BTI- Bt-based Biopesticide for Mosquito Control

BT-BASED BIOPESTICIDE FOR CONTROL OF MOSQUITOES

Mosquitoes are responsible for causing more human suffering than any other animal. There are approximately 3000 species of mosquitoes worldwide. About 150 of them reside in the United States . Mosquitoes are one of the most efficient vectors for human and animal pathogens and are responsible for transmitting more than 100 such pathogens that cause protozoan diseases such as malaria , filarial diseases such as heartworm and viral diseases such as yellow fever, dengue fever and encephalitis. The number of people throughout the world affected by these diseases is staggering. Each year there are 300-500 million cases of malaria reported, resulting in 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths. Together with AIDS, malaria is one of the principal causes of mortality in the populations of Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

The three major mosquito vectors are Culex pipiens , Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae . Culex pipiens transmits West Nile fever , lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) and St. Louis encephalitis . Aedes aegypti is the primary carrier of viruses that cause dengue fever , chikungunya fever and yellow fever and is a potential carrier of dog heartworm . Anopheles gambiae is the principal vector for malaria.

Mosquitoes must have water to breed and, therefore, both biological and chemical measures are used to kill immature mosquitoes during larval stages. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)-based larvicides target larvae in their breeding habitat before they can mature into adult mosquitoes and disperse. Bt-based larvicides have distinct advantages over chemicals, such as the insect growth inhibitor methoprene and the organophosphate temephos, because they are nontoxic to humans and pose no risks to wildlife, non-target species and the environment.

Biological Targets, Inc. (BTI) owns a recently discovered strain of Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt) that efficiently kills all three of these mosquitoes. Indeed, the new strain is dramatically more potent and much faster acting than any other strain of Bt currently used in commercial vector control products. Operations are underway to obtain EPA registration for a larvicide formulation based on BTI’s new proprietary Bt strain.