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Polymer Beads Increase Field Responses to Host Attractants in the Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti.

Elizabeth F AdhiamboLouis-Clement GouagnaEunice A OwinoFrancis MutukuMerid N GetahunBaldwyn TortoDavid P Tchouassi
Published in: Journal of chemical ecology (2024)
This study investigates the efficacy of three different olfactory cues - cyclohexanone, linalool oxide (LO), and 6-methyl-5-heptan-2-one (sulcatone) - in attracting Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of dengue, using BG sentinel traps in a dengue-endemic area (urban Ukunda) in coastal Kenya. Two experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 compared solid formulations of the compounds in polymer beads against liquid formulations with hexane as the solvent. CO 2 -baited traps served as controls. In Experiment 2, traps were baited with each compound in the polymer beads, commercial BG-Lure, and CO 2 . Our results indicate that CO 2 -baited traps recorded the greatest Ae. aegypti captures in both Experiment 1 and 2, whereas trap captures with polymer beads and solvent-based treatments were comparable. In experiment 2, polymer bead-based treatments yielded significantly greater female captures, each recording ~ 2-fold more captures than traps baited with the BG-Lure. There was no significant difference, however, between the treatments. Female Ae. aegypti captured in CO 2 -baited traps were mainly unfed (91%), with fewer gravid mosquitoes (6.4%) compared to traps with test compounds (range; 12.7-21.1%). Male captures were lower in LO and BG-Lure baited traps compared to other treatments. Gravimetric analysis showed LO had a slower release rate compared to other compounds. The findings suggest that host-associated compounds loaded on polymer beads are more effective in trapping Ae. aegypti than commercial BG-Lure and reveal sex-specific differences in mosquito responses. These results have implications for mosquito surveillance and control programs, highlighting the potential for selective trapping strategies.
Keyphrases
  • aedes aegypti
  • zika virus
  • dengue virus
  • public health
  • ionic liquid
  • drug delivery
  • heavy metals
  • climate change
  • dna methylation
  • genome wide