Effects of physiological conditioning on behavioral avoidance by using a single age group of Aedes aegypti exposed to deltamethrin and DDT.

The behavioral and physiological responses of 6-d-old Aedes aegypti (L.) adult females exposed to deltamethrin and DDT were characterized using a free-choice excito-repellency test system. Excluding varying pretest age and carbohydrate availability as possible confounders, insecticide contact (measuring irritancy) and noncontact (measuring repellency) behavioral assays were conducted on two nonbloodfed groups, either unmated or mated (nulliparous), and two blood-fed groups, either parous or newly full-engorged mosquitoes. The degree of escape response to deltamethrin and DDT varied according to the physiological conditioning. Escape rates from contact and noncontact chambers with deltamethrin were more conspicuous in nonbloodfed groups compared with mosquitoes previously bloodfed. There were no significant differences in escape responses between unmated and nulliparous test populations. With DDT, a more pronounced escape response was observed in unmated compared with other physiological conditions. More moderate escape response was seen in nulliparous mosquitoes, and the least was observed in full bloodfed test individuals, regardless of test compound. Ae. aegypti, regardless of pretest conditioning, was completely susceptible to deltamethrin, whereas showing high resistance to DDT. Despite profound differences in resistance, there was no significant difference in avoidance response between chemicals and mosquito conditioning. Moreover, pre- and postbloodmeals were found to influence assay outcome and thus to have relevance on the interpretation of susceptibility and excito-repellency assays.

Influence of nutritional and physiological status on behavioral responses of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) to deltamethrin and cypermethrin.

Excito-repellency responses of Aedes aegypti (L.) exposed to deltamethrin and cypermethrin were assessed using an excito-repellency test system. Contact irritancy and non-contact repellency assays compared non-bloodfed (unfed) parous (post-gravid), nulliparous, early blood-fed, late blood-fed, sugar-fed, and unmated female mosquitoes for behavioral responses based on nutritional and physiological conditions at the time of testing. Rates of escape during contact exposure with either compound were most pronounced in parous mosquitoes, followed by unmated mosquitoes, when compared to other conditional states. Significantly higher numbers of parous females also escaped from control chambers compared to other cohorts (P <0.05). Irritability of blood- and sugar-fed mosquitoes was noticeably suppressed. We conclude that nutritional and physiological conditions (including age) of mosquitoes at the time of testing can significantly influence behavioral responses (excito-repellency) to insecticides. The findings indicate that whether due to chronological age, nutrition, physiological state, or innate (circadian) activity patterns, careful consideration must be given to the selection of appropriate conditioned mosquitoes for testing.

The effect of host type on movement patterns of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) into and out of experimental huts in Thailand.

Flight behavior studies were carried out from December 2004 through February 2005 at two sites in Thailand to compare the movement patterns of Aedes aegypti into and out of experimental huts baited with a human host, dog host, or without a host using a mark-release-recapture study design. Studies were conducted in isolated villages of Kanchanaburi and Chiang Mai Provinces, Thailand. In the presence of a human host only 4.9% (39/800) of the Ae. aegypti females departed the hut as compared to 46.5% (372/800) when a dog was present. There was no significant difference in the numbers of Ae. aegypti exiting when comparing dog to no host. A peak in exiting behavior in the absence of any host (human or dog) was observed between 1400-1700 h. Ingress behavior was much stronger when a human host was present in the hut with the peak of entering occurring in the morning (0830-1130 h) compared to 1000-1200 h without a host. Overall, significant differences between the two host types were observed with Ae. aegypti females being more attracted to humans (p < 0.05) than dogs. There was no significant difference between numbers of Ae. aegypti entering the hut baited with a dog and the hut containing no host source. The experimental hut design used in the present study can serve as a protocol for testing the exiting and entering behavior of Ae. aegypti in response to chemical compounds.

Insecticide-induced behavioral responses in two populations of Anopheles maculatus and Anopheles sawadwongporni, malaria vectors in Thailand.

Behavioral responses of 2 wild-caught populations of Anopheles maculatus (Theobald) and Anopheles sawadwongporni Rattanarithikul and Green to operational field doses of DDT (2 g/m2) and permethrin (0.5 g/m2) were characterized using an excito-repellency test system. Both test populations, collected from animal quarters at Ban Pu Teuy, Sai Yok District, Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand, were found completely susceptible to DDT and permethrin. Specimens from 2 test populations quickly escaped from direct contact with treated surfaces from 2 insecticides compared with paired controls. Noncontact repellency response to DDT was significantly pronounced in An. sawadwongporni (P < 0.05) and comparatively weak in An. maculatus, but it was statistically greater than individually paired controls (P < 0.05). We conclude that contact irritancy is a major behavioral response of both field populations when exposed directly to DDT and permethrin, whereas noncontact repellency to DDT also produced a significant escape response in An. sawadwongporni.