Kamlesh R. Chauhan

Kairomonal effect of walking traces from Euschistus heros (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) on two strains of Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)

Abstract.  The semiochemical cues used by geographically isolated strains of the parasitoid, Telenomus podisi (Ashmed), to find eggs of the stink bug Euschistus heros were investigated. Two strains of Te. podisi, maintained on eggs of a South American host (E. heros) were studied. One parasitoid strain originated from specimens collected near Brasilia, Brazil (SA strain), and a second strain originated from specimens collected at Beltsville, Maryland (NA strain). Cold tolerance tests of adults from the NA and SA Te. podisi strains, analyses of the cuticular hydrocarbons between the two strains, and crossing experiments between strains each indicated consistent differences between the NA and SA strains. Subsequent experiments using E. heros showed that SA Te. podisi females specifically recognize traces left on the substrate by walking E. heros females and then search intensively the area of the ‘footprints’, apparently looking for an egg mass to parasitize. By contrast, Te. podisi females of the NA strain are incapable of recognizing the footprints of E. heros females despite the fact that these parasitoids were reared from eggs of E. heros. The possibility that the two strains are actually different species is discussed.

A novel high-throughput screening system to evaluate the behavioral response of adult mosquitoes to chemicals

ABSTRACT A modular and novel assay system for rapid mass screening of chemical compounds for contact irritant and spatial repellent actions against adult mosquitoes is described. The responses of Aedes aegypti to various concentrations of 3 topical repellents, deet, Bayrepel®, and SS220, were evaluated. At treatment concentrations ≥25 nmol/cm2 of SS220, mosquitoes exhibited significant contact irritant (escape) and spatial repellent (movement away from the chemical source) responses, whereas, a 10-fold increase in the treatment concentration of deet and Bayrepel was required to produce similar responses. The novel bioassay system detected contact irritancy and spatial repellency activity with reproducible results and provided baseline data for determining minimum effective concentrations for other chemicals. The system is compact in size, easy to decontaminate, and requires only a minute quantity of chemical compound.

Characterization of spatial repellent, contact irritant, and toxicant chemical actions of standard vector control compounds.

Abstract A previously described modular high-throughput screening system was used to characterize the spatial repellent, contact irritant, and toxicant chemical actions of 14 compounds historically used or under investigation for vector control. The response of F1–F4 Aedes aegypti (Thailand strain) to various concentrations of 4 organochlorines (chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, methoxychlor); 4 pyrethroids (alphacypermethrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, permethrin); 3 organophosphates (chlorpyrophos methyl, fenitrothion, malathion); 2 carbamates (bendiocarb, propoxur); and 1 pyrazole (chlorfenapyr) were evaluated. Results show chemicals exert different combinations of contact irritant, spatial repellent, and toxic actions. This is true even within the same chemical class. These actions can be ordered for each chemical based on the testing dose at which the specific response is elicited. Data also indicate that behavioral responses to spatial repellent and contact irritant actions are separate (or independent) from the toxic action of a compound. Results from pyrethroid and DDT assays also show chemicals can induce behavior-modifying actions, such as contact irritancy and spatial repellency, which will reduce man-vector contact, despite evidence of insecticide resistance within the test population. These findings support previous laboratory and field studies showing man-vector contact and disease transmission are routinely interrupted by spatial repellent and contact irritant actions of common public health insecticides. Studies similar to that presented here can be used as baseline evidence for expected vector responses and support best approaches for more detailed behavioral research.

Multiple activities of insect repellents on odorant receptors in mosquitoes

Several lines of evidence suggest that insect repellent molecules reduce mosquito–host contacts by interacting with odorants and odorant receptors (ORs), thereby ultimately affecting olfactory‐driven behaviours. We describe the molecular effects of 10 insect repellents and a pyrethroid insecticide with known repellent activity on two highly specific Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) ORs, AaOR2 + AaOR7 and AaOR8 + AaOR7, exquisitely sensitive to key mosquito attractants indole and (R)‐(−)‐1‐octen‐3‐ol, expressed in oocytes of Xenopus (Anura: Pipidae). Our study demonstrates that insect repellents can both inhibit odorant‐evoked currents mediated by ORs and independently elicit currents in the absence of odorants. All of the repellents had effects on one or both ORs; most of these compounds were selective inhibitors and showed a high degree of specificity in their capacity to activate the two ORs. These results show that a range of insect repellents belonging to structurally diverse chemical classes modulate the function of mosquito ORs through multiple molecular mechanisms.

Feeding Deterrent Effects of Catnip Oil Components Compared with Two Synthetic Amides Against Aedes aegypti

Abstract Recently, catnip, Nepeta cataria L. (Lamiaceae), essential oil has been formulated and marketed as an alternative repellent for protection against biting arthropods by several vendors. We isolated the major active components of catnip oil, E,Z- and Z,E-nepetalactone, and quantitatively measured their antibiting efficacy compared with the repellents N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (deet) and chiral (1S,2′S)-2-methylpiperidinyl-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxamide (SS220) against the yellowfever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (L.), by using an in vitro assay and human volunteers at 24 nmol compound/cm2 (cloth or skin). Of all compounds tested in an in vitro assay, SS220 ranked as the most effective, whereas catnip oil and the nepetalactone compounds did not differ significantly from each other or from deet. However, in human volunteer bioassays, neither E,Z and Z,E-nepetalactone nor racemic nepetalactone deterred mosquito biting as effectively as SS220 or deet. All compounds differed significantly from the control. We conclude that catnip oil and nepetalactone isomers are significantly less effective than deet or SS220 in deterring the biting of Ae. aegypti.

4-Oxo-Aldehydes From the Dorsal Abdominal Glands of the Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

ABSTRACT Analyses of the dorsal abdominal glands of fourth- and fifth-instar nymphs of the bed bud, Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), indicated the predominant constituents were (E)-2-hexenal and (E)-2-octenal, with lesser amounts of 4-oxo-(E)-2-hexenal and 4-oxo-(E)-2-octenal. The latter two compounds have not been reported previously as occurring in bed bugs. There were no differences in the chemical composition of the dorsal abdominal glands excised from exuviae left behind by either male or female adults, nor from glands excised from fourth-instar exuviae. Because the two oxo-aldehydes made up at least 16% of the gland contents, further study of the functional role of these chemicals seem advisable.

Sex Pheromone of the Soybean Aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, and Its Potential Use in Semiochemical-Based Control

Abstract The newly invasive soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, has seriously threatened soybean production in North America, after having spread to >20 states in the United States and several southern provinces of Canada. Control of A. glycines has focused on applications of insecticides, which are not a long-term solution to soybean aphid pest management. In autumn, soybean aphids start producing alate females (gynoparae) that search for their overwintering host plants, the common buckthorn, Rhamnus cathartica. The gynoparae then produce pheromone-emitting wingless female offspring (oviparae) that attract male aphids. In this study, we report the chemical identification of the soybean aphid sex pheromone using gas chromatography–electroantennogram, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Behavioral activities of males and gynoparous females in the field were also characterized. The potential applications using formulations containing specific soybean aphid pheromone compositions for reducing overwintering populations are discussed.

Isolation and Identification of Mosquito (Aedes aegypti) Biting Deterrent Fatty Acids from Male Inflorescences of Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg)

Dried male inflorescences of breadfruit ( Artocarpus altilis , Moraceae) are burned in communities throughout Oceania to repel flying insects, including mosquitoes. This study was conducted to identify chemicals responsible for mosquito deterrence. Various crude extracts were evaluated, and the most active, the hydrodistillate, was used for bioassay-guided fractionation. The hydrodistillate and all fractions displayed significant deterrent activity. Exploratory GC-MS analysis revealed more than 100 distinctive peaks, and more than 30 compounds were putatively identified, including a mixture of terpenes, aldehydes, fatty acids, and aromatics. A systematic bioassay-directed study using adult Aedes aegypti females identified capric, undecanoic, and lauric acid as primary deterrent constituents. A synthetic mixture of fatty acids present in the most active fraction and individual fatty acids were all significantly more active than N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET). These results provide support for this traditional practice and indicate the potential of male breadfruit flowers and fatty acids as mosquito repellents.

Behavioral Responses of Catnip (Nepeta cataria) by Two Species of Mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles harrisoni, in Thailand

ABSTRACT An investigation of the biological effect of catnip oil (Nepeta cataria L.) on the behavioral response of field collected Aedes aegypti and Anopheles harrisoni was conducted using an automated excito-repellency test system. Aedes aegypti showed significantly higher escape rates from the contact chamber at 5% catnip oil compared to other concentrations (P < 0.05). With Anopheles harrisoni, a high escape response was seen at 2.5% catnip oil from the contact chamber, while in the noncontact chamber a higher escape response was observed at a concentration of 5%. Results showed that this compound exhibits both irritant and repellent actions.

A High Throughput Screening System for Determining the Three Actions of Insecticides Against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Populations in Thailand

ABSTRACT Chemicals can protect humans from the bites of hemophagous arthropods through three different primary actions: irritancy (excitation), repellency, or toxicity, actions that can be evaluated using a laboratory-based assay system, In this study, the deterrent and toxic actions of three synthetic pyrethroids and DDT were characterized on six field strains of Aedes aegypti from Thailand under laboratory-controlled conditions using the high throughput screening system. All six strains showed significant contact irritant responses to the three synthetic pyrethroids, but significantly weaker irritant responses to DDT, Marked repellency responses were seen in all six Ae. aegypti test strains exposed to DDT, whereas the synthetic pyrethroids resulted in greater toxicity than DDT under similar test conditions. Although significantly different in actions, irritancy and repellency may reflect and be influenced by the background insecticide susceptibility status of a particular mosquito population. Results from this study can be used to guide decision making regarding more effective Ae. aegypti adult control in Thailand.