Copulation Activity, Sperm Production and Conidia Transfer in Aedes aegypti Males Contaminated by Metarhizium anisopliae: A Biological Control Prospect.
BACKGROUND:Dengue is the most prevalent arboviral disease transmitted by Aedes aegypti worldwide, whose chemical control is difficult, expensive, and of inconsistent efficacy. Releases of Metarhizium anisopliae--exposed Ae. aegypti males to disseminate conidia among female mosquitoes by mating repre...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2015-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4608813?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818495163902722048 |
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| author | Javier A Garza-Hernández Filiberto Reyes-Villanueva Tanya L Russell Marieta A H Braks Alberto M Garcia-Munguia Mario A Rodríguez-Pérez |
| author_facet | Javier A Garza-Hernández Filiberto Reyes-Villanueva Tanya L Russell Marieta A H Braks Alberto M Garcia-Munguia Mario A Rodríguez-Pérez |
| author_sort | Javier A Garza-Hernández |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BACKGROUND:Dengue is the most prevalent arboviral disease transmitted by Aedes aegypti worldwide, whose chemical control is difficult, expensive, and of inconsistent efficacy. Releases of Metarhizium anisopliae--exposed Ae. aegypti males to disseminate conidia among female mosquitoes by mating represents a promising biological control approach against this important vector. A better understanding of fungus virulence and impact on reproductive parameters of Ae. aegypti, is need before testing auto-dissemination strategies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Mortality, mating competitiveness, sperm production, and the capacity to auto-disseminate the fungus to females up to the 5 th copulation, were compared between Aedes aegypti males exposed to 5.96 x 10(7) conidia per cm2 of M. anisopliae and uninfected males. Half (50%) of fungus-exposed males (FEMs) died within the first 4 days post-exposure (PE). FEMs required 34% more time to successively copulate with 5 females (165 ± 3 minutes) than uninfected males (109 ± 3 minutes). Additionally, fungus infection reduced the sperm production by 87% at 5 days PE. Some beneficial impacts were observed, FEMs were able to successfully compete with uninfected males in cages, inseminating an equivalent number of females (about 25%). Under semi-field conditions, the ability of FEMs to search for and inseminate females was also equivalent to uninfected males (both inseminating about 40% females); but for the remaining females that were not inseminated, evidence of tarsal contact (transfer of fluorescent dust) was significantly greater in FEMs compared to controls. The estimated conidia load of a female exposed on the 5th copulation was 5,200 mL(-1) which was sufficient to cause mortality. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE:Our study is the first to demonstrate auto-dissemination of M. anisopliae through transfer of fungus from males to female Ae. aegypti during mating under semi-field conditions. Our results suggest that auto-dissemination studies using releases of FEMs inside households could successfully infect wild Ae. aegypti females, providing another viable biological control tool for this important the dengue vector. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T18:16:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c738f35b5b7e4b53872077e76e611aac |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1935-2727 1935-2735 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T18:16:44Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| spelling | doaj.art-c738f35b5b7e4b53872077e76e611aac2022-12-22T01:38:19ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases1935-27271935-27352015-01-01910e000414410.1371/journal.pntd.0004144Copulation Activity, Sperm Production and Conidia Transfer in Aedes aegypti Males Contaminated by Metarhizium anisopliae: A Biological Control Prospect.Javier A Garza-HernándezFiliberto Reyes-VillanuevaTanya L RussellMarieta A H BraksAlberto M Garcia-MunguiaMario A Rodríguez-PérezBACKGROUND:Dengue is the most prevalent arboviral disease transmitted by Aedes aegypti worldwide, whose chemical control is difficult, expensive, and of inconsistent efficacy. Releases of Metarhizium anisopliae--exposed Ae. aegypti males to disseminate conidia among female mosquitoes by mating represents a promising biological control approach against this important vector. A better understanding of fungus virulence and impact on reproductive parameters of Ae. aegypti, is need before testing auto-dissemination strategies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Mortality, mating competitiveness, sperm production, and the capacity to auto-disseminate the fungus to females up to the 5 th copulation, were compared between Aedes aegypti males exposed to 5.96 x 10(7) conidia per cm2 of M. anisopliae and uninfected males. Half (50%) of fungus-exposed males (FEMs) died within the first 4 days post-exposure (PE). FEMs required 34% more time to successively copulate with 5 females (165 ± 3 minutes) than uninfected males (109 ± 3 minutes). Additionally, fungus infection reduced the sperm production by 87% at 5 days PE. Some beneficial impacts were observed, FEMs were able to successfully compete with uninfected males in cages, inseminating an equivalent number of females (about 25%). Under semi-field conditions, the ability of FEMs to search for and inseminate females was also equivalent to uninfected males (both inseminating about 40% females); but for the remaining females that were not inseminated, evidence of tarsal contact (transfer of fluorescent dust) was significantly greater in FEMs compared to controls. The estimated conidia load of a female exposed on the 5th copulation was 5,200 mL(-1) which was sufficient to cause mortality. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE:Our study is the first to demonstrate auto-dissemination of M. anisopliae through transfer of fungus from males to female Ae. aegypti during mating under semi-field conditions. Our results suggest that auto-dissemination studies using releases of FEMs inside households could successfully infect wild Ae. aegypti females, providing another viable biological control tool for this important the dengue vector.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4608813?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Javier A Garza-Hernández Filiberto Reyes-Villanueva Tanya L Russell Marieta A H Braks Alberto M Garcia-Munguia Mario A Rodríguez-Pérez Copulation Activity, Sperm Production and Conidia Transfer in Aedes aegypti Males Contaminated by Metarhizium anisopliae: A Biological Control Prospect. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| title | Copulation Activity, Sperm Production and Conidia Transfer in Aedes aegypti Males Contaminated by Metarhizium anisopliae: A Biological Control Prospect. |
| title_full | Copulation Activity, Sperm Production and Conidia Transfer in Aedes aegypti Males Contaminated by Metarhizium anisopliae: A Biological Control Prospect. |
| title_fullStr | Copulation Activity, Sperm Production and Conidia Transfer in Aedes aegypti Males Contaminated by Metarhizium anisopliae: A Biological Control Prospect. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Copulation Activity, Sperm Production and Conidia Transfer in Aedes aegypti Males Contaminated by Metarhizium anisopliae: A Biological Control Prospect. |
| title_short | Copulation Activity, Sperm Production and Conidia Transfer in Aedes aegypti Males Contaminated by Metarhizium anisopliae: A Biological Control Prospect. |
| title_sort | copulation activity sperm production and conidia transfer in aedes aegypti males contaminated by metarhizium anisopliae a biological control prospect |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4608813?pdf=render |
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