General Abstract Submission
Disease/Vector Studies
Autodissemination approaches for insect control are based on the self-delivery of pesticides by insects. The advantage autodissemination approaches are that small amounts highly effective insect growth regulators compared to conventional spraying techniques are delivered to cryptic mosquito larval habitats. Pyriproxyfen is an IGR that acts similarly as a natural juvenile hormone (JH) in insects. In general, JH and 20 hydroxyecdysone (20E) act antagonistically by interfering with the metamorphosis of the immature stage to the adult stage by retaining the juvenile characters in insects and inhibiting important physiological processes including reproduction and development. With the application of autodissemination approaches, adult male and female mosquitoes can be exposed to sub-lethal doses of PPF. While autodissemination approaches have been shown to impact mosquito populations there is little known about the effects of pyriproxyfen on adult male and female mosquitoes when exposed to non-lethal doses. In this study, we performed experiments to examine the effects of non-lethal doses of PPF on the fecundity, blood feeding rates, egg hatch rates, and fertility of PPF-treated Ae. albopictus. In addition, the gene expression patterns of EcR (ecdysone receptor), HR3 (hormone receptor), USP (ultraspiracle), and Vg (vitellogenin) and their impact on ovary maturation and development were examined. The results are discussed in the context of the unintended impacts of PPF on male and female mosquitoes in reference to the use of autodissemination approaches.