A major insecticide company (BASF) is working with a network of investigators to develop chemicals that influence behaviors of arthropod vectors of infectious diseases. The goals are to identify chemicals that alter arthropod behaviors and to evaluate their efficacy in reducing risks of disease transmission by preventing man-vector contact. Compounds identified in this program will be transferred to BASF for commercial development. The need for new disease control tools is urgent and greatest in poor countries; so the chemical must be easily and cheaply manufactured. Thus, known synthetic compounds will be the primary focus of proposed research. For public health, the ideal chemical is one that persists in or on treated substrates but rapidly degrades in living systems. Emphasis will be on exploratory testing to compare various test methods against different vector species, and to use optimized tests as a high throughput method to compare different chemicals for levels of repellent, irritant and toxicant actions against disease vectors. The First Specific Aim is to optimize a suite of standardized tests. Testing will consist of (1) an in vitro test for topical repellent action (prevent biting), (2) a single exposure and escape test system for contact irritant actions, (3) a set of three chambers (a central exposure chamber bracketed by treated and untreated chambers) as a specific test for repellent actions, and (4) a test for contact toxicity. Tests will be conducted with recently colonized vectors of malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis and bartonellosis. The Second Specific Aim is to use specific repellent, irritant or toxic chemicals as lead compounds for developing, through combinatorial chemistry technology, other experimental chemicals. The Third Specific Aim is to field test selected compounds that demonstrate potent behavior-modifying activity. Field testing will consist of monitoring the movement of disease vectors into and out of experimental huts, as well as observations on biting and 24-hour survival, and will consist of comparisons between treated and untreated (control) huts. A stochastic model and standard statistics will be used to evaluate data from experimental huts. We propose that success with our research plan will achieve both a novel agent(s) and a novel strategy(s) for disease control. Test data will be given to BASF as a basis for deciding whether to proceed with further toxicological evaluations and commercial development of promising compounds.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project--Cooperative Agreements (U01)
Project #
5U01AI054777-02
Application #
6798238
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAI1-ALR-M (J1))
Program Officer
Costero, Adriana
Project Start
2003-09-08
Project End
2008-02-29
Budget Start
2004-03-01
Budget End
2005-02-28
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$617,822
Indirect Cost
Name
Henry M. Jackson Fdn for the Adv Mil/Med
Department
Type
DUNS #
144676566
City
Rockville
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
20817
Kongmee, Montathip; Nimmo, Derric; Labbe, Genevieve et al. (2010) Irritant and repellent behavioral responses of Aedes aegypti male populations developed for RIDL disease control strategies. J Med Entomol 47:1092-8
Dusfour, Isabelle; Achee, Nicole L; Roberts, Donald R et al. (2009) Contact irritancy and spatial repellency behaviors in Anopheles albimanus Wiedemann (Diptera: Culicidae) collected in Orange Walk, Belize, C.A. J Vector Ecol 34:232-7
Said, Sukhaynah H; Grieco, John P; Achee, Nicole L (2009) Evaluation of contact irritant and spatial repellent behavioral responses of male Aedes aegypti to vector control compounds. J Am Mosq Control Assoc 25:436-41
Polsomboon, Suppaluck; Poolprasert, Pisit; Suwonkerd, Wannapa et al. (2008) Biting patterns of Anopheles minimus complex (Diptera: Culicidae) in experimental huts treated with DDT and deltamethrin. J Vector Ecol 33:285-92
Santos-Ciminera, Patricia D; Roberts, Donald R; Alecrim, Maria das Gracas C et al. (2007) Malaria diagnosis and hospitalization trends, Brazil. Emerg Infect Dis 13:1597-600
Grieco, John P; Achee, Nicole L; Chareonviriyaphap, Theeraphap et al. (2007) A new classification system for the actions of IRS chemicals traditionally used for malaria control. PLoS One 2:e716
Santos-Ciminera, Patricia D; Alecrim, Maria das Gracas C; Roberts, Donald R et al. (2007) Molecular epidemiology of Plasmodium vivax in the State of Amazonas, Brazil. Acta Trop 102:38-46
Suwonkerd, Wannapa; Mongkalangoon, Piti; Parbaripai, Atchariya et al. (2006) The effect of host type on movement patterns of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) into and out of experimental huts in Thailand. J Vector Ecol 31:311-8
Grieco, John P; Achee, Nicole L; Sardelis, Michael R et al. (2005) A novel high-throughput screening system to evaluate the behavioral response of adult mosquitoes to chemicals. J Am Mosq Control Assoc 21:404-11
Chareonviriyaphap, Theeraphap; Suwonkerd, Wannapa; Mongkalangoon, Piti et al. (2005) The use of an experimental hut for evaluating the entering and exiting behavior of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae), a primary vector of dengue in Thailand. J Vector Ecol 30:344-6