Suppression of the invasive disease vector, Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), using inundative releases of cytoplasmically incompatible males

The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is an invasive species and public health concern due to its ability to transmit medically important pathogens (e.g., dengue, chikungunya) and aggressive day-biting behavior.  Despite intensive use of pesticides to manage this species, it has colonized much of the U.S.A., and in recent years its range has expanded to include California and New York.  A proposed autocidal approach for its control is based on Wolbachia, an endosymbiotic bacteria that is common in many insect species. Similar to sterile insect technique, the Wolbachia approach is based on the release of Wolbachia infected males, which cause a form of conditional sterility in the targeted populations.  On July 26, 2013, an EPA Experimental Use Permit (No. 89668-EUP-1) was awarded to conduct field performance testing of this approach for the Asian tiger mosquito in the continental USA.  Presented here, are preliminary tests used to examine for Wolbachia infected male Ae. albopictus performance under field conditions. Specifically, we tested for longevity and dispersal of released males using Mark Release Recapture (MRR) experiments in infested neighborhoods of Lexington, KY.