P 2 - Dose determination and survivorship of X-ray irradiated sterile Aedes aegypti mosquitoes: preparation for SIT in West Valley region of San Bernardino County, California

The success of a Sterile Insect technique depends on the survivorship and fitness of sterile mosquitoes in the environment. Here we conducted experiments to determine X-ray radiation dosage and the survivorship of X-ray irradiated male Aedes aegypti in the laboratory conditions. A cohort of newly emerged male Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were X-ray irradiated with a dose of 42 Gy, 45 Gy, 47 Gy, 50 Gy, 52 Gy, 58 Gy and 60 Gy. Triplicate cages, each containing freshly emerged 45 mosquitoes (male to female ratio of 1:2), were set after males were subjected to X-ray treatment.  Daily mortality was recorded for 50 days. Similarly, non-sterile mosquito cohorts with similar number as treated cages were used as control. Following blood feeding, eggs were collected from each cage and counted. All eggs harvested from the experimental cages were hatched after drying for few days. Hatching success was considered as a proxy to determine the viability of eggs. The number of eggs laid and their hatching success were compared among the cohorts. The results and their implications for SIT work are explained.