Effects of 3-phenoxybenzoic acid on fitness and gene expression in Aedes aegypti

• Grant number: 20/05358-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2020
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology
• Principal Investigator: Jayme Augusto de Souza-Neto
• Grantee: Mariana Bueno Domingues
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the main vector of several arboviruses, such as yellow fever (YFV), Zika (ZKV), Chikungunya (CHKV) and dengue (DENV) and, despite the efforts in the combat of this vector, it is still present and with high potential for transmission of arboviruses in Brazil, constituting one of the main national public health problems. Although there is currently a vaccine for dengue, it has been shown to be inefficient to contain the spread of the virus. The main control methods of Ae. aegypti are mechanical, biological and chemical methods. Chemical control is done mainly through pyrethroid insecticides, which, when photodegraded in the environment or metabolized by mammals, form 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA). This compound is related to the resurgence of mites and increased expression of a gene from the cytochrome P450 family associated with metabolic resistance to pyrethroid insecticides in Aedes aegypti. 3-PBA was found in humans in urine and may be present on hard urban surfaces and in water, which suggests a possible contact between the mosquito and considerable concentrations of the compound in all environments and organisms that have had contact with insecticides pyrethroids. This study will evaluate the effects of 3-PBA on the expression of genes related to pyrethroid resistance, reproduction, development and hormonal synthesis, in addition to evaluating the effects of this compound on mosquito fitness through the analysis of aspects such as: mosquito longevity, oviposition, egg viability and larval development.