D3183: Evaluation of non-live formulation of Chromobacterium sp. Panama (Csp-P) with an attractive sugar bait for the control of malaria vector mosquitoes

Malaria transmitted by Anopheline mosquitoes remains the most devastating vector borne disease globally. Vector control is considered as the most effective method to curb the spread of malaria. Conventional chemical insecticides are widely used for the control of mosquito population. However, due the emergence of insecticide resistance, off-target effects, and environmental concerns, alternative methods for mosquito control are needed. A natural biological insecticide that can be delivered only to its target insect would be an ideal strategy to overcome the disadvantages of current chemical insecticides. Attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) is an environmentally friendly and a highly mosquito target specific method designed to minimize the spread of insecticides in the environment. Our previous studies have shown that Chromobacterium sp. Panama (Csp-P), a soil bacterium, has both adulticidal and larvicidal activity against multiple mosquito species. In this study we formulated and evaluated a non-live preparation of a Csp-P to be delivered to mosquitoes through a proprietary sugar attractant (Westham CO). This proprietary sugar bait is specifically formulated to attract mosquitoes only and together with the feeding apparatus other non-target insects are not affected. Our results show the new Csp-P formulation combined with the sugar bait is highly attractive and efficiently kills Anopheline mosquitoes in a laboratory setting making an ideal ATSB. The Csp-P ATSB is currently being evaluated against indigenous Anopheles species in Burkina Faso. Overall, Csp-P ATSB has the potential to be developed and deployed as a novel mosquito control method on a larger scale.