http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/index.html http://www.fao.org/ag/portal/index_en.html No. 92, January 2019 Contents To Our Readers 1 Coordinated Research Projects 17 Other News 35 Staff 4 Developments at the Insect Pest Relevant Published Articles 38 Control Laboratory 21 Forthcoming Events 2019 5 Papers in Peer Reports 28 Reviewed Journals 39 Past Events 2018 6 Announcements 30 Other Publications 47 Technical Cooperation Projects 8 In Memoriam 33 To Our Readers The tsetse and trypanosomosis suppression in the Niayes Senegal resulted in drastic reduction in disease transmission, significant increase in milk yields, and a ten-fold increase in the rate of imported more productive exotic cattle with a very positive overall return on investment. Insect Pest Control Newsletter, No. 92, January 2019 In Senegal, as in many other parts of West Africa, African Much credit for the success is given to the adaptive man- animal trypanosomosis (AAT), a deadly disease carried by agement approach of the project, which called for monthly the tsetse fly, has long been a major obstacle to the devel- project coordination meetings with the many different opment of more efficient and sustainable livestock produc- stakeholders, for transparency at all levels and for decision- tion systems. For more than 50 years, the Government of making by consensus, with decisions for moving the pro- Senegal invested in importing more productive improved ject ahead based on scientific evidence. breeds from Europe and elsewhere, but many did not sur- Looking to the future, several countries are considering vive because they had no natural tolerance to AAT. The plans to set up similar programmes on their land. A genetic frequency of the deadly disease transmitted by the tsetse study, covering all West Africa, has identified ten tsetse- has dropped dramatically in Senegal’s Niayes region, as the infested potential ecological islands, that would benefit long-term government-executed tsetse eradication cam- from achievements and lessons learned in Niayes. paign that involved the release of sterile tsetse flies has suppressed the pest population. Another major achievement, during the past semester, has been the publication of a Special Issue in BMC Microbiol- ogy’(https://bmcmicrobiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/supp lements/volume-18-supplement-1) as part of the work con- ducted during the last five years of the Coordinated Re- search Project (CRP) titled ‘Enhancing Vector Refractori- ness to Trypanosome Infection’. Now, in Niayes region, the incidence of the disease is close to zero and flies have been eliminated in all but one hotspot area. Nevertheless, the release of sterile tsetse flies will continue for several months in order to tackle any potential residual fly pocket and ensure that no wild flies remain. Before the project’s success, most farmers reared only local cattle breeds, 80–90 000 heads of which live in the area. These cattle had low milk and meat production and low reproductive rates, but the farmers kept them for their natu- ral tolerance to trypanosomosis. Nowadays, the suppression of the tsetse population is allowing farmers to replace the low producing local cattle with more productive exotic breeds. Special Issue in BMC Microbiology. Working together, farmers in the region are progressively replacing their indigenous cattle that produce only 1–2 li- This CRP involved 23 scientists from 19 countries, bring- ters of milk a day with exotic cattle that produce between ing a wide range of expertise and experience, with two ma- 20 and 40 liters a day and, hence, substantially increasing jor goals: (i) to gain a deeper knowledge of the tripartite productivity. Furthermore, the improved milk and meat interactions between the tsetse fly vectors, their symbionts, production of the exotic breeds will enable farmers to in- and trypanosome parasites and (ii) to acquire a better un- crease their income, including with smaller herds, which in derstanding of mechanisms that limit the development of turn will reduce the grazing pressure on this already fragile trypanosome infections in tsetse and how these may be en- ecosystem. hanced. The research studies involved detailed investiga- tions into the biology of the insect in relationship to the 2 Insect Pest Control Newsletter, No. 92, January 2019 causative trypanosomes, parasites, and symbionts, as well vicinity of Naples. The detection requires a delimitation of as epidemiological investigations of the disease in various the infested area and an eradication plan if further speci- parts of Africa. mens are detected. For more data on the detection, a recent paper was published in the Journal Insects 2018, 9, 182; This special issue comprises the final research results of the doi:10.3390/insects9040182 (https://www.mdpi.com/2075- CRP, compiled in 19 research papers, together with an in- 4450/9/4/182) ‘First Record of an Invasive Fruit Fly Be- troductory review paper highlighting the objectives and the longing to Bactrocera dorsalis Complex (Diptera: Tephri- main achievements of the CRP and three reviews providing tidae) in Europe’. This event shows the vulnerability of the background to the project. We believe that this issue in Mediterranean countries to the introduction of B. dorsalis BMC Microbiology is an important contribution to our and the peach fruit fly, B. zonata and the consequent impli- knowledge on tsetse flies and their symbionts, parasites, cations for the fruit industry of those countries. and pathogens. It will provide the insect pathology and symbionts scientific community with extensive knowledge about the recent advances made in this field, with great po- tential to solve this crucial problem that continues to affect both humans and cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. In meanwhile, other special issue was published at the Par- asites & Vectors and can be downloaded at: (https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/sup plements/volume-11-supplement-2). This special issue summarises the achievements made during the five years CRP on ‘Exploring Genetic, Molecular, Mechanical and Behavioural Methods of Sex Separation in Mosquitoes’. For more detailed information please see page 20 of this newsletter. Regarding fruit flies, an outbreak of Bactrocera scutellata On the subject of human disease vectors, research and de- was reported by the National Plant Protection Organization velopment is making advances on the Sterile Insect Tech- (NPPO) of Mexico on 2 February 2018 in Manzanillo, Co- nique (SIT) package to control disease transmitting mos- lima, Mexico. The outbreak has now been eradicated, since quitoes, including Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus the from the last specimen captured, nine biological cycles vectors for dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever have passed without any additional detection (25 April to virus with the ultimate goal of the SIT to be included in an 30 September 2018). The nine cycles were assessed using Area-wide Integrated Pest Management (AW-IPM) ap- the degree-day model. The male annihilation technique proach. (MAT) and the delimiting trapping were intensified in the This work has been implemented through in-house research last six cycles, following the recommendations of the and development at the Insect Pest Control Laboratory FAO/IAEA expert. Eradication actions were enforced by (IPCL) of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Tech- the NPPO following the framework of the ‘Action Plan niques in Food and Agriculture, in Seibersdorf, through Against B. scutellata on National Territory (March 2018)’ Coordinated Research Projects and extra-budgetary Tech- and based on the International Standards of Phytosanitary nical Cooperation Projects, as well as through direct col- Measures (ISPM 26) relative to the determination of pest laboration with research institutes. In parallel, every possi- status in an area and ISPM 9 relative to the directives for ble effort is being made to foster capacity building and pest eradication programmes. technology transfer to Member States through IAEA Tech- Following the Action Plan procedures, the MAT devices nical Cooperation Projects. will be gradually retrieved from the field and disposed. Regarding IPC staff news, it is with great regret to inform Based on the assessed risk of introduction and spread of you that our former colleague Ludwig Lang passed away this transient actionable pest entry, the trapping network on 1 November 2018. He retired from the Insect Pest Con- will be restructured in the urban area and at the Manzanillo trol Laboratory, where he worked in the plant pest group Port, increasing the numbers from 48 to 567 permanent and was responsible of the quality control of fruit flies. We traps. In addition, the trapping network against no-native would like to express our sincere condolences to his family. invasive species of quarantine significance will be rein- Finally, to each of you I extend my very best wishes for forced along the Pacific Coast including: Topolobampo and 2019. Mazatlán, Sinaloa; Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán; Salina Cruz, Oaxaca and; Puerto Chiapas, Chiapas. Rui Cardoso Pereira On the other hand, the Oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsa- Head, Insect Pest Control Section lis, pictured next, was detected for the first time in Europe in Italy in late September 2018. The fly was detected in the 3 Insect Pest Control Newsletter, No. 92, January 2019 Staff Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Applications in Food and Agriculture Name Title Email Extension Location Qu LIANG Director [email protected] 21610