This article is part of the supplement: Development of the sterile insect technique for African malaria vectors .

Review

Colonisation and mass rearing: learning from others

Mark Q Benedict¹ , Bart GJ Knols² , Hervé C Bossin³ , Paul I Howell⁴ , Eric Mialhe⁵ , Carlos Caceres⁶ and Alan S Robinson¹

¹  Entomology Unit, FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, IAEA Laboratories, A-2444 Seibersdorf, Austria

²  Div. Infectious Diseases, Tropical Medicine & AIDS, Academic Medical Center, F4-217, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands and K&S Consulting, Kalkestraat 20, 6669 CP Dodewaard, The Netherlands

³  Institut Louis Malardé, BP 30, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti - Polynésie Française

⁴  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Atlanta Research and Education Foundation, 4770 Buford Hwy, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA

⁵  Concepto azul S.A. and Univ. Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador

⁶  USDA - APHIS, 12 Av. 4-65 Zona 10, Guatemala City, Guatemala, 01010

author email corresponding author email

Malaria Journal 2009, 8(Suppl 2):S4doi:10.1186/1475-2875-8-S2-S4

Published:	16 November 2009

Abstract

Mosquitoes, just as other insects produced for the sterile insect technique (SIT), are subjected to several unnatural processes including laboratory colonisation and large-scale factory production. After these processes, sterile male mosquitoes must perform the natural task of locating and mating with wild females. Therefore, the colonisation and production processes must preserve characters necessary for these functions. Fortunately, in contrast to natural selection which favours a suite of characteristics that improve overall fitness, colonisation and production practices for SIT strive to maximize only the few qualities that are necessary to effectively control populations.

However, there is considerable uncertainty about some of the appropriate characteristics due to the lack of data. Development of biological products for other applications suggest that it is possible to identify and modify competitiveness characteristics in order to produce competitive mass produced sterile mosquitoes. This goal has been pursued - and sometimes achieved - by mosquito colonisation, production, and studies that have linked these characteristics to field performance. Parallels are drawn to studies in other insect SIT programmes and aquaculture which serve as vital technical reference points for mass-production of mosquitoes, most of whose development occurs - and characteristics of which are determined - in an aquatic environment. Poorly understood areas that require further study are numerous: diet, mass handling and genetic and physiological factors that influence mating competitiveness. Compromises in such traits due to demands to increase numbers or reduce costs, should be carefully considered in light of the desired field performance.