El Salvador successfully demonstrated the sterile insect technique by eliminating a malaria-causing mosquito from a region for a period of time.

Sterile insect technique is a method of biological control, whereby millions of sterile insects are released. The released insects are normally male as it is the female that causes the damage, usually by laying eggs in the crop, or, in the case of mosquitoes, taking a bloodmeal from humans. The sterile males compete with the wild males for female insects. If a female mates with a sterile male then it will have no offspring, thus the next generation's population is reduced. Repeated release of insects can eventually wipe out a population, though it is often more useful to consider controlling the population rather than eradicating it. Anopheles gambiae mosquito a PD image courtesy of The Public Health Image Library http://phil. ... Anopheles gambiae mosquito a PD image courtesy of The Public Health Image Library http://phil. ... Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. ... Diversity 41 genera Genera See text. ... Biological control of pests and diseases Overview A key belief of the organic gardener is that diversity furthers health. ... Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a man or a woman to contribute to conception. ... Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Monura - extinct Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (may be paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Diaphanopterodea - extinct Protodonata - extinct Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Caloneurodea - extinct Titanoptera - extinct Protorthoptera - extinct Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera... The shield and spear of the Roman god Mars, which is also the alchemical symbol for iron, represents the male sex. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The technique has successfully been used to eradicate the Screwworm fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax) in areas of North America. There have also been many successes in controlling species of fruit flies, most particularly the Medfly (Ceratitis capitata). Binomial name Cochliomyia hominovorax (Coquerel, 1858) Cochliomyia hominivorax, the New World screw-worm fly, or screw-worm for short, is a species of parasitic fly that is famous for the way in which its larvae (maggots) eat the living tissue of warm-blooded animals. ... Suborders Nematocera (includes Eudiptera) Brachycera Wikispecies has information related to: Diptera True flies are insects of the Order Diptera (Greek: di = two, and pteron = wing), possessing a single pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax. ... Genera 500 genera & about 5,000 species Tephritidae is a family of insects that includes fruit flies. ...

Insects are mostly sterilized with radiation, which can weaken the newly sterilized insects making them less able to compete with wild males. However, other sterilization techniques in fact boost the insects' ability to mate. Radiation hazard symbol. ...

The technique was pioneered in the 1950s by American entomologists Dr. Raymond C. Bushland and Dr. Edward F. Knipling. For their achievement, they jointly received the 1992 World Food Prize. Dr. Raymond C. Bushland was an American entomologist. ... Dr. Edward F. Knipling (March 20, 1909 - March 17, 2000) is an American entomologist who, along with his longtime colleague Dr. Raymond C. Bushland, received the 1992 World Food Prize for their collaborative achievements in developing the Sterile insect technique for eradicating or suppressing the threat posed by pests to... The World Food Prize is an international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. ...

Development of the sterile insect technique

Raymond Bushland and Edward Knipling first developed the technique to eliminate screwworms preying on warm-blooded animals, especially cattle herds. With larvae that invade open wounds and eat into animal flesh, the flies were capable of killing cattle within 10 days of infection. In the 1950s, screwworms caused annual losses to American meat and dairy supplies that were projected at above $200 million. Screwworm maggots are also known to parasitize human flesh. Dr. Raymond C. Bushland was an American entomologist. ... Dr. Edward F. Knipling (March 20, 1909 - March 17, 2000) is an American entomologist who, along with his longtime colleague Dr. Raymond C. Bushland, received the 1992 World Food Prize for their collaborative achievements in developing the Sterile insect technique for eradicating or suppressing the threat posed by pests to... Binomial name Cochliomyia hominovorax (Coquerel, 1858) Cochliomyia hominivorax, the New World screw-worm fly, or screw-worm for short, is a species of parasitic fly that is famous for the way in which its larvae (maggots) eat the living tissue of warm-blooded animals. ...

The quest of Bushland and Knipling to find an alternative to chemical pesticides in controlling the devastation wrought by these insects began in the late 1930s when both scientists were working at the United States Department of Agriculture Laboratory in Menard, Texas. At that time, the screwworm was decimating livestock herds across the American South. Red meat and dairy supplies were also affected across Mexico, Central America, and South America. Dr. Raymond C. Bushland was an American entomologist. ... Dr. Edward F. Knipling (March 20, 1909 - March 17, 2000) is an American entomologist who, along with his longtime colleague Dr. Raymond C. Bushland, received the 1992 World Food Prize for their collaborative achievements in developing the Sterile insect technique for eradicating or suppressing the threat posed by pests to... The U.S. Department of Agriculture, also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA, is a Cabinet department of the United States Federal Government. ... Menard is the name of several places in the United States: Menard, Texas Menard County, Illinois Menard County, Texas There is also: Menards, a home improvement store chain in the American Midwest Menard Press, a small press publisher John Menard, Jr. ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ...

While Bushland initially researched chemical treatment of screwworm-infested wounds in cattle, Knipling developed the theory of autocidal control – breaking the life cycle of the pest itself. Bushland's enthusiasm for Knipling's theory sparked both men to intensify the search for a way to rear large numbers of flies in a "factory" setting, and most important, to find an effective way to sterilize flies. Dr. Raymond C. Bushland was an American entomologist. ... Dr. Edward F. Knipling (March 20, 1909 - March 17, 2000) is an American entomologist who, along with his longtime colleague Dr. Raymond C. Bushland, received the 1992 World Food Prize for their collaborative achievements in developing the Sterile insect technique for eradicating or suppressing the threat posed by pests to... Dr. Raymond C. Bushland was an American entomologist. ... Dr. Edward F. Knipling (March 20, 1909 - March 17, 2000) is an American entomologist who, along with his longtime colleague Dr. Raymond C. Bushland, received the 1992 World Food Prize for their collaborative achievements in developing the Sterile insect technique for eradicating or suppressing the threat posed by pests to...

Their work in this area was interrupted by World War II, but Drs. Bushland and Knipling resumed their efforts in the early 1950s with their successful tests on the screwworm population of Sanibel Island, Florida. The sterile insect technique worked; near eradication was achieved using x-ray sterilized flies. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... J. N. Ding Darling reserve Sanibel Island is an island located on the Gulf coast of Florida, just offshore of Fort Myers. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ...

In 1954, the technique was used to completely eradicate screwworms from the 176-square-mile island of Curaçao, off the coast of Venezuela. Screwworms were eliminated in a span of only seven weeks, saving the domestic goat herds that were a source of meat and milk for the island people. For other uses, see Curaçao (disambiguation). ...

During the 1960s and 1970s, SIT was used to control the screwworm population in the United States. The 1980s saw Mexico and Belize eliminate their screwworm problems through the use of SIT, and eradication programs have progressed through all of Central America, with a biological barrier having been established in Panama to prevent reinfestation from the south. In 1991, Knipling and Bushland's technique halted a serious outbreak in northern Africa. Similar programs against the Mediterranean fruit fly in Mexico and California use the same principles. In addition, the technique was used to eradicate the melon fly from Okinawa and has been used in the fight against the tsetse fly in Africa.

The technique has been able to suppress insects threatening livestock, fruit, vegetable, and fiber crops. The technique has also been lauded for its many environmentally sound attributes: it uses no chemicals, leaves no residues, and has no effect on non-target species.

Proven effective in controlling outbreaks of a wide range of insect pests throughout the world, the technique has been a boon in protecting the agricultural products to feed the world’s human population. Both Bushland and Knipling received worldwide recognition for their leadership and scientific achievements, including the World Food Prize. Their research and the resulting Sterile Insect Technique were hailed by former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman as "the greatest entomological achievement of (the 20th) century." Dr. Raymond C. Bushland was an American entomologist. ... Dr. Edward F. Knipling (March 20, 1909 - March 17, 2000) is an American entomologist who, along with his longtime colleague Dr. Raymond C. Bushland, received the 1992 World Food Prize for their collaborative achievements in developing the Sterile insect technique for eradicating or suppressing the threat posed by pests to... The World Food Prize is an international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. ...

Sterile atomic fly

The sterile atomic fly is an innovative solution to the problem of sleeping sickness, and is being developed by the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency, building on their experience of similar programs over past decades against the fruit fly in Australia and Africa. Sleeping sickness or African trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease in people and animals, caused by protozoa of genus Trypanosoma and transmitted by the tsetse fly. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957. ... Genera 500 genera & about 5,000 species Tephritidae is a family of insects that includes fruit flies. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

Sleeping sickness or African trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease in humans. Caused by protozoa of genus Trypanosoma and transmitted by the Tsetse fly, the disease is endemic in certain regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, covering about 36 countries and 60 million people. It is estimated that 300,000 - 500,000 people are infected, and about 40,000 die every year. Three major epidemics have occurred in the past hundred years, in 1896 - 1906, 1920, and 1970. A parasite is an organism that lives in or on the living tissue of a host organism at the expense of it. ... The term disease refers to an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs function. ... Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin: wise man or knowing man) in the family Hominidae (the great apes). ... Wikisource has an original article from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica about: Protozoa Protozoa (in Greek proto = first and zoa = animals) are single-celled eukaryotes (organisms whose cells have nuclei) that commonly show characteristics usually associated with animals, most notably mobility and heterotrophy. ... Trypanosoma is a notable genus of trypanosomes, a monophyletic[1] group of unicellular parasitic protozoa. ... Binomial name Glossina morsitans The tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans, is a fly (order Diptera) that eats blood from animals, including humans. ... A political map showing national divisions in relation to deonte Shepard Club Of America Free burgers for new members the ecological break (Sub-Saharan Africa in green) A geographical map of Africa, showing the ecological break that defines the sub-Saharan area Sub-Saharan Africa is the term used to... In epidemiology, an epidemic (from [[Latin language] epi- upon + demos people) is a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected, based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during... Year 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar). ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Studies of the tsetse fly show that females generally only mate once in their lifetimes and very rarely mate a second time. Once a female fly has mated, she can then produce continual offspring throughout her short life.

Using this information, the International Atomic Energy Agency has developed a process of irradiating male Tsetse flies that have been specially bred. This process of irradiation sterilizes the male. These sterilized male flies are then released into areas where sleeping sickness is prevalent, and then mate with the females. Because the male is sterile, and the females mate only once, the population of Tsetse flies in the affected area will drop. Studies have shown that this process has been very effective in preventing Sleeping sickness in people who live in the area. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957. ... Irradiation is the process by which an item is exposed to radiation. ...

Since sleeping sickness is fatal without treatment and infected people can be without symptoms for months, the release of sterile atomic flies into affected areas leads to greater levels of health and economic activity.

Success stories

• Screwworm fly - Eradicated from the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and most of Panama.
• Medfly Ceratitis capitata - successful control in Israel, California, Central America etc.

Binomial name Cochliomyia hominovorax (Coquerel, 1858) Cochliomyia hominivorax, the New World screw-worm fly, or screw-worm for short, is a species of parasitic fly that is famous for the way in which its larvae (maggots) eat the living tissue of warm-blooded animals. ... Genera 500 genera & about 5,000 species Tephritidae is a family of insects that includes fruit flies. ...

Current Targets

• Anopheles mosquito - Malaria vector
• Tsetse fly (Glossina spp) - sleeping sickness vector.
• Painted Apple Moth (Lep: Lymantriidae) in Auckland, New Zealand
• Aedes mosquitoes, vectors for filariasis, Dengue and yellow fever

Some Species Anopheles atroparvus Anopheles beklemishevi Anopheles coustani Anopheles crypticus Anopheles culicifacies Anopheles farauti Anopheles fluviatilis Anopheles forattinii Anopheles funestus Anopheles gambiae Anopheles grabhamii Anopheles hailarensis Anopheles halophylus Anopheles hyrcanus Anopheles introlatus Anopheles kosiensis Anopheles latens Anopheles maculipennis Anopheles minimus Anopheles moucheti Anopheles nili Anopheles ovengensis Anopheles pampanae Anopheles peytoni... Diversity 41 genera Genera See text. ... Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. ... Binomial name Glossina morsitans The tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans, is a fly (order Diptera) that eats blood from animals, including humans. ... Sleeping sickness or African trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease in people and animals, caused by protozoa of genus Trypanosoma and transmitted by the tsetse fly. ... Painted Apple Moth is the name of a moth that has great potential to cause extensive damage to environments it is introduced to. ... Schematic map of Auckland. ... Species Aedes albopictus Aedes aegypti This page is about the genus of mosquito, for the Roman building see aedes (Roman) Aedes is a genus of mosquito found in tropical and subtropical zones. ... For music group see Dengue Fever (rock band) Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are acute febrile diseases, found in the tropics, with a geographical spread similar to malaria. ...

Drawbacks

• Repeated treatment is required to exterminate the population.
• Sex separation is difficult for some species (though can be easily performed on Medfly, for example).
• Radiation treatment in some cases affects the health of males, so sterilized insects in such cases are at a disadvantage when competing for females.
• The technique is species specific: there are 22 species of Tsetse fly in Africa, for instance, and the technique must be implemented separately for each.
• Many fertile pest insects must be grown before sterilisation and must be housed securely to prevent their escape or release: in February 2003, the irradiation machinery at a plant in Mexico failed and 4 million fertile screwworms were released before the problem was spotted.
• Application to large areas is unlikely to be long lasting as migration of insects from outside the control area will repopulate. Hopes to apply SIT to the whole of Africa for Tsetse flies would cost billions of $US
• The major drawback to this technique is the cost of breeding and maintaining such a large number of insects can be well into millions of $US to eradicate a single species from a small area, costs which are often far out of reach of many of the poor countries that need to eliminate such insects

Genera 500 genera & about 5,000 species Tephritidae is a family of insects that includes fruit flies. ... Binomial name Glossina morsitans The tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans, is a fly (order Diptera) that eats blood from animals, including humans. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

Genetic modification

A method using recombinant DNA technology to create genetically modified insects called RIDL (Release of Insects carrying a Dominant Lethal) is under development. The method works by introducing a repressible "Dominant Lethal" gene into the insects, this gene kills the insects but it can be repressed by an external additive, this allows the insects to be reared in manufacturing facilities. This external additive is commonly administered orally, and so can be an additive to the insect food. The insects can also be given genetic markers, such as fluorescence, that make monitoring the progress of eradication easier. Recombinant proteins are proteins that are produced by different genetically modified organisms following insertion of the relevant DNA into their genome. ... A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using the genetic engineering techniques generally known as recombinant DNA technology. ... Fluorescence induced by exposure to ultraviolet light in vials containing various sized Cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots. ...

There are potentially several types of RIDL, but the more advanced forms have a female-specific dominant lethal gene. This avoids the need for a separate sex separation step, as the repressor can be withdrawn from the final stage of rearing, leaving only males.

These males are then released in large numbers into the affected region. The released males are not sterile, but any female offspring their mates produce will have the dominant lethal gene expressed, and so will die. The number of females in the wild population will therefore decline, causing the overall population to decline.

Using RIDL means that the males will not have to be sterilized by radiation before release, making the males more healthy when they need to compete with the wild males for mates.

Progress towards applying this technique to mosquitos has been made by researchers at Imperial College London who created the world's first transgenic malaria mosquito. Imperial College London (also known as Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a British university institution and a constituent college of the University of London. ...

A similar technique is the daughterless carp, a genetically modified organism produced in Australia by the CSIRO in the hope of eradicating the introduced carp from the Murray River system. As of 2005, it was undergoing tests to assess the risks of releasing it into the wild. A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using the genetic engineering techniques generally known as recombinant DNA technology. ... The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is the national government body for scientific research in Australia. ... Genera Abramis Aristichthys Barbodes Carassius Cirrhinus Ctenopharyngodon Cyprinus Epalzeorhynchos Henicorhynchus Hypophthalmichthys Labeo Mylopharyngodon and others Carp is a common name for various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fishes that dominates the fish faunas of Eurasia and North America. ... The Murray River, or River Murray, is Australias second-longest river in its own right (the longest being its tributary the Darling). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Sterile insect technique
• CleanFruit project
• InSecta Ltd
• BBC Online article
• Plan to Eradicate the Tsetse Fly
• An atomic-powered plan to end sleeping sickness
• IAEA fruit fly program
• Madeira-Med Program
• BBC article