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. 2023 Jan 23:56:e0337-2022.
doi: 10.1590/0037-8682-0337-2022. eCollection 2023.

Evaluation of superabsorbent polymer (SAP) in oviposition traps used in the integrated control of Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) (Diptera:Culicidae)

Marylene de Brito Arduino  1 , Ligia Leandro Nunes Serpa  1 , Osias Rangel  2 , Guilherme Vieira Dos Santos  3
Affiliations

Evaluation of superabsorbent polymer (SAP) in oviposition traps used in the integrated control of Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) (Diptera:Culicidae)

Marylene de Brito Arduino et al. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. .

Abstract

Background: Egg collection traps have been studied to assist in the integrated control of arbovirus vectors. Many enhancements have been made over the years.

Methods: This study evaluated the use of a hydrated superabsorbent polymer (SAP) in the egg collection of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in ovitraps. An experiment was conducted in the laboratory to determine the minimum concentration of the product to be used in traps in the field to prevent the development of larvae into adults. In the field, the use of polymers has been evaluated using a traditional model of ovitraps. The positive ovitrap index and mean number of eggs per trap indicator were calculated.

Results: In the laboratory, the larvae did not successfully develop to the adult stage, even at the lowest SAP concentration. In the field, the results showed that ovitraps with SAP proved to be effective for egg collection from both species. It was possible to identify sites with the highest concentration of species and expose the ovitraps for a longer period without larval development.

Conclusions: There is a need for studies on the adequacy of this technology for control programs. However, the results showed that ovitraps with hydrogel were potentiated to capture eggs, configuring themselves as another tool for vector control.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. And that all study procedures were carried out in accordance with research conduct and ethics.

Figures

FIGURE 1:
FIGURE 1:. Green: delimitation of the study area. Red: points where traps were installed. São Sebastião, São Paulo state, Brazil.
FIGURE 2:
FIGURE 2:. Preparation and installation of traps with gel in the field. The product was mixed in water with a spatula until total hydration and hydrogel formation (a-g): installed in a protected site (h): frontal view and top view of the OH (Hydrogel Ovitrap) and OG (Gel Ovitrap) (i-j).
FIGURE 3:
FIGURE 3:. Comparison of exposure time until death of Ae. aegypti larvae at the different SAP concentrations tested in the laboratory. Kruskall Wallis test and Dwass-Steel-Critchlow-Fligner test were used (a): Monthly mean eggs per trap (MET) distribution according to trap type (b): Monthly positive ovitrap index (POI) distribution according to trap type (c): for both Mann-Whitney test was used.
FIGURE 4:
FIGURE 4:. Distribution of trap installation points. Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus clusters (A): Spatial distribution of hotspots of Ae. aegypti collected in the two trap types (B): Spatial distribution of Ae. albopictus hotpots in the OH (Hydrogel Ovitrap) and OG (Gel Ovitrap) (C): City of São Sebastião, São Paulo, January to August 2020.
SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE 1:
SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE 1:. Inspection of the gel in the OHs and OGs under a stereoscopic microscope (a-b): collection of eggs and larvae with a pipette (c-d,f): Egg laid over the gel (e).
SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE 2:
SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE 2:. Percent mortality per larval stage for each Superabsorbent Polymer (SAP) concentration (a): Overall percent larval mortality according to the SAP concentration and number of elapsed experimental days (b): L2, L3, L4: larval stages.
SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE 3:
SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE 3:. Distribution of the residuals in the worm plot as a function of the analysis of mean eggs (A): and positivity (B): of the Hydrogel Ovitrap (OH) trap.
SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE 4:
SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE 4:. Top view of the ovitrap OH (a): and OG (b): Aspects of hydrated SAP in the OHs (a1- a5) and OGs (b1- b5) after exposure in the field.
SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE 5:
SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE 5:. Examination of traps for collecting eggs trapped in hydrogel. Hydrogel Ovitraps-OH (a-d): Eggs that were deposited directly on the gel despite the presence of the wooden paddle. Gel Ovitraps-OGs (e-k): Whole eggs, despite the gel being quite dehydrated due to exposure time. Eggs broken and trapped in the gel, with no live larvae present.
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