PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Shelby Durden
AU  - Anthony Cruz
AU  - Wayne B. Hunter
AU  - Mustapha Debboun
AU  - Dagne Duguma
TI  - Cross-Infectivity of <em>Vorticella</em> across Genera of Mosquitoes for Development of Biological Mosquito Control Strategies
AID  - 10.1101/822536
DP  - 2019 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 822536
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/11/12/822536.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/11/12/822536.full
AB  - Protozoans in general comprise about one-third of the parasitic species infecting arthropod vectors, the role of free-living ciliates on mosquitoes have been insufficiently studied either due to their low pathogenicity or being facultative parasites. Studies have shown that exposure of Paramecium ciliate protists, like Vorticella species, to first instar Cx. nigripalpus larvae delayed larval development and reduced biomass of emerged adults due to competition for food sources like bacteria and other microbes essential to mosquito growth and survival. Thus, we report on the capacity of a Vorticella protozoan’s ability to cross-infect host species and parasitize multiple mosquito larvae. The unique adapted behavior with the ability to remain on the exuviae in tree hole habitats provides a novel delivery system to develop products for target species-specific mosquitocides, larvicides, or viricides to be applied and sustained in aquatic systems.