Aerial ULV control of Aedes aegypti with naled (Dibrom) inside simulated rural village and urban cryptic habitats

Authors: Gibson, Seth; Linthicum, Kenneth - Ken; Aldridge, Robert; BREIDENBAUGH, MARK - United States Air Force; LATHAM, MARK - Manatee County Florida; CONNELLY, PETER - Amvac Chemical; Rush, Mattie; REMMERS, JENNIFER - United States Air Force; KERCE, JERRY - Department Of Defense; SILCOX, CHARLES - Amvac Chemical; ARIMOTO, HANAYO - Navy Entomology Center Of Excellence; DOOLING, CHRISTOPHER - Navy Entomology Center Of Excellence; DOUD, CARL - Navy Entomology Center Of Excellence; JUSTICE, KEVIN - Navy Entomology Center Of Excellence; KNAPP, JENNIFER - Navy Entomology Center Of Excellence; NUNN, PETER - Navy Entomology Center Of Excellence; SPATOLA, DOMINICK - Navy Entomology Center Of Excellence; TORRES-ALVARADO, PAULO - Navy Entomology Center Of Excellence; TURNWALL, BRENT - Navy Entomology Center Of Excellence; YANS, MATTHEW - Navy Entomology Center Of Excellence

Submitted to: PLOS ONE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/7/2018
Publication Date: 1/19/2018
Citation: Britch, S.C., Linthicum, K., Aldridge, R.L., Breidenbaugh, M.S., Latham, M.D., Connelly, P.H., Rush, M.J., Remmers, J.L., Kerce, J.D., Silcox, C.A., Arimoto, H., Dooling, C., Doud, C., Justice, K., Knapp, J., Nunn, P., Spatola, D., Torres-Alvarado, P., Turnwall, B., Yans, M. 2018. Aerial ULV control of Aedes aegypti with naled (Dibrom) inside simulated rural village and urban cryptic habitats. PLoS One. 13(1):e0191555. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0191555.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191555

Interpretive Summary: Recent incursion and local transmission of Zika virus in the United States has led to public health authorities conducting vector control activities against Aedes aegypti mosquitoes including aerial application of adulticides, namely, Dibrom® (naled) as part of an integrated vector management (IVM) program. Perhaps the most significant obstacle to control of adult Ae. aegypti with aerially applied pesticides is reaching mosquitoes sequestered in the protected locations this species favors. Little has been published regarding the ability of aerial ULV applications of naled to affect adult Ae. aegypti indoors, yet this formulation it is one of the most commonly used mosquito adulticides sprayed from the air by the US Air Force and by mosquito control districts in the US. Our results suggest that naled can reach the interior of a home when the structure is relatively open and situated in meteorological conditions favorable for aerial ULV application. Adulticiding of course should not be considered a sole recourse to reduce populations of medically important mosquitoes such as Ae. aegypti; any aerial or ground-based space spray control efforts against Ae. aegypti must be coupled with an array of IVM strategies, to include traditional as well as emerging and innovative technologies, for long-term, sustainable suppression of this species. Multiple (sequential) spray applications of naled from a C-130H or similar platform timed to best impact adult mosquitoes based on local population dynamics appears to be an effective component of an IVM campaign against Ae. aegypti.

Technical Abstract: We conducted aerial fixed wing ULV spray trials with naled to investigate penetration of exposed and simulated cryptic habitat within opened buildings, partially sealed buildings, and outdoor locations targeting sentinel adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in north central Florida. Mortality was observed in open and closed buildings and outdoors, even in mosquitoes placed in cryptic habitats. Observations on the impact of building type, mosquito exposure method such as placement in cryptic habitat, and spray nozzle size on mosquito mortality are described and analyzed.