Effective bioinsecticide against Aedes aegypti was introduced in Entomology Congress

Brazil Embrapa has introduced during the Brazilian Entomology Congress and the Latin American Entomology Congress, which started on March 13th and ended on March 17th, in the Brazilian city of Maceió, the new generation of bioinsecticide that can kill the larvae of Aedes aegypti mosquito – which transmits dengue, the Chikungunya fever and Zika – without hurting the health of humans and the domestic animals.

Rose Monnerat, researcher at the Biological Control area of Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (Brasilia, DF), is one of the developers of the bioinsecticide Inova-Bti in partnership with the Mato Grosso Institute of Cotton. She will spoke about the research that generated the bioinsecticide. It caused death of only the larvae, not the adult mosquitoes, and it is not toxic to humans nor pets. Besides, it is easy to apply and can be managed by people. The Inova-Bti is a liquid that can be added in any place that accumulates water or has the potential to be a breeding of the Aedes aegypti.

All of the laboratory and effective tests were concluded by Embrapa. But, before being sold, the product should be registered with the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).

It is the second biological insecticide developed by Embrapa with the goal of combating mosquito larvae. Since 2005 Bt-horus is available in the market, made in partnership with Bthek Biotecnologia. But it is not produced in large scale in the country.

Monnerat explains that two larvicides are biological, do not affect the environment nor put at risk the human health. However, the new product, Inova-Bti, was formulated with modern adjuvants with high efficiency.

“The formulation is a little different from the first bioinsecticide, but both have the same principles and are excellent products,” highlights Monnerat. “The toxicological tests of Inova-Bti are under final stages and then we will submit a dossier with all documents to Anvisa”.

In February, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply, Kátia Abreu, defended the use of biological insecticides in the control of Aedes aegypti and strengthened the actions to combat Zika virus.

Production

The bt-horis was used in the cities of Três Lagoas (Mato Grosso do Sul), São Sebastião (Federal District), Rio das Ostras (Rio de Janeiro) and Sorriso (Mato Grosso), always with positive results. Insecticides based on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bti) are used for decades in countries like the United States.

According to the researcher, the Mato Grosso Institute of Cotton has the capacity to produce 1,600 liters of Inova-Bti in one week, as long as the registration is granted. The recommendation is that each family uses a bottle of 30 ml. Therefore, it is estimated that nearly 53,000 residencies can be attended this week. Monnerat predicts that, with the growing demand for the bioinsecticide, there is the possibility that the production can be doubled in a short time.