title: Carbon dioxide generated from carbonates and acids for sampling blood-feeding arthropods.
abstract: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is utilized to attract mosquitoes and other blood-feeding arthropods to traps around the world. Commercial forms of CO2 (e.g., dry ice and compressed gas) are often unavailable or extremely expensive in developing nations, where vector surveillance is essential to make life-saving decisions. We developed and tested inexpensive and reproducible methods of CO2 production from the combination of acids and carbonates, ranging from very basic (crushed seashells and vinegar) to relatively elaborate (a device that controls the timing of the acid-carbonate reaction and extends the reaction over several hours). When utilized with mosquito traps in Florida, USA and black fly traps in Region des Cascades, Burkina Faso, these carbonate-acid CO2 sources attracted significantly greater numbers of both vector groups, than did unbaited traps. CO2 was generated for more than four hours at levels sufficient to attract vectors over the entire period. The utility of this simple methodology in developing nations should be further evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, 200 9th St. SE, Vero Beach, FL 32962, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Burkett-Cadena
authors.affiliation: Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, 200 9th St. SE, Vero Beach, FL 32962, USA.
authors.forename: Erik M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Blosser
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., BSF 358, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control, World Health Organization, 1473 Avenue Naba Zombre, 01 BP 549, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: Laurent D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Toé
authors.affiliation: Global Health Infectious Disease Research Program, Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Blvd., Suite 304, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Unnasch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods; D002050:Burkina Faso; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D002254:Carbonates; D009033:Culicidae; D005431:Florida; D007303:Insect Vectors; D012843:Simuliidae
chemical_list: D002254:Carbonates; D002245:Carbon Dioxide
keywords: Arthropod vectors; Blackfly; Carbon dioxide; Mosquito; Surveillance