Releases of Wolbachia mosquito males to sterilize and suppress a population of Aedes polynesiensis on Tetiaroa Atoll, French Polynesia
Abstract
Aedes mosquitoes represent a constant health burden for Pacific island communities by transmitting infectious diseases such as lymphatic filariasis, dengue, Zika and other arboviruses. They also impact tourism by their nuisance, thus weakening island economies. Aedes polynesiensis Marks is widely distributed across the Pacific using a wide range of domestic and natural larval containers (e.g. rat eaten coconut, tree holes...), which makes source reduction interventions difficult and calls for better suited control strategies. A field trial using the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) is being experimented on Tetiaroa, a populated atoll in the Society Islands, French Polynesia. This IIT relies upon embryonic death induced by Wolbachia pipientis, a naturally endosymbiotic bacteria. Weekly, 40,000 incompatible males are produced in Tahiti, shipped by air to Tetiaroa, and released to treat a 75-ha populated islet. The sustained, inundative incompatible male releases have resulted in the significant suppression of the targeted Aedes polynesiensis mosquito population as determined by adult trap data and ovitrap indices compared to an adjacent no-release control islet. These results support application of the IIT technology at a larger scale.
Domains
Biodiversity and EcologyOrigin | Files produced by the author(s) |
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