Abstract:
The invasive, insecticide-resistant Anopheles stephensi mosquito poses a growing malaria threat
in urban Africa. Declining efficacy of conventional chemical controls necessitates alternative
strategies. This study evaluated the In2Care Mosquito Station's effectiveness against An.
stephensi in Awash Sebat Kilo, Afar, and Ethiopia. Thirty In2Care stations were deployed in
suitable locations near human habitation and vegetated area. Ovitraps were placed next to each
In2care stations to monitor larval densities and PPF auto-dissemination effects. In2Care
stations were serviced every six weeks, and weekly larval counts were conducted. Water samples
were collected and monitored for larval development, focusing on the L3 stage. An. stephensi
larvae are added to observe development until emergence or death. Additionally, WHO tube
were used for both In2mixsachet and control, unfed An. stephensi females were selected from
the rearing cage and exposed for 3 minutes to test adulticide effects. The exposed mosquitoes
were transferred to a cleaned paper cup, provided with sugar source food, and monitored. The
data was analyzed using Excel and EMBSPSS. Results showed that the In2Care stations
effectively attracted mosquitoes, as indicated by increased larval counts in treatment stations
(P<0.05). The deployment of In2care stations as a new treatment has resulted in trapping of a
higher mean number of larvae compared to the control, suggesting that PPF's mosquito’s
attraction is effective (a p<0.05). The larvicide test revealed that while control larvae developed
into adults, those in the treatment larvae died at the pupal stages, indicating PPF inhibits adult
emergence. The auto-dissemination test showed that 71.7% of larvae did not emerge to adults
which is significantly different. Beauveria bassiana also significantly impacted adult mosquito
mortality, ranging from 12% to 100% by day 9, compared to controls. In2care Mosquito Station proves
to be an effective outdoor insecticide method, utilizing slow-killing larvicide to attract and
destroy mosquitoes, impacting both larvae and adults, and reducing breeding opportunities in
containers, thus lowering vector population. The study highlights the critical importance of
exploring and implementing innovative vector control methods, such as the In2Care system, in
regions grappling with the challenges posed by invasive mosquito species and insecticide
resistance.
