PROGRESS REPORT ON “SURVEY AND MANAGEMENT OF DISEASE CARRIER INSECT (MOSQUITOES- ANOPHALES SP., CULEX SP., AEDES SP., ETC.,) BY AQUATIC INSECT PREDATORS” (BT/IN/Indo-US/ Foldscope/39/2015 dt. 20/03/2018) Submitted to Government of India Ministry of Science and Technology Department of Biotechnology Block-2, 7th Floor C.G.O. Complex Lodi Road, New Delhi-110003 Submitted by Dr. M. Bhubaneshwari Devi Associate Professor, P.G. Department of Zoology, D. M. College of Science, Imphal Manipur 2018 1 Contents 1. Introduction 3-5 2. Material methods 5-7 3. Results a. Systematics 8-14 b. Life cycle Studies 15-17 c. Management (Biological Control) 18-20 4. Conclusion 20 5. Foldscopy up loaded in microcosmos 21-23 6. References 24-25 7. List of Publications Annexures I, II, III 8. List of Communicated papers Annexures IV 2 HALF YEARLY PROJECT REPORT INTRODUCTION Mankind has been plagued by mosquitoes as nuisances and as vectors of mosquito- borne diseases for centuries, resulting in inestimable economic losses and indeterminable human suffering. Mosquitoes transmit some of the deadliest diseases known to man malaria and yellow fever—as well as dengue, encephalitis, filariasis and a hundred or so other maladies. In spite of decades of mosquito control efforts throughout affected regions worldwide, this scourge has not left us and our present- day overpopulated, jet-linked world remains on the edge of resurgence and out- breaks of old and new mosquito-borne disease epidemics (Norbert et al., 2010, Shaalan and Canyon, 2009). The mosquitoes (family Culicidae) are at the centre of worldwide entomological research because of their importance as vectors of a wide range of debilitating viral and parasitic diseases affecting both humans and animals. More than half of the world’s population lives under the risk of becoming infected by mosquitoes that carry the causative agents of diseases such as malaria, dengue, Chikungunya, West Nile fever, Japanese encephalitis or lymphatic filariasis. Estimates made by the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that 247 million people became ill in 2006 and about one million people died (WHO 2008) from mosquito- borne diseases. Although approximately three quarters of all mosquito species occur in the humid tropics and subtropics, mosquitoes are a problem not only in these regions. Mosquito larvae colonise a wide range of water bodies, temporary and permanent, highly polluted as well as clean, large or small, stagnant or flowing, and even the smallest accumulations such as water-filled buckets, flower vases, old tyres, hoof prints or leaf axils. Adult mosquitoes vary greatly in their bionomics, e.g. in terms of the host-seeking, biting and dispersal behaviour, and strategy for reproduction. Their significant medical importance and their troublesome behaviour have historically attracted the interest of scientists. Their importance as vectors of malaria and yellow fever was suspected by Joseph Nott in 1848. In 1878 Sir Patrick Manson showed that the roundworm Wuchereria bancrofti is transmitted by Cx. p. quinquefasciatus. Only 3 years later, Carlos Finley postulated that yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes, which was later proved by Walter Reed and his co- workers in 1901. Sir Ronald Ross made a further pioneering discovery in Hyderabad, India in 1897, when he recognised the importance of the anophelines as vectors of malaria. The discovery of the transmission cycles of most vector-borne diseases led to the recognition that mosquitoes represented a major scourge to humans, which in turn triggered the development of mosquito control. The foundations for mosquito control were established at the beginning of the 20th Century. William C. Gorgas, a member of the Army Medical Corps, USA, dedicated most of his professional life to the control of yellow fever, with special focus on control of the vector mosquito Ae. aegypti [Stegomyia aegypti]. By the turn of the 20th Century, he succeeded in suppressing yellow fever in Panama, and set the basis for the construction of the Panama Canal. Gorgas was the first to recognise that only by the implementation of an integrated control programme, could the severe burden of vector-borne 3 diseases be reduced. His approach comprised draining the breeding sites, vegetation cutting to reduce preferred resting sites of adult mosquitoes, treatment of water bodies with oil derivates to suppress immature mosquito stages, screening and quarantine of infected people to interrupt the transmission, as well as killing the adult mosquitoes to reduce the vector- density and vector-human contact (Le Prince 1910; Le Prince and Orenstein 1916). Compared to Curculionidae, the largest family in the animal kingdom, with 35,000 known species, Culicidae, numbering more than 3,200 species, could be ranked as a family of only a small-to-moderate size. Even though yield losses caused by weevils could be estimated in billions of dollars, mosquitoes are able to carry many lethal diseases in their bodies. Apart from being the well-known vectors of life-threatening diseases, in some parts of the world, mosquitoes may also occur in enormous numbers thus causing a significant reduction in human life quality and serious economic damage, for instance, in livestock (Norbert et al., 2010). The risk of becoming infected with a vector-borne disease has increased again not only in the tropics but also in Europe and USA, as shown by the outbreak of Chikungunya fever in Italy in 2007 (Angelini et al. 2007) and West Nile virus in the USA. Italy’s outbreak of Chikungunya is the first known disease transmission by the invasive vector, the Asian tiger mosquito (Ae. albopictus [St. albopicta]) in Europe, and triggered action by both experts and public in the EU community. Overall, the greater mobility of people to and from endemic areas, the intensified international trade, as well as the changing climate, will further encourage the spread and establishment of exotic diseases and invasive species in formerly safe areas. The Asian tiger mosquito originates from Southeast Asia, where its developmental stages occur in water-filled tree-holes, coconut shells, bamboo stumps and similar water collections. Over time, this species has adapted to breeding in artificial containers such as water barrels, car tyres or other places where small pools of water may collect. This mosquito has undergone an astonishing expansion of its range within the last few decades. Since 1979, Ae. albopictus has been found in Africa, the Americas and Europe, and more recently also in the Pacific region. It is expected to spread to tropical and subtropical regions, and occasionally to regions with moderate climates. Like Ae. albopictus, the “Asian bush” or “Asian rock pool” mosquito Oc. japonicus japonicus [Hulecoeteomyia japonica] is also an invasive species that has been established outside of its native range (Japan, Korea, China and Russia) for more than a decade. It was first recorded in North America in 1998 and in Europe (France) in 2000 (Schaffner et al. 2003, 2009; Williges et al. 2008). Since Oc. j. japonicus is generally found in more northern climates within its native range (whereas Ae. albopictus was originally a more tropical species), this species is able to establish itself more successfully in moderate climate zones like Central Europe (e.g. Switzerland, Belgium, Germany). Both species are able to colonise a wide range of natural and artificial breeding sites (discarded tyres, flower vases, catch basins, bird baths, tree-holes, rock pools, etc.). Due to the resistance of their eggs to desiccation, cold (diapausing larvae in eggs), and the relative lack of preference concerning their host type (e.g. humans, mammals and birds), these two invasive species have rapidly built up populations in newly colonised geographic regions (Pluskota et al. 2008). The international trade in used tyres and ornamental flowers has facilitated their spread over large distances and between continents. 4 The essential foundation for successful action against the mosquitoes requires not only an integrated mosquito management (IMM) concept, in which all appropriate methods for control are used, but also knowledge of the biology and ecology of the target organisms. The importance of a vector or nuisance species is determined above all by its physiological characteristics, such as reproduction, migration, host-seeking and biting behaviour. Accurate identification is a basic pre-requisite to a study of the autecology of a species as well as its biocoenotic relationship in the ecosystem. All these efforts should result in an improvement of the quality of life for humans by reducing the mosquito abundance by enhancing control measures based on IVM principles. All approaches should favour effective methods with low toxicological profile and minor environmental impact to contribute to the preservation of wetland biodiversity. Exchange of information and knowledge in the broadest sense should support sound mosquito control programmes worldwide. Vector borne disease burden has increased considerably worldwide in recent decades, globally cases have increased from few millions to several billion per year (WHO Report, 2010). During the year 2010 - 2011 in India alone the vector-borne disease cases were about 781603 including 1390 deaths which included 745599 malaria cases with 233 deaths, 14047 cases with 93 deaths of dengue, 14820 cases of chickungunya and 7137 cases with 1064 deaths reported due to Japanese encephalitis (National Vectorborne Disease Control Program Report, 2011) (Himmat et l., 2009). Materials and methods Basic knowledge about the distribution, abundance, seasonality, and ecology of different mosquito species is essential for a successful control campaign against these insects. For example, knowledge of the population dynamics and migration behaviour of the target organisms are crucial to the design of a control strategy. In parasitological and epidemiological studies, the interaction between the parasite or pathogen, and the vector and host, must be evaluated in order to suppress mosquito-borne diseases successfully. In the initial phases of all mosquito control campaigns, detailed entomological studies are likely to be carried out.