[Systematic review on the use of fish for vector control of mosquito-borne diseases]

It is estimated that more that 80% of world´s population live in areas at risk from at least one major vector-borne disease, being mosquitoes responsible for a significant disease burden. Given that biological control is a more natural option compared to other available interventions and that the use of fish is widespread, the aim of this review was to analyze the effectiveness of fish-based interventions to control mosquito-borne diseases.

A bibliographic search was conducted through PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, LILACS, WOS-Core Collection and CAB Abstracts for observational or experimental studies published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese up to December 2023. The outcome variables of interest were entomological and epidemiological indicators.

Of the 2,227 references identified, seven articles were ultimately included. All studies measured the impact using entomological indicators, while only two also used epidemiological indicators. The interventions involved the release of fish into domestic water containers, rice fields, and excavations or wells linked to a canal construction. All studies observed a significant reduction in both entomological and epidemiological indicators. The larval reduction ranged between 80% and 100%, while the reduction in clinical cases reached 99.87%.

The release of fish leads to a meaningful reduction in both larval indicators and clinical cases. However, it is necessary to assess whether large-scale fish releases are feasible, sustainable, cost-effective, and sufficient to achieve vector control, as well as to consider the potential negative impact of their introduction into a given ecosystem.