Abstract
The success of the sterile insect technique (SIT) and other genetic strategies designed to eliminate large populations of insects relies on the efficient inundative releases of competitive, sterile males into the natural habitat of the target species. As released sterile females do not contribute to the sterility in the field population, systems for the efficient mass production and separation of males from females are needed. For vector species like mosquitoes, in which only females bite and transmit diseases, the thorough removal of females before release while leaving males competent to mate is a stringent prerequisite. Biological, genetic and transgenic approaches have been developed that permit efficient male-female separation for some species considered for SIT. However, most sex separation methods have drawbacks and many of these methods are not directly transferable to mosquitoes. Unlike genetic and transgenic systems, biological methods that rely on sexually dimorphic characters, such as size or development rate, are subject to natural variation, requiring regular adjustment and re-calibration of the sorting systems used. The yield can be improved with the optimization of rearing, but the scale of mass production places practical limits on what is achievable, resulting in a poor rearing to output ratio. High throughput separation is best achieved with scalable genetic or transgenic approaches.
Highlights
Knipling first proposed releasing males to control populations of insects in sterile insect technique (SIT) programmes [1]
Anopheles albimanus pupae produced during the five-week period of the SIT programme conducted on the Pacific coast in El Salvador were 99.9% males with an average adult emergence of 90% and for the Mediterranean fruit fly over 99% males are being produced at production levels of over two billion males per week
Before transgenic technologies can be brought to the field, suitable modifications may need to be introduced into these strains to ensure performance under highly demanding mass rearing conditions and to address the perceived risks related to their use in open environments
Summary
Knipling first proposed releasing males to control populations of insects in sterile insect technique (SIT) programmes [1]. For the highly successful programme against the New World Screwworm Cochliomyia hominivorax both males and females had to be released [4], as there was - and still is - no sex separation system For those agricultural pests in which females cause no (page number not for citation purposes). Since released sterile females may repeatedly feed on humans and contribute to disease transmission, tolerance for females in releases by programmes targeting vector species is likely to be much lower than for agricultural pests. For these vectors, SIT can, only be applied if some highly efficient way to exclude females is developed. It describes and critically assesses the strength and limitations of current attempts to improve existing methods and to develop novel transgenic approaches for the large-scale production of male mosquitoes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
