Barry Wilmer Alto

Toxic sugar baits (TSBs) exploit mosquito sugar-feeding behavior to deliver orally ingested lethal toxins. Most existing TSB formulations rely on synthetic chemical insecticides, highlighting the need to evaluate alternative active ingredients compatible with TSB delivery systems. Bacillus velezensis (Bv), a bacterium with demonstrated mosquitocidal activity, represents a promising microbial active ingredient but has not previously been evaluated as the active ingredient in TSBs. We evaluated the oral toxicity effects of Bv crude toxin-containing sugar bait (BvTSB) against adult Cx. quinquefasciatus, quantifying acute mortality, longevity, and reproductive outcomes. Ingestion of BvTSB caused significant lethal mortality in both sexes compared to sugar-fed controls, with males exhibiting greater susceptibility than females. Sublethal exposure reduced adult longevity, decreased egg production, and lowered fertility. These results demonstrate that Bv adversely affects multiple life history traits relevant to mosquito population dynamics and impairs traits related to vectorial capacity. Collectively, our findings show that Bv, when used as the active ingredient in toxic sugar baits, exhibits substantial mosquitocidal activity against adult Cx. quinquefasciatus and may serve as an alternative active ingredient to conventional chemical insecticides in TSB-based vector control.

We present a morphological dichotomous key for the identification of adult female mosquitoes found across Turkey. The key includes 63 species, representing seven genera: Anopheles (12 species), Aedes (25 species), Coquillettidia (2 species), Culex (14 species), Culiseta (6 species), Orthopodomyia (1 species) and Uranotaenia (1 species), along with two invasive species which are not yet established, Aedes japonicus Theobald and Ae. koreicus Edwards. The key supports entomological monitoring programs and public health efforts in a region where the risk of emergence of diseases caused by vector-borne pathogens is significant. It is intended for use by researchers, public health professionals and students engaged in mosquito surveillance, biodiversity studies and vector control operations.

Aedes albopictus , an invasive mosquito species prevalent across Brazil, serves as a crucial vector for numerous arboviruses, including Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Following the introduction of Asian and East-Central-South African (ECSA) genotypes in 2014, Brazil has faced escalating CHIKV epidemics, underscoring the critical need to understand region-specific vector competence. Building upon previous research that indicated variable vector competence, this study evaluated the susceptibility and dissemination rates of Aedes albopictus populations from diverse Brazilian regions (Belém, Paraná and Rio de Janeiro) to locally circulating ECSA and Asian CHIKV genotypes. Body, leg (dissemination), and saliva (transmission) positivity rates were measured at 3, 5, and 13 days post-infection. Despite descriptive heterogeneity, there was no significant effect of time, population, or genotype on initial CHIKV infection rates in mosquito bodies, with over 80% of individuals infected as early as 3 days post-infection, suggesting highly permissive midguts. In contrast, CHIKV dissemination to the legs was significantly influenced by both time post-infection (showing progressive increase) and mosquito population (Paraná exhibited significantly higher rates than Belém), but not by virus genotype, indicating population-specific variations in systemic viral spread. Crucially, saliva positivity rates were consistently low across all tested populations and genotypes, being substantially lower than those observed in bodies and legs but showed no significant effect of time, population origin, or virus genotype on overall saliva positivity rates. Understanding these population-specific vector dynamics is critical for refining predictive models, accurately assessing regional outbreak risks, and developing public health interventions against CHIKV in Brazil.

Widespread insecticide resistance and the potential for sublethal exposures to alter mosquito fitness have increased interest in alternative approaches such as attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSBs), yet their lethal and sublethal effects in insecticide-resistant versus susceptible populations remain poorly understood. We evaluated the lethal and sublethal effects (LC25) of a novel boric acid and dinotefuran ATSB on ingestion, mortality, blood feeding, and reproductive traits in permethrin-resistant and permethrin-susceptible Aedes aegypti. Aedes aegypti is the primary global vector of dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever viruses, placing billions at risk and underscoring the need for sustainable vector control strategies. ATSB affected ingestion, mortality, and reproductive traits in a resistance-dependent manner. Susceptible mosquitoes exhibited reduced ATSB ingestion, whereas resistant mosquitoes showed increased ingestion, suggesting that resistance status modifies feeding responses to the bait formulation. ATSB ingestion increased acute mortality in both strains, with a stronger effect in susceptible mosquitoes, and similarly shortened survival time across strains, indicating consistent sublethal toxicity regardless of resistance status. ATSB reduced blood feeding in both strains, suggesting potential downstream effects on pathogen transmission. Fertility exhibited a significant resistance × treatment interaction, with ATSB increasing fertility in resistant mosquitoes but reducing it in the susceptible strain. These findings indicate that the effects of this ATSB on mosquito fitness and arbovirus transmission-related traits are strongly influenced by permethrin resistance, highlighting the importance of incorporating resistance status into ATSB evaluations and integrated vector control strategies.

Sugar feeding is essential for mosquito survival and reproduction, yet its temporal dynamics and species-specific patterns remain poorly characterized under field conditions. We deployed a low-cost, continuous infrared video surveillance system at artificial sugar bait stations at two coastal Florida habitats (hammock forest and mangrove swamp) over a 10-night period, recording 113 mosquito visitation events while concurrently sampling the local mosquito assemblage using CO2-baited and sucrose-baited traps. All visitation events occurred during the scotophase, following a pronounced bimodal pattern with a primary peak at 21:00 and a secondary pre-dawn peak at 06:00. Individual feeding event duration was consistent across the night (22.6 ± 16.4 s), suggesting physiological rather than circadian control of feeding bout length. A total of 12,490 mosquitoes representing 22 species were collected (12,118 from CO2 traps and 372 from sucrose traps), with Aedes taeniorhynchus, Culex nigripalpus, and Deinocerites cancer as the dominant taxa. Sucrose traps were highly selective, capturing a significantly lower proportion of host-seeking (unfed) individuals than CO2 traps. The local abundance of Ae. taeniorhynchus had a strong positive association with station visitation (r = 0.9), whereas De. cancer showed a negative association (r= -0.63). Weak associations for other taxa indicate that sugar-seeking is not strictly density-dependent and varies across the mosquito assemblage. These observations support the notion that species-specific foraging patterns and habitat context drive sugar-bait utilization. Our findings emphasize that localized population dynamics must inform the strategic deployment of attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSBs) in vector control programs.

Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894), the Asian tiger mosquito, is one of the most invasive mosquito species worldwide and an important vector of several arboviruses of public health concern. Although its distribution in Türkiye has expanded rapidly since its first detection, the mitogenomic diversity and phylogeographic relationships of Turkish populations remain poorly understood. Here, we provide the first mitogenome-based characterization of Ae. albopictus populations from the Black Sea region of Türkiye within a global comparative framework. Complete mitochondrial genomes were generated from 20 specimens collected along the Turkish Black Sea coast and analyzed together with 75 reference mitogenomes retrieved from GenBank. The Turkish mitogenomes ranged from 15.8 to 17.1 kb and exhibited the typical Ae. albopictus mitochondrial organization, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs, and a control region. Gene order and orientation were conserved across all Turkish samples, and most size variation was confined to the control region. The mitogenomes were strongly AT-rich, and codon usage showed a marked bias toward A/U-ending codons. Phylogenetic analyses using concatenated sequences of all 13 protein-coding genes and both ribosomal RNA genes showed that Turkish samples were not monophyletic; rather, they were distributed among multiple subclades within the broad A1a complex. The results indicate high mitogenomic diversity and a mosaic phylogeographic structure, consistent with multiple maternal lineages contributing to Ae. albopictus populations in Türkiye’s Black Sea region. The phylogenetic signature supports a scenario of multiple introductions of Ae. albopictus rather than spread from a single founding population.

The Featured Creatures collection provides in-depth profiles of insects, nematodes, arachnids and other organisms relevant to Florida. These profiles are intended for the use of interested laypersons with some knowledge of biology as well as academic audiences. This publication describes Aedes triseriatus (Say, 1823), a mosquito species native to eastern and central North America commonly known as the eastern tree hole mosquito. Due to the potential risk of its introduction and establishment beyond its native range, it is considered a potential invasive species, which is of particular concern because Aedes triseriatus is the primary vector of La Crosse virus (LACv), which is the most prevalent cause of pediatric arboviral encephalitis in North America.

Attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSB) exploit mosquito sugar-feeding as a control strategy, but their use has been hindered by non-target (pollinator) exposure, environmental degradation, and the difficulties of selectively administering toxicants to mosquitoes. We developed and evaluated a perforated bag-based ATSB system incorporating 200–300 microperforations (90%) following capture. Our results indicate that perforated bag-based ATSB systems incorporated into passive traps can target mosquitoes across multiple physiological states while minimizing the non-target risk. This platform provides promising and environmentally responsible integration of ATSB deployment into mosquito surveillance and control programs.

Vector‐borne diseases (VBD) pose a major concern for public health worldwide. Identifying putative vectors and their potential contribution to transmission is a crucial step in understanding vector‐borne disease hazard. However, existing metrics are limited in their utility to inform transmission hazard in zoonotic multi‐vector, multi‐host VBD systems. We present the Vector Potential Index (VPI), a novel metric for evaluating and comparing the potential of blood‐feeding arthropod vectors to contribute to zoonotic VBD transmission. Taking a meta‐analysis approach, the VPI combines vector competence and host use data obtained from scientific literature to assign relative and absolute VPI ranks across species and transmission cycles. Using West Nile virus (WNV) in the eastern United States as a model system, our results demonstrate the ability of VPI to provide a representative assessment of vector species' potential contribution to transmission hazard in the epizootic and enzootic transmission cycles. Most species had low vector potential, and although Aedes species were the most competent WNV vectors in the laboratory, only Culex species were assigned higher VPI ranks. Additionally, the VPI suggests that the contribution of Culex salinarius to WNV transmission in the U.S. may be greater than previously assumed based on assessments of individual parameters. Relative and absolute VPI ranks assigned to species aligned with recent work reviewing their role as vectors in the transmission cycles, indicating that by jointly considering vector competence and host use, the VPI effectively quantifies the species‐specific potential to contribute to WNV transmission hazard in the natural environment, using existing data. We propose the objective and reproducible VPI as a powerful yet simple tool for scientists and public health practitioners, where this trait‐based approach has considerable potential to provide new insights into disease systems and enhance VBD surveillance and intervention strategies.

Oropouche virus (OROV) is an emerging vector-borne pathogen in the American tropics that is a significant cause of human disease. Over 100 traveler imported cases of OROV were recorded in the continental USA in 2024 (103 in Florida), elevating the risk of local transmission of OROV should competent insect vectors feed upon viremic humans. The only confirmed natural vector of OROV is Culicoides paraensis (Goeldi), a biting midge species that occurs throughout forested areas of the New World, including the eastern USA, Central America and most of northern South America. Anthropophagic mosquito species, especially Culex quinquefasciatus Say and Aedes aegypti L. have been suspected of transmitting emerging lineages of OROV in areas where C. paraensis had not been reported (Cuba). Recent laboratory studies have shown that emerging strains of OROV replicate to higher titers in human cell lines than ancestral strains, raising the possibility that these strains may also be transmitted by select mosquito species that feed on humans. To assess the potential for anthropophagic mosquitoes in the southern USA to transmit OROV, we evaluated the vector competence (based on viral RNA detection) of lab-adapted Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti , along with an F ₁ generation of Ae. aegypti from field-collected mosquitoes in Florida, using prototype (TRVL9760, Trinidad 1955) and emerging (240023, Cuba 2024) OROV genotypes across two incubation periods in cell culture (5 and 7 days) and three extrinsic (7, 14, and 21 days) incubation periods. Both mosquito species exhibited moderate susceptibility to infection (24.2-43.2%) and disseminated infection (23.0-57.5%), but low competence to transmit OROV. Transmission was observed in Ae. aegypti (2.5% in the Lower Keys strain and 1.8% in the Orlando strain) and Cx. quinquefasciatus (0.7%). When the two viral genotypes (TRVL9760 vs 240023) were compared at the same incubation conditions (IP/EIP), the emergent genotype did not exceed the prototype in infection, dissemination, or transmission. Our data indicates that these two relatively anthropophagic mosquito species are unlikely to serve as competent vectors of OROV in Florida, attributable to substantial midgut and salivary gland barriers.