Several phenylpyrazole derivatives are selective inhibitors of chloride channel activities in insects. In this chemical family, fipronil is a powerful insecticide now widely used for several purposes. The dissipation of this molecule in a simplified aquatic ecosystem has been studied for 3 months, using (14)C-labeled fipronil. The main features of the complex process leading to fipronil transformation in this system were the following. The fipronil aqueous solution was submitted to two chemical transformations: the photodependent desulfuration of the side chain bound to the 4-position of the heterocyclic ring and the chemical hydrolysis of the nitrile function bound to the 3-position. Fipronil, rapidly transferred from the water solution to the organic matter, was protected from the previously mentioned chemical transformations but evolved to give two main metabolites, which were either reduced or oxidized in the side chain on the 4-position. These derivatives were powerful insecticides as shown by LC(50) measurements on Aedes aegypti larvae (LC(50) for CF(3)-S-R and CF(3)-SO(2)-R = 8.8 nM). During the course of this experiment, nitrile hydrolysis took place slowly, originating either from the chemical hydrolysis in the aqueous solution or from enzymatic hydrolysis inside the microbial biomass. The fipronil-amide (3-NH(2)-CO-R') derivative, although much more polar than fipronil itself, was mostly bound to the organic matter. Other more polar derivatives were also detected but in very small amounts. No (14)CO emission was observed during the experiment.
BackgroundThe detrimental effects of chemical insecticides on the environment and human health have lead to the call for biological alternatives. Today, one of the most promising solutions is the use of spray formulations based on Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) in insect control programs. As a result, the amounts of Bti spread in the environment are expected to increase worldwide, whilst the common belief that commercial Bti is easily cleared from the ecosystem has not yet been clearly established.Methodology/Main FindingsIn this study, we aimed to determine the nature and origin of the high toxicity toward mosquito larvae found in decaying leaf litter collected in several natural mosquito breeding sites in the Rhône-Alpes region. From the toxic fraction of the leaf litter, we isolated B. cereus-like bacteria that were further characterized as B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis using PCR amplification of specific toxin genes. Immunological analysis of these Bti strains showed that they belong to the H14 group. We finally used amplified length polymorphism (AFLP) markers to show that the strains isolated from the leaf litter were closely related to those present in the commercial insecticide used for field application, and differed from natural worldwide genotypes.Conclusions/SignificanceOur results raise the issue of the persistence, potential proliferation and environmental accumulation of human-spread Bti in natural mosquito habitats. Such Bti environmental persistence may lengthen the exposure time of insects to this bio-insecticide, thereby increasing the risk of resistance acquisition in target insects, and of a negative impact on non-target insects.
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