Mark–Release–Recapture Trial with <i>Aedes albopictus</i> (Diptera, Culicidae) Irradiated Males: Population Parameters and Climatic Factors
Fátima Isabel Falcão Amaro,
Patricia Soares,
Enkelejda Velo,
Danilo Oliveira Carvalho,
Maylen Gomez,
Fabrizio Balestrino,
Arianna Puggioli,
Romeo Bellini,
Hugo Costa Osório
Affiliations
Fátima Isabel Falcão Amaro
Centre for Vectors and Infectious Diseases Research Doutor Francisco Cambournac (CEVDI), National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Avenida da Liberdade 5, 2965-575 Palmela, Portugal
Patricia Soares
Centre for Vectors and Infectious Diseases Research Doutor Francisco Cambournac (CEVDI), National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Avenida da Liberdade 5, 2965-575 Palmela, Portugal
Enkelejda Velo
Department of Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Public Health, Tirana 1001, Albania
Danilo Oliveira Carvalho
Insect Pest Control Subprogramme, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, 1400 Vienna, Austria
Maylen Gomez
Insect Pest Control Subprogramme, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, 1400 Vienna, Austria
Fabrizio Balestrino
Centro Agricoltura Ambiente “G. Nicoli”, Department of Sanitary Entomology and Zoology, 40014 Crevalcore, Italy
Arianna Puggioli
Centro Agricoltura Ambiente “G. Nicoli”, Department of Sanitary Entomology and Zoology, 40014 Crevalcore, Italy
Romeo Bellini
Centro Agricoltura Ambiente “G. Nicoli”, Department of Sanitary Entomology and Zoology, 40014 Crevalcore, Italy
Hugo Costa Osório
Centre for Vectors and Infectious Diseases Research Doutor Francisco Cambournac (CEVDI), National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Avenida da Liberdade 5, 2965-575 Palmela, Portugal
Aedes albopictus is considered one of the major invasive species in the world and can transmit viruses such as dengue, Zika, or chikungunya. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) can be used to suppress the native populations of Ae. albopictus. Mark–release–recapture (MRR) studies are crucial to support the development of the release strategy during the SIT application. Meanwhile, weather conditions can affect the MRR trial’s results and it is critical to understand the influence of climatic factors on the results. In October 2022, 84,000 irradiated sterile males were released for three consecutive weeks in Faro, Southern Portugal. Mosquitoes were recaptured by human landing collection (HLC) one, two, four, and six days after release. Generalized linear models with a negative binomial family and log function were used to estimate the factors associated with the number of recaptured mosquitoes, prevalence ratios, and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 84,000 sterile male mosquitoes were released, with 528 recaptured (0.8%) by HLC. The prevalence of recaptured mosquitoes was 23% lower when the wind intensity was moderate. Marked sterile males had an average median distance travelled of 88.7 m. The median probability of daily survival and the average life expectancy were 61.6% and 2.1 days, respectively. The wild male population estimate was 443.33 males/ha. Despite no statistically significant association being found with humidity, temperature, and precipitation, it is important to consider weather conditions during MRR trial analyses to obtain the best determinant estimation and a more efficient application of the SIT in an integrated vector management program.
