cuttings exposed to operational spraying was in the range that reduced hatching success in eggs and delayed pupation and adult emergence of larvae.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

BVA 2 mosquito larvicide--a new surface oil larvicide for mosquito control.

BVA 2 mosquito larvicide was evaluated in laboratory pan tests against 3rd-instar Aedes taeniorhynchus (Wied.), Culex quinquefasciatus Say, and Culex nigripalpus Theobald larvae. BVA 2 was as effective as the standard, GB-1111, at 14 liters/ha (> 99.1% vs. 99.8%). In small field plot tests BVA 2 mosquito larvicide applied at 28 liters/ha was as effective as GB-1111 (99.0% vs. 99.8%) 24 h posttreatment. Operationally, applied by helicopter at 46.8 liters/ha, BVA 2 mosquito larvicide was more effective (> 90%) in the slightly less vegetated site than in the heavily vegetated site. As a pupicide applied at 14 liters/ha in laboratory pan tests, no significant differences were noted between BVA 2 mosquito larvicide and GB-1111 against Ae. taeniorhynchus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, and Cx. nigripalpus pupae.

Aedes↗