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. 2017 Nov 13;10(1):569.
doi: 10.1186/s13071-017-2511-z.

Establishment of a medium-scale mosquito facility: optimization of the larval mass-rearing unit for Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Dongjing Zhang  1   2   3   4 , Meichun Zhang  4 , Yu Wu  1   2   3   4 , Jeremie R L Gilles  5 , Hanano Yamada  5 , Zhongdao Wu  1   2   3 , Zhiyong Xi  4   6 , Xiaoying Zheng  7   8   9   10
Affiliations

Establishment of a medium-scale mosquito facility: optimization of the larval mass-rearing unit for Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Dongjing Zhang et al. Parasit Vectors. .

Abstract

Background: Standardized larval rearing units for mosquito production are essential for the establishment of a mass-rearing facility. Two larval rearing units, developed respectively by the Guangzhou Wolbaki Biotech Co. Ltd. (Wolbaki) and Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture (FAO/IAEA-IPCL), are tested to assess their potential uses to mass-rear the larval stages of Aedes albopictus in support of the establishment of a medium-scale mosquito facility for the application of mosquito genetic control strategies.

Methods: The triple Wolbachia-infected Ae. albopictus strain (HC strain) was used in this study. The effects of larval densities of two larval rearing trays (corresponding to 2.4, 3.0 and 3.6 larvae/cm2) and tray size/position (top, middle and bottom layers) on the pupae production and larval survival were assessed when trays were stacked within the larval rearing units. The male pupae production, female pupae contamination after sex separation, and male mating competitiveness were also studied by using both larval rearing units in their entirety.

Results: The optimal larval rearing density for Wolbaki-tray (Wol-tray) was 6,600 larvae (equal to 3.0 larvae/cm2) and 18,000 larvae (3.6 larvae/cm2) for the FAO/IAEA-IPCL tray (IAEA-tray). No significant difference in pupae production was observed when trays were stacked within top, middle or bottom layers for both units. At thirty-four hours after the first pupation, the average male pupae production was (0.89 × 105) for the Wol-unit and (3.16 × 105) for the IAEA-unit. No significant difference was observed in female pupae contamination between these two units. The HC males showed equal male mating competitiveness to wild type males for mating with wild type females in large cages, regardless of whether they were reared in the Wol-unit or IAEA-unit.

Conclusions: The current study has indicated that both the Wol-unit and IAEA-unit are suitable for larvae mass-rearing for Ae. albopictus. However, the IAEA-unit, with higher male production and less space required compared to the Wol-unit, is recommended to be used in support of the establishment of a medium-sized mosquito facility.

Keywords: Aedes albopictus; Larval rearing units; Mass-rearing; Mosquito facility.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Research on mosquitoes (Ae. albopictus) does not require a specific permit in Guangzhou, China. All the experiments were performed based on standard operating procedures in the Sun Yat-sen University - Michigan State University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Diseases, Guangzhou, China. The blood used for routine blood-feeding of mosquitoes was bought from Weilai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China during routine slaughtering of sheep or goats in a nationally authorized abattoir according to the highest possible standards and strictly following Chinese laws and regulations.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Larval mass-rearing tray and unit. a Wolbaki larval rearing tray (inner surface ≈ 2200 cm2). b IAEA larval rearing tray (inner surface ≈ 5000 cm2). c Wolbaki larval rearing unit with 40 trays (1.85 m height). d IAEA larval rearing unit with 50 trays (2.10 m height)
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