232 - Autocidal control tools for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus - Population Suppression using Wolbachia infected males

Wolbachia pipientis is a naturally occurring, maternally inherited, obligately intracellular bacterium that is estimated to occur naturally in over half of all insect species, including medically important mosquito species. In mosquito populations that are uniformly infected with the same Wolbachia infection type, Wolbachia is a commensal symbiont, having little or no effect on the mosquito host. But matings between mosquitoes with different Wolbachia types can result in cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) and the failure of the mosquito eggs to hatch. Therefore, the release of incompatible, non-biting male mosquitoes can be used as a species specific pesticide to reduce egg hatch and suppress mosquito populations.  MosquitoMate has worked with multiple mosquito abatement districts to develop and test the Wolbachia suppression method against invasive Aedes mosquitoes, including field trials in multiple states that target Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti.  This presentation will summarize the current status and near term plans for the Wolbachia suppression tool. The presentation will also summarize additional, non-Wolbachia autocidal tools, including the current regulatory status in the USA, where the Wolbachia method is regulated in the USA by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).