Use of carbon-13 as a population marker for <it>Anopheles arabiensis </it>in a sterile insect technique (SIT) context

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Monitoring of sterile to wild insect ratios in field populations can be useful to follow the progress in genetic control programmes such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). Of the numerous methods for marking insects most are not...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Knols Bart GJ, Mayr Leo, Hood-Nowotny Rebecca
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2006-01-01
Series:Malaria Journal
Online Access:http://www.malariajournal.com/content/5/1/6
_version_ 1830451075264544768
author Knols Bart GJ
Mayr Leo
Hood-Nowotny Rebecca
author_facet Knols Bart GJ
Mayr Leo
Hood-Nowotny Rebecca
author_sort Knols Bart GJ
collection DOAJ
description <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Monitoring of sterile to wild insect ratios in field populations can be useful to follow the progress in genetic control programmes such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). Of the numerous methods for marking insects most are not suitable for use in mass rearing and mass release. Suitable ones include dye marking, genetic marking and chemical marking.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The feasibility of using the stable isotope of carbon, <sup>13</sup>C, as a potential chemical marker for <it>Anopheles arabiensis </it>was evaluated in the laboratory. Labeled-<sup>13</sup>C glucose was incorporated into the larval diet in a powder or liquid form. The contribution of adult sugar feeding to the total mosquito carbon pool and the metabolically active carbon pool was determined by tracing the decline of the enrichment of the adult male mosquito as it switched from a labeled larval diet to an unlabeled adult diet. This decline in the adult was monitored by destructive sampling of the whole mosquito and analyzed using isotope ratio mass spectrometry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A two-pool model was used to describe the decline of the <sup>13</sup>C-enrichment of adult mosquitoes. The proportion of the total adult carbon pool derived from the adult sugar diet over the life span of mosquitoes was determined and the ratio of structural carbon, with a low turnover rate to metabolically active non-structural carbon was assessed. The uptake and turnover of sugar in the metabolically active fraction suggests that after 3 days >70% of the active fraction carbon is derived from sugar feeding (increasing to >90% by day 7), indicating the high resource demand of male mosquitoes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It was possible to "fix" the isotopic label in adult <it>An. arabiensis </it>and to detect the label at an appropriate concentration up to 21 days post-emergence. The optimum labeling treatment would cost around 250 US$ per million mosquitoes. Stable isotope marking may thus aid research on the fate of released insects besides other population-based ecological studies.</p>
first_indexed 2024-12-21T08:27:49Z
format Article
id doaj.art-c2a4d7764c0245d6949e095b43e4d0bc
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1475-2875
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-21T08:27:49Z
publishDate 2006-01-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series Malaria Journal
spelling doaj.art-c2a4d7764c0245d6949e095b43e4d0bc2022-12-21T19:10:17ZengBMCMalaria Journal1475-28752006-01-0151610.1186/1475-2875-5-6Use of carbon-13 as a population marker for <it>Anopheles arabiensis </it>in a sterile insect technique (SIT) contextKnols Bart GJMayr LeoHood-Nowotny Rebecca<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Monitoring of sterile to wild insect ratios in field populations can be useful to follow the progress in genetic control programmes such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). Of the numerous methods for marking insects most are not suitable for use in mass rearing and mass release. Suitable ones include dye marking, genetic marking and chemical marking.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The feasibility of using the stable isotope of carbon, <sup>13</sup>C, as a potential chemical marker for <it>Anopheles arabiensis </it>was evaluated in the laboratory. Labeled-<sup>13</sup>C glucose was incorporated into the larval diet in a powder or liquid form. The contribution of adult sugar feeding to the total mosquito carbon pool and the metabolically active carbon pool was determined by tracing the decline of the enrichment of the adult male mosquito as it switched from a labeled larval diet to an unlabeled adult diet. This decline in the adult was monitored by destructive sampling of the whole mosquito and analyzed using isotope ratio mass spectrometry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A two-pool model was used to describe the decline of the <sup>13</sup>C-enrichment of adult mosquitoes. The proportion of the total adult carbon pool derived from the adult sugar diet over the life span of mosquitoes was determined and the ratio of structural carbon, with a low turnover rate to metabolically active non-structural carbon was assessed. The uptake and turnover of sugar in the metabolically active fraction suggests that after 3 days >70% of the active fraction carbon is derived from sugar feeding (increasing to >90% by day 7), indicating the high resource demand of male mosquitoes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It was possible to "fix" the isotopic label in adult <it>An. arabiensis </it>and to detect the label at an appropriate concentration up to 21 days post-emergence. The optimum labeling treatment would cost around 250 US$ per million mosquitoes. Stable isotope marking may thus aid research on the fate of released insects besides other population-based ecological studies.</p>http://www.malariajournal.com/content/5/1/6
spellingShingle Knols Bart GJ
Mayr Leo
Hood-Nowotny Rebecca
Use of carbon-13 as a population marker for <it>Anopheles arabiensis </it>in a sterile insect technique (SIT) context
Malaria Journal
title Use of carbon-13 as a population marker for <it>Anopheles arabiensis </it>in a sterile insect technique (SIT) context
title_full Use of carbon-13 as a population marker for <it>Anopheles arabiensis </it>in a sterile insect technique (SIT) context
title_fullStr Use of carbon-13 as a population marker for <it>Anopheles arabiensis </it>in a sterile insect technique (SIT) context
title_full_unstemmed Use of carbon-13 as a population marker for <it>Anopheles arabiensis </it>in a sterile insect technique (SIT) context
title_short Use of carbon-13 as a population marker for <it>Anopheles arabiensis </it>in a sterile insect technique (SIT) context
title_sort use of carbon 13 as a population marker for it anopheles arabiensis it in a sterile insect technique sit context
url http://www.malariajournal.com/content/5/1/6
work_keys_str_mv AT knolsbartgj useofcarbon13asapopulationmarkerforitanophelesarabiensisitinasterileinsecttechniquesitcontext
AT mayrleo useofcarbon13asapopulationmarkerforitanophelesarabiensisitinasterileinsecttechniquesitcontext
AT hoodnowotnyrebecca useofcarbon13asapopulationmarkerforitanophelesarabiensisitinasterileinsecttechniquesitcontext