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The Invasion and Encapsulation of the Entomopathogenic Nematode, <i>Steinernema abbasi,</i> in <i>Aedes albopictus</i> (Diptera: Culicidae) Larvae
oleh: Wei-Ting Liu, Tien-Lai Chen, Roger F. Hou, Cheng-Chen Chen, Wu-Chun Tu
Format: | Article |
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Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2020-11-01 |
Deskripsi
The Asian tiger mosquito, <i>Aedes albopictus</i>, is of crucial concern to the public and veterinary health because of its vector role in transmission of several mosquito-borne diseases. Over the past decades, entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) have been used to control important agricultural insect pests and are considered to be effective against mosquitoes as well. The objectives of this study were to investigate the mosquitocidal effects of <i>Steinernema abbasi</i> to <i>Ae. albopictus</i> and the encapsulation processes of invading nematodes in the mosquito host. In this study, we found that <i>S. abbasi</i> was pathogenic to 3rd and 4th instar larvae of <i>Ae. albopictus</i> by entering the hemocoel of the 3rd and 4th instar larvae mainly through mouth and gastric caecum or by penetrating pupae through the intersegmental membrane or trumpet. The mosquito larvae infected with a single nematode caused a high mortality. Although EPNs in the hemocoel of mosquitoes were melanized and encapsulated, most <i>Ae. albopictus</i> larvae failed to survive after infection with <i>S. abbasi</i>. Overall, we demonstrated that <i>S. abbasi</i> is pathogenic to <i>Ae. albopictus</i> larvae, suggesting that this <i>S. abbasi</i> isolate has potential as a biocontrol agent for managing this vector mosquito.