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African Water Storage Pots for the Delivery of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium anisopliae to the Malaria Vectors Anopheles gambiae s.s. and Anopheles funestus

We studied the use of African water storage pots for point source application of Metarhizium anisopliae against the malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae s.s. and An. funestus. Clay pots were shown to be attractive resting sites for male and female An. gambiae s.s. and were not repellent after impregnation with fungus. M. anisopliae was highly infective and virulent after spray application inside pots. At a dosage of 4 x 10¹⁰ conidia/m², an average of 95 ± 1.2% of An. gambiae s.s. obtained a fungal infection. A lower dosage of 1 x 10¹⁰ conidia/m² infected an average of 91.5 ± 0.6% of An. gambiae s.s. and 91.8 ± 1.2% of An. funestus mosquitoes. Fungal infection significantly reduced mosquito longevity, as shown by differences between survival curves and LT₅₀ values. These pots are suitable for application of entomopathogenic fungi against malaria vectors and their potential for sustainable field implementation is discussed.

Received December 17, 2007. Accepted for publication February 22, 2008.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank Dr. John Gimnig for early discussions on this line of research; Leo Koopman, André Gidding, and Frans van Aggelen for help in rearing the experimental mosquitoes; Frank van Breukelen for providing Metarhizium conidia; Gradus Leenders for developing the spray application apparatus; and Aad van der Munnik (Afrikaad) for providing the authentic Ghanaian water storage pots.

Financial support: This research was supported by the Adessium Foundation (Rotterdam, The Netherlands). MC is supported by the South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation. BGJK is supported by the Dutch Scientific Organization through VIDI Grant 864.03.04.

Disclaimer: Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors, and the NRF and DST do not accept any liability with regard thereto.

^* Address correspondence to Bart G. J. Knols, Laboratory of Entomology, PO Box 8031, 6700 EH, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands. E-mail: bart.knols{at}wur.nl

Authors’ addresses: Marit Farenhorst, Daniela Farina, Willem Takken, and Bart G. J. Knols, Laboratory of Entomology, PO Box 8031, 6700 EH, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands, Tel: 31-0317-485418, Fax: 31-0317-484821, E-mails: marit.farenhorst{at}wur.nl, daniela.farina{at}wur.nl, willem.takken{at}wur.nl, and bart.knols{at}wur.nl. Ernst-Jan Scholte, Plant Protection Service, PO Box 9102, 6700 EH Wageningen, The Netherlands, E-mail: e.j.scholte{at}minlnv.nl. Richard H. Hunt and Maureen Coetzee, Vector Control Reference Unit, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, NHLS, Private Bag X4, Sandringham, Johannesburg 2131, South Africa, E-mail: maureen.coetzee{at}nhls.ac.za.