Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, VOLUME 120 | 2025
Research Articles

Mosquito-disseminated diflubenzuron and spinosad as alternatives to mosquito-disseminated pyriproxyfen: a proof-of-concept, blind, controlled comparison in experimental cages

Gabriela Brandina Aquino de Abreu1, Ayrton Sena Gouveia1,2,3, Francisco Augusto da Silva Ferreira1, José Joaquín Carvajal-Cortés1, Cláudia Torres Codeço3, Fernando Abad-Franch1,4,+, Sérgio Luiz Bessa Luz1,+

1Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Instituto Leônidas e Maria Deane, Núcleo de Patógenos, Reservatórios e Vetores na Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brasil
2Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Parasitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
3Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Programa de Computação Científica, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
4Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Laboratório de Ecologia de Parasitos e Vetores, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil

DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760250160
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ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND Mosquito-disseminated pyriproxyfen (MD-PPF) is a promising novel tool for urban-mosquito control, yet resistance to PPF (a juvenile-hormone analogue) may arise in exposed mosquito populations. Alternative larvicide/pupicide molecules suitable for mosquito-driven dissemination, but with distinct modes of action, are therefore needed.
OBJECTIVES To provide a proof-of-concept evaluation of mosquito-disseminated diflubenzuron (MD-DFB, a chitin-synthesis inhibitor) and spinosad (MD-SPN, a biological neurotoxin composite) as potential alternatives to MD-PPF.
METHODS We studied Aedes aegypti-driven dissemination in 20 blind, controlled experiments run in 110 × 90 × 30-cm cages. Of primary interest was whether and how (a) mosquito-driven dissemination affected adult-mosquito emergence (1705 larvae in 40 open and 20 closed cups set inside cages; generalised linear mixed models) and (b) exposure to larvicide/pupicide-treated dissemination stations affected adult-female lifespan (400 females released inside cages; proportional-hazards mixed models).
FINDINGS Adult-mosquito emergence was similar across treatments in closed cups. In open cups, average emergence fell from ~90% [95% confidence interval (CI), 84-95%] in control cages to ~30% (20-43%), ~56% (42-69%), and ~75% (63-85%) in, respectively, MD-PPF, MD-DFB, and MD-SPN cages. Exposure to SPN, but not to DFB or PPF, clearly reduced adult-female lifespan (SPN death-hazard ratio 2.4; 1.2-5.0).
CONCLUSION Mosquito-disseminated diflubenzuron holds promise as a potential alternative to MD-PPF; further testing in field settings seems warranted.

key words: mosquito control Aedes insecticide auto-dissemination resistance management
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Financial support: CAPES (finance code 001), FAPEAM (call 04/2022 - Inovação na Amazônia), Ministério da Saúde, Brasil. GBAA and AS contributed equally to this work.
+ Corresponding authors: abadfranch@ufmg.br | ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7715-0328 / sergio.luz@fiocruz.br | ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5887-7372
Received 26 June 2025
Accepted 08 September 2025

HOW TO CITE
de Abreu GBA, Gouveia AS, Ferreira FAS, Carvajal-Cortés JJ, Codeço CT, Abad-Franch F, et al. Mosquito-disseminated diflubenzuron and spinosad as alternatives to mosquito-disseminated pyriproxyfen: a proof-of-concept, blind, controlled comparison in experimental cages. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2025; 120: e250160.

HANDLING EDITOR
Ademir de Jesus Martins Jr. | ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5739-1215

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