Pseudomonas mosselii: a potential alternative for managing pyrethroid-resistant Aedes aegypti

Area of Science:

• Environmental microbiology
• Medical entomology
• Biopesticide development

Background:

• Aedes aegypti mosquitoes transmit diseases like dengue and Zika.
• Synthetic insecticides pose environmental risks and face resistance.
• Novel control methods for Ae. aegypti are urgently needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the mosquitocidal potential of Pseudomonas mosselii against Ae. aegypti.
• To determine the characteristics of the toxic component produced by P. mosselii.
• To assess the efficacy against both susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant Ae. aegypti.

Main Methods:

• Isolation and culturing of Pseudomonas mosselii from pond sludge.
• Assessing mosquitocidal activity of bacterial culture, supernatant, and cell pellet.
• Investigating the time-course of toxic component release.
• Evaluating stability of culture and supernatant at different temperatures.
• Testing toxicity against susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant Ae. aegypti strains.

Main Results:

• The toxic component is released into the supernatant within 4 hours of culturing.
• Optimal stability for bacterial culture was at 28°C and supernatant at 4°C.
• Both bacterial culture and supernatant demonstrated toxicity to Ae. aegypti larvae and pupae.
• Efficacy was observed against both susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant mosquito strains.

Conclusions:

• Pseudomonas mosselii possesses significant mosquitocidal activity.
• P. mosselii offers a promising biological control agent against Ae. aegypti.
• This bacterium presents a viable alternative to conventional pyrethroid insecticides, especially for resistant populations.