A comparative study of mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) and sand fly(Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) sampling using dry ice and chemically generated carbon dioxide from three different prototype CO2 generators

Authors: BENANTE, J - Walter Reed Army Institute; JAMES, F - Armed Forces Research Institute Of Medical Sciences; LAWRENCE, K - Armed Forces Research Institute Of Medical Sciences; FANSIRI, T - Armed Forces Research Institute Of Medical Sciences; PONGSIRI, A - Armed Forces Research Institute Of Medical Sciences; PONLAWAT, A - Armed Forces Research Institute Of Medical Sciences; CHASKOPOULOU, ALEXANDRA - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL)

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2018
Publication Date: 10/15/2018
Citation: Benante, J.P., James, F., Lawrence, K., Fansiri, T., Pongsiri, A., Ponlawat, A., Chaskopoulou, A. 2018. A comparative study of mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) and sand fly(Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) sampling using dry ice and chemically generated carbon dioxide from three different prototype CO2 generators. Journal of Economic Entomology. 112:494-498. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toy319.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toy319

Interpretive Summary: Traps for capturing blood-seeking insects, such as mosquitoes and sand flies, are important tools for vector and disease surveillance programs globally. These traps are commonly baited with CO2 in the form of dry ice or carbon dioxide cylinders to increase sampling efficiency and specificity. However, dry ice is difficult to obtain in many locations and CO2 cylinders can be costly and difficult to transport due to extensive weight and special handling (special storage and disposal procedures). For these reasons, there is a need for developing alternative routes of CO2 production. In this study we tested the efficiency of three prototype CO2 generators in collecting mosquitoes and sand flies and we compared it with the dry ice gold standard. These generators are producing CO2 through the chemical reaction of carbonates and week acids in aqueous solutions. One of the 3 generators (TDA) was as effective as the dry ice in attracting a large variety of both nuisance and pathogen transmitting insects. Dry ice still remains the superior mosquito/sand fly attractant, however, in cases where dry ice is not available the TDA CO2 generator can function as an effective and accessible alternative.

Technical Abstract: A comparative study was conducted to test the efficiency of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps baited with either dry ice or carbon dioxide (CO2) produced from one of three different sources in collecting mosquitoes (Culicidae) in Thailand. Treatments consisted of dry ice pellets, CO2 gas produced from one of three prototype CO2 generator systems (TDA, CUBE, Moustiq-AirTM Med-e-Cell - MEC), and a CDC light trap without a CO2 source. The best performing prototype from Thailand was then tested in collecting sand flies (Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) in Greece. A total of 12,798 mosquitoes and 8,329 sand flies were sampled during the experimentation. The most prevalent mosquito species collected in Thailand were: Culex vishnui > An. minimus > Cx. tritaeniorhynchus > An. sawadwongporni. By far the most prevalent sand fly species collected in Thessaloniki was Phlebotomus perfiliewi followed by P. tobbi and P. simici. In general, the TDA treatment was the only treatment with no significant difference from the dry ice-treatment in mean trap catches. Although dry ice baited traps caught higher numbers of mosquitoes and sand flies than the TDA baited traps, there was no difference in the number of species collected. Results indicate that the traps baited with the TDA CO2 generator were as attractive as traps supplied with dry ice and, therefore, the TDA CO2 generator is a suitable alternative to dry-ice as a source of carbon dioxide for use with adult mosquito and sand fly traps.