Alternative control of Aedes aegypti resistant to pyrethroids: lethal and sublethal effects of monoterpenes bioinsecticides

Abstract

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is intensely controlled because it is vector of viruses that cause innumerous diseases, especially in tropical regions. Due to the indiscriminate use of insecticides, populations from different regions have been resistant to pyrethroids. Here, we analyzed the lethal and sublethal effects of essential oil of Aristolochia trilobata and its major compounds on A. aegypti from susceptible and pyrethroid resistant populations. Our results showed that the toxicity and behavioral changes to different compounds are dependent of the stage of the insect life cycle. The monoterpene ρ-cymene caused high mortality in both larvae and adult females of A. aegypti, including those from the pyrethroid resistant population. The monoterpenes limonene and linalool caused a sublethal effect in the larvae triggering changes in the swimming pattern. This study highlights the potential of the essential oil of A. trilobata, ρ-cymene and limonene to the control of A. aegypti and reveals the importance of analyzing the sublethal effects for the population dynamics of the A. aegypti mosquito.