Preparing irradiated and marked male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes for release in an operational sterile insect technique program

Authors: MORENO, BIANCA - Orise Fellow; Aldridge, Robert; Gibson, Seth; BAYER, BARBARA - Orise Fellow; KLINE, JEDIDIAH - Orise Fellow; HAHN, DANIEL - University Of Florida; CHEN, CHAO - University Of Florida; Linthicum, Kenneth - Ken

Submitted to: The Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE)
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2021
Publication Date: 3/12/2021
Citation: Moreno, B.J., Aldridge, R.L., Britch, S.C., Bayer, B.E., Kline, J., Hahn, D.A., Chen, C., Linthicum, K. 2021. Preparing irradiated and marked male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes for release in an operational sterile insect technique program. The Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE). 169:e62260. https://doi.org/10.3791/62260.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3791/62260

Interpretive Summary: Diseases spread by mosquitoes that cannot be prevented are managed by controlling the mosquitoes that transmit them. These management techniques may rely heavily on chemicals that are non-specific and can lead to the generation of insecticide resistance in the mosquito population. Sterile insect technique (SIT) is a method to control specific populations that may be resistant to chemical controls. This manuscript describes the process of creating sterile male mosquitoes for use in an operational SIT program for the control of Yellow Fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti). Outlined steps involve rearing, separating, irradiating, marking, and shipping Ae. aegypti males. Procedural caveats, program limitations, and future projects are discussed.

Technical Abstract: The control of such human diseases as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya rely on the control of their vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, because there is no prevention. Control of mosquito vectors can rely on chemicals applied to the immature and adult stage. These chemicals can contribute to mortality of non-targets and more importantly insecticide resistance in the vector. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a method of controlling populations of pests through the release of sterilized adult males that mate with wild females to produce non-viable offspring. This manuscript describes the process of producing sterile males for use in an operational SIT program for the control of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. We outline the steps we use in our program including rearing, separating, irradiating, marking, and shipping Aedes aegypti males. We also discuss procedural caveats, program limitations, and future objectives.