Construction of a genetic sexing strain for Aedes albopictus: a promising tool for the development of sterilizing insect control strategies targeting the tiger mosquito

Cyrille Lebon (1) , Aude Benlali (1, 2) , Célestine Atyame Nten (3) , Patrick Mavingui (3, 2, 4) , Pablo Tortosa (3, 2)

1 CYROI - Cyclotron Réunion Océan Indien
2 SymbioTIC
3 PIMIT - Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical
4 LEM - Laboratoire d'Ecologie Microbienne - UMR 5557

Background: Aedes albopictus is an invasive mosquito species of global medical concern as its distribution has recently expanded to Africa, the Americas and Europe. In the absence of prophylaxis protecting human populations from emerging arboviruses transmitted by this mosquito species, the most straightforward control measures rely on the suppression or manipulation of vector natural populations. A number of environmental-friendly methods using mass releases of sterilizing males are currently under development. However, these strategies are still lacking an efficient sexing method required for production of males at an industrial scale.

Mots clés: Sterile Insect Technique; Aedes albopictus; Genetic Sexing Strain; sex separation; Incompatible Insect Technique

Domaines: Génétique animale; Evolution [q-bio.PE]; Santé publique et épidémiologie

Cyrille Lebon, Aude Benlali, Célestine Atyame Nten, Patrick Mavingui, Pablo Tortosa. Construction of a genetic sexing strain for Aedes albopictus: a promising tool for the development of sterilizing insect control strategies targeting the tiger mosquito. Parasites & Vectors, 2018, 11 (S2), pp.658. ⟨10.1186/s13071-018-3212-y⟩. ⟨hal-02141683⟩