Facilitating Registration of Pest Management Technology for Specialty Crops and Specialty Uses

Project Director
Pietrantonio, PA, V..

Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001

Performing Department
Entomology

Non Technical Summary
Insecticide resistance in mosquitoes and acaricide resistance in ticks are a constant threat to public and animal health. The project consists in finding novel protein targets in these pests that can be interfered with to cause dead or complete impairement of biting by mosquitoes and ticks. Small molecules or peptidomimetics found could also lead to novel discoveries in mosquito and tick physiology.

Animal Health Component

50%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

50%

Applied

50%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
312	5220	1130	100%

Knowledge Area
312 - External Parasites and Pests of Animals;

Subject Of Investigation
5220 - Pesticides;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;

Keywords

Goals / Objectives
<b>Public Health Pesticides:</b> Provide assistance in the development/registration of pesticides and for use in controlling arthropod pests that transmit diseases to humans and minor animal species. IR-4’s activities target mosquitoes, ticks, sand flies, etc. that impact human health through vectoring diseases (e.g. West Nile virus, Lyme disease, malaria, dengue). IR-4 works with Department of Defense (DoD) and ARS to get the products registered through EPA. Specifically IR-4 will identify and assist in the evaluation of underutilized pesticides with vector control relevance, will evaluate novel products and technology developed for registration feasibility and regulatory data needs, will provide regulatory consulting services for public sector collaborators leading towards EPA registrations and will collaborate with international to facilitate global development of new technology.

Project Methods
Highthroughput screening is performed with fluorescence assays in 384-well plates. Sugar feeding assays are performed with capilaries and will soon be done by highthrouput with a new device.

Progress 03/03/20 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:This project included the development of insecticides for public health and out target audience was the community of public health practicioners and the pesticide industry. Changes/Problems:COVID regulations and TAMU travel directives prevented some trips to Harris County and the opportunities to further dissemination in person. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided the PD with opportunities to renew sophisticated capital equipment in the laboratory, The students acquire hands-on experience in molecular techniques and also interacted with practitioners of public health through both CDC meetings and visits to Harris County Public Health and Mosquito Vector Control. They interact and collaborate with Dr. C. Fredregill, Director and M. Vigilant in field operations for mosquito control. Students gained understanding of statistical designed of field cage tests assays and data analyses that can be applied to the use of novel chemistries for vector control. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been published in a PloS Negl. Trop. Diseases paper by Lee et al. 2020. This project was also disseminated through the Western Gulf Center of Excellence in Vector Borne Diseases, Project 1: Impact of Insecticide Resistance on Vector Control Project Leaders: Patricia Pietrantonio and Michel Slotman (Texas A&M AgriLife Research) https://www.utmb.edu/wgcvbd/meetings/2020-annual-progress-meeting What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This is a final report.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Two PhD graduate students are working in aspects of Insecticide Resistance Management in mosquitoes in Harris County, TX, under the Western Gulf Center of Excellence in Vector Borne diseases. They investigated the population frequency of kdr mutations in females of the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. Studies revealed a high frequency of kdr mutants. These data are relevant to the future use of pyrethroids or registration of similarly based pyrethroid based insecticides and suggests that other modes of action may be required to control these populations. The high frequency of pyrethroid-resistance mutations indicates a fragile situation for vector control in Harris County wihich includes Houston, the most populous city in the subtropical USA.

Publications