Biological Control of Arbovirus Vectors

Biological control methods have been used against arbovirus vectors, in particular mosquitoes, to help prevent the transmission of diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. Biocontrol is can be an attractive alternative to more conventional vector control strategies that involve insecticides due to its potential to have minimal impact on the environment. Numerous methods have been employed against field mosquito populations including natural mosquito predators such as Toxorhynchites mosquitoes, copepods and fish. Pathogenic bacteria, viruses and fungi have been proposed or used as mechanisms to control vector mosquitoes by having species-specific lethal effects on target populations. Several extracellular mosquito symbionts: midgut Asaia bacteria, midgut bacteria and yeast also have the potential to be used to inhibit arboviral replication in mosquitoes. Significant advances have recently been made in using the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia to reduce the vector competence of mosquitoes that transmit arboviruses. In this chapter, we outline the various biocontrol strategies that have been proposed for insect vectors and the current status of research examining their implementation.