Competitive exclusion could be a possible strategy to control vector mosquitoes. Since many species share the same habitats, a speices having an edge over a vector species could be tried to displace the vector species in question.
I think there exist some case where a non vector mosquito occupies
Vector mosquito habitat and it was potentially used as a method
to control vector borne disease but I am unable to quote the source right now.
Hello Sumodan:
There is a succesful story using non- vector Aedes aegypti mosquitos to displace vector species in order to reduce dengue, zika and chikunguña viruses in tropical countries. This international program is called Eliminate Dengue and is beeing tested in Australia, Colombia, Vietnam, Brazil and Indonesia. They are releasing mosquitos infected with Wolbachia, a natural bacteria that live within insect cells and are passed from one generation to the next through the insect’s eggs. Releasing a limited number of mosquitoes with Wolbachia to breed with wild mosquitoes, over a small number of generations, will result in all the mosquitoes having Wolbachia.When male mosquitoes with Wolbachia mate with female wild mosquitoes without Wolbachia, those females will have eggs but they won’t hatch. Also Wolbachia prevents mosquitos to transmit virus to humans. I think this is the best example of competitive exclusión ( Cytoplasmic incompatibility) See more in the following link: http://www.eliminatedengue.com/our-research/wolbachia#sthash.w2V9UKfo.dpuf
Regards,
Luis Miguel
Thank you. I too heard about it some time back but was not aware of its field trials. Thank you.
CSIRO with help from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is pursuing this effort in the SW Pacific region. Australia and VietNam have field projects underway. I know a former Medical Entomology PhD student at University of Florida, Scott Ritchie, who has been very involved in this Wolbachia effort. It is amazing what can be done when some people are not blowing up some other people.
I refer you to the following excellent review of the topic: Lounibus, L. P. 2007. Competitive displacement and reduction. In T. G. Floore (ed). Biorational control of moquitoes. Suppl. J. Mosq. Control Assoc. 23(2):276-282.
Yes, I'm sure this publication is available via online service or any institutional library service.or even contacting the author who is still active at the University of Florida facilities at Vero Beach, Florida, USA.
There is always that possibility so why not contact the original designated author, i.e., Professor Lounibos, and ask if there have been any follow-up studies that he is familiar with. Have you made the effort to obtain and read the reference which was recommended in response to your initial request?.
well, there are many slips between the lip and the cup. . A successful Lab model may not be as successful in the field condition as in the laboratory. Interaction between the field conditions and vector genome is a highly complex phenomenon, which is poorly understood.. Any system which may reduce the reproductive potential will die out in nature, Replacement of vector population with nonvector population is one such effort.
I had thought of a predator-prey relationship to suppress the vector populations by inundating and augmenting the predators, little did I envisage parasitic competition to reduce vector populations and pathogen transmission by selectively sustaininhg the desired transmission detrimental to the pathogen under control. nice discussion Thank you all for these insights..
It must be remembered that even if a predator kills a mosquito, it may not live in the same environment. As an example, Toxorhynchites mosquitoes may kill Aedes aegypti in the lab, but the first will not live in the same breeding places of the second. White bear may kill penguins, but they do not meet...
yes of course. what of transgenic mosquitoes that can replace the real vectors in the wild,
These large scale experiments described above is release of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti, the same species as the target species. Note that the original question here by Sumodan Pk, was about using a different Non-vector species to displace a target species. The solutions described are very different.
Yes, Dr. Carlson. You are right. I have a species in my mind but it is too early to reveal its identity. I have been observing its breeding behaviour for the past 10 years. It has indeed an edge over Aedes albopictus.
Curiously, there is another example of this phenomenon in the SouthEastern USA. Asian Tiger mosquitoes (A. albopictus) have now displaced pretty much all Aedes aegypti where I live in Florida. The former were not transmitting yellow fever anymore, but they were still prevalent.until a few years ago. Are you perhaps describing it going the other way?
The same phenomenon is apparent in India also. No, this is a different species. A paper on this observation is under preparation. Will be made available on RG.
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