PLOS Science Wednesday: Hi reddit, my name is Natasha and my PLOS NTDS
study investigates how different insecticides impact blood-feeding
behavior of Ae. Aegypti mosquitoes in Puerto Rico – Ask Me Anything!
Abstract
Hi Reddit, My name is Natasha Agramonte and I am a Research Fellow at
the CDC Entomology Branch and a PhD Candidate at the University of
Florida. My research focuses on how insecticide resistance affects
mosquito blood-feeding behavior. I recently published a study titled
‘Pyrethroid resistance alters the blood-feeding behavior in Puerto Rican
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes exposed to treated fabric in PLOS Neglected
Tropical Diseases. Insecticide resistance is a problem in mosquito
control, because it increases disease risk, control costs, and
environmental damage. Using a pyrethroid-susceptible and a
pyrethroid-resistant strain of Ae. aegypti, we observed the
blood-feeding behavior using fabric treated with four distinct but
related insecticides. The results of this study indicated that higher
amounts of pyrethroid chemicals are necessary to reduce blood-feeding
behavior in the resistant Puerto Rican strain of Ae. aegypti, but
interestingly the blood-feeding resistance was different (and lower!)
than when the chemicals were directly applied to the mosquitoes for two
chemicals: permethrin and etofenprox. I look forward to answering any
and all of your mosquito questions at 1pm ET. Ask me Anything! Don’t
forget to follow me on Twitter @mosquito_PhD.