Exploiting the behaviour of wild malaria vectors to achieve high infection with fungal biocontrol agents

Home
About
Show All
Contribute
Open Access
Copyright
Contact
USC Virtual Herbarium
Highlights +
Most Accessed Objects Most Accessed Authors Recent Additions

Home

List Of Titles

Add to Quick Collection

Abstract	Size	Format
PDF - Published Version (Open Access)	511 KB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	Download

Title: Exploiting the behaviour of wild malaria vectors to achieve high infection with fungal biocontrol agents
Author/Creator: Mnyone, L L
Author/Creator: Lyimo, I N
Author/Creator: Lwetoijera, D W
Author/Creator: Mpingwa, M W
Author/Creator: Nchimbi, N
Author/Creator: Hancock, P A
Author/Creator: Russell, T
Author/Creator: Kirby, M J
Author/Creator: Takken, W
Author/Creator: Koenraadt, C J M
Abstract: Background: Control of mosquitoes that transmit malaria has been the mainstay in the fight against the disease, but alternative methods are required in view of emerging insecticide resistance. Entomopathogenic fungi are candidate alternatives, but to date, few trials have translated the use of these agents to field-based evaluations of their actual impact on mosquito survival and malaria risk. Mineral oil-formulations of the entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana were applied using five different techniques that each exploited the behaviour of malaria mosquitoes when entering, host-seeking or resting in experimental huts in a malaria endemic area of rural Tanzania. Results: Survival of mosquitoes was reduced by 39-57% relative to controls after forcing upward house-entry of mosquitoes through fungus treated baffles attached to the eaves or after application of fungus-treated surfaces around an occupied bed net (bed net strip design). Moreover, 68 to 76% of the treatment mosquitoes showed fungal growth and thus had sufficient contact with fungus treated surfaces. A population dynamic model of malaria-mosquito interactions shows that these infection rates reduce malaria transmission by 75-80% due to the effect of fungal infection on adult mortality alone. The model also demonstrated that even if a high proportion of the mosquitoes exhibits outdoor biting behaviour, malaria transmission was still significantly reduced. Conclusions: Entomopathogenic fungi strongly affect mosquito survival and have a high predicted impact on malaria transmission. These entomopathogens represent a viable alternative for malaria control, especially if they are used as part of an integrated vector management strategy.
Relation: Malaria Journal / Vol. 11, Article 87
Relation: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-11-87
Year: 2012
Publisher: Biomed Central Ltd.
Subject: FoR 1108 (Medical Microbiology)
Subject: mosquito control
Subject: malaria
Subject: vector
Subject: transmission

Resource Type: Journal Article
Identifier: URN:ISSN: 1756-3305
Rights: Copyright © 2012 Mnyone et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Reproduced in accordance with this policy.
Reviewed

2 Visitors

7 Hits

1 Downloads

USC Research Bank - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia