Innovative Biocontrol Strategies for Anopheline Mosquitoes: Exploring Synergistic Interactions between Bacillus cereus and Enterobacter cloacae
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Date
2025
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Addis Abeba University
Abstract
The impact of anopheline mosquitoes on humans needs no introduction; being vectors of malaria in humans. While the pathogenesis of Plasmodium in the mosquito as an adult has been well documented, not much research has been conducted on the biocontrol on the larval stage of the mosquitoes to hinder the disease’s spread. Current methods to control the anopheline mosquitoes are chemical, using nonspecific insecticides. As such, biocontrol has become a more preferred avenue but a primary concern is the lack of persistence of said biocontrol methods in the administered environments. Ergo, the objective of this study was to evaluate the larvicidal and persistence effects of a combined formulation of the Bacillus cereus and Enterobacter cloacae bacterial species on mosquitoes to cull the Anopheles to prevent them from reaching their adult stage. Co-cultures of the bacteria were prepared and tested on insectarium bred larvae at three different concentrations (5, 7 and 10 mL), with singular bacterial cultures serving as controls. The results were the elimination of first instars or stopping their development entirely. At 7 mL and above, the biofilm produced by the bacteria prevented eggs from hatching and suffocated the young larvae. The persistence of the co-cultures at effective doses also exceeded the previously recorded limit of 14 days for B. cereus, with the upper limit being 27 days (seemingly related to the extent of biofilm expansion in containers). A carefully selected bacterial co-culture is therefore a feasible method of Anopheles biocontrol, with potential applications on targets like Culex and Aedes.
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Keywords
Anopheline mosquitoes, Bacillus cereus, biocontrol persistence, Enterobacter cloacae, larvicide, plasmodium, synergistic interactions