Indirect effects of cigarette butt waste on the dengue vector Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).
Despite major insecticide-based vector control programs, dengue continues to be a major threat to public health in urban areas. The reasons for this failure include the emergence of insecticide resistance and the narrowing of the spectrum of efficient products. Cigarette butts (CBs), the most commonly discarded piece of waste, also represent a major health hazard to human and animal life. CBs are impregnated with thousands of chemical compounds, many of which are highly toxic and none of which has history of resistance in mosquitoes. This study was performed to examine whether exposure to CB alters various biological parameters of parents and their progeny. We examined whether the mosquito changes its ovipositional behaviors, egg hatching, reproductive capacity, longevity and fecundity in response to CB exposure at three different concentrations. Females tended to prefer microcosms containing CBs for egg deposition than those with water only. There were equivalent rates of eclosion success among larvae from eggs that matured in CB and water environments. We also observed decreased life span among adults that survived CB exposure. Extracts of CB waste have detrimental effects on the fecundity and longevity of its offspring, while being attractive to its gravid females. These results altogether indicate that CB waste indirectly affect key adult life traits of Aedes aegypti and could conceivably be developed as a novel dengue vector control strategy, referring to previously documented direct toxicity on the larval stage. But this will require further research on CB waste effects on non-target organisms including humans.
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. Electronic address: hamachan1@yahoo.com.
Hamady
H
Dieng
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Sudha
S
Rajasaygar
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Abu Hassan
AH
Ahmad
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Che Salmah Md
CS
Rawi
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Hamdan
H
Ahmad
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, Japan.
Tomomitsu
T
Satho
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, Japan.
Fumio
F
Miake
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Wan Fatma
WF
Zuharah
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, Japan.
Yuki
Y
Fukumitsu
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Ahmad Ramli
AR
Saad
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Suhaila
S
Abdul Hamid
Faculty of Tropical, Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Ronald Enrique Morales
RE
Vargas
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Abdul Hafiz
AH
Ab Majid
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Nik
N
Fadzly
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Nur Faeza
NF
Abu Kassim
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Nur Aida
NA
Hashim
Faculty Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangui, Malaysia.
Idris
I
Abd Ghani
Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia.
Fatimah Bt
FB
Abang
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sazaly
S
AbuBakar
D000330:Aedes / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003715:Dengue / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007300:Insect Control / Q000379:methods*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D010058:Oviposition / Q000187:drug effects; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000633:toxicity*
D007306:Insecticides
Aedes aegypti; Cigarette butt extract; Control; Sublethal effects