Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted The interactive effects of juvenile hormone analogs and environmental factors on mosquito phenotypic traits and susceptibility to arbovirus infection(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-09-10) Alomar, Abdullah Abdulaziz; Alto, Barry WilmerEmerging arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are among the most important global public health concerns. Arboviruses, such as Zika virus (ZIKV) have caused explosive epidemics affecting thousands of people worldwide. In the absence of effective antiviral medications, prevention measures rely largely on reducing the number of adult mosquito vectors by targeting juvenile stages. However, a full understanding of the interactive effects of these measures and environmental factors in determining mosquito phenotypic traits and interactions between arboviruses and mosquito vectors is poorly understood. Pyriproxyfen is a juvenile hormone analog (JHA) that primarily blocks adult emergence, by mimicking the natural insect juvenile hormone, and minimally affects larval growth and development. This mechanism of JHA has the potential to act in combination with other larval sources of mortality in nature to affect mosquito populations. Here, we designed a series of experimental manipulations to determine the influence of juvenile exposure to JHA on the Ae. aegypti life-history traits and susceptibility to infection with ZIKV under different environmental factors, including predation and variation in temperature. Concentrations of JHA that cause over 50% inhibition in adult emergence of Ae. aegypti had no effect on adult emergence and lifespan of predatory mosquito Tx. rutilus. Weights of adult Ae. aegypti and Tx. rutilus were not influenced by JHA exposure. The combination of the presence of JHA and Tx. rutilus heavily lowered Ae. aegypti emergence to adulthood more than the independent effects of JHA or Tx. rutilus. Lifespan of adult Ae. aegypti was shortened by exposure to JHA and Tx. rutilus. The effects of JHA on mosquitoes were modulated by temperature. Phenotypic traits (development time, wing size, and adult emergence) and susceptibility to ZIKV infection, dissemination, and transmission were differently influenced by JHA and temperature interactions. These findings suggest that the use of JHA to control mosquito vectors may have low effects on mosquito biocontrol agents, but it may influence adult susceptibility to arboviruses under different environmental conditions. Understanding the ultimate consequences of juvenile mosquito control measures on subsequent adults’ ability to transmit viral pathogens is critical to fully understanding their overall impacts on the epidemiology of arboviruses.22 0