Susceptibility of Aedes albopictus larvae (Diptera: Culicidae) to Strelkovimermis spiculatus (Nematoda: Mermithidae) under laboratory conditions

[摘要] Introduction: the parasite nematodes of mosquito larvae have been successfully evaluated in situ conditions against different mosquito species in Cuba. Strelkovimermis spiculatus has been tested on larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti under laboratory conditions, but not against Aedes albopictus, a vector of several arboviruses.Objective: due to the importance of Ae albopictus, and the need of its control in the country, we intended to evaluate the effects of three doses of nematode S. spiculatus against this mosquito larva under laboratory conditions.Methods: three doses of nematodes per larva (5:1, 7:1 y 10:1) were evaluated on 200 Ae. albopictus second stage larvae. After 72h post-infection,30 larvae per dose were randomly taken and were dissected to determine infection intensity and frequency of parasitism. Each treatment was triplicated and statistical analysis of the results was performed using EPINFO, version 6.04.Results: S.spiculatus was effective on Ae. Albopictus larvae; significant differences between the medians of infection were observed. The highest parasitism rates were 92.2 % and 98.8 % for corresponding doses of 7 and 10 nematodes per larva, respectively.Conclusions: for the first time in Cuba, the infective capacity of S.spiculatus on Ae. albopictus was demonstrated under laboratory conditions. Further studies are recommended before use under natural conditions.

[学科分类] 传染病学

[关键词] Strelkovimermis spiculatus;Aedes albopictus;parasite nematodes