Mosquito-borne diseases, their impacts and mosquito vector control methods - A review

Abstract

Vector borne diseases are increasing nowadays and can spread to new locations easily. Diseases like zika virus fever, West Nile fever, malaria, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, dengue, etc. are examples of mosquito-borne diseases. These diseases are majorly caused by three species of mosquitoes Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex. Most mosquito vector control methods depend upon outdoor spraying, impregnated nets, or indoor residual spraying of chemical insecticides and it was observed that many mosquito species evolved resistance to major pesticide classes. The disadvantages of using chemical pesticides are the development of resistance in mosquitoes and also the harm it causes to other non-target organisms, in addition to the higher cost, more labor, and other drawbacks. Using DEET is also not as preferable as it can induce muscle twitching, seizures, slurred speech, nausea, and rashes. DEET will not give long-term protection against all malaria-causing mosquito species, such as Anopheles. Whereas biocontrol agents used for mosquito control show no environmental pollution or resistance. Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis and Bacillus sphaericus biopesticides tend to remain longer in the environment, particularly in dirty water, and hence may be a viable choice for long-term mosquito control. They have the least adverse effect on living things like humans, domestic animals, and wildlife.