TITLE:
Screening of Environmental Bacterial Strains for Wild Aedes Mosquito Larval Biocontrol
AUTHORS:
Alexandre Paulo Machado, Liliana Alves Correa, Gabriel de Paula Albuquerque, Ana Lúcia Maria Ribeiro, Rosina Djunko Miyazaki, Jéssica da Silva Gava, Dyego Bichofre Cruz
KEYWORDS:
Bacillus thuringiensis, Chromobacterium violaceum, Aedes Biocontrol, Larval Inhibition
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.14 No.9,
September
11,
2024
ABSTRACT: The effectiveness of current control measures against Aedes mosquitoes remains low, resulting in persistent epidemics in urban areas. The emergence of resistant mosquito populations to chemical insecticides highlights the need for novel, environmentally friendly, cost-effective control strategies. This study explored the potential of environmental bacterial isolates to biocontrol wild Aedes larvae. Initially, we collected bacterial samples from infectious masses of Aedes fluviatilis larvae. The isolated bacteria were identified using biochemical, enzymatic, and molecular methods, including 16S rRNA sequencing and MALDI-TOF. Previously, Aeromonas hydrophila and Bacillus thuringiensis isolated from these infectious masses showed limited Aedes larval inhibition. Consequently, we screened additional environmental isolates from the bacteriotheque. Six isolates previously identified were tested: Chromobacterium violaceum, Enterobacter cloacae, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus sphaericus, and two strains of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. Among these strains, B. thuringiensis and C. violaceum exhibited significant inhibitory activities against wild Aedes larvae. Bacillus thuringiensis cultures grown under daylight conditions showed a slight ability to inhibit Aedes larvae. The potential of B. thuringiensis and C. violaceum strains studied, along with optimized culture growth conditions, will be further investigated to develop bioinsecticide products to provide safer and more sustainable alternatives for controlling larvae of Aedes mosquitoes.