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Differential Sensitivity of Mosquito Taxa to Vegetable Tannins

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Abstract

The sensitivity of larval Culicidae to vegetable tannins was investigated in different taxa representative of the fauna from alpine hydrosystems (Aedes rusticus, Culex pipiens) and foreign noxious fauna (Aedes aegypti, A. albopictus). Bioassays reveal that tannic acid at concentrations of 0.1–6 mM is significantly more toxic for C. pipiens than for Aedes taxa, and A. aegypti is more sensitive than A. albopictus and A. rusticus. Comparison of the rank order of sensitivity among taxa with the associated levels of cytochrome P-450, esterase, and glutathione-S-transferase activities suggests that cytochrome P-450 and esterases may be involved in the detoxification of tannins. A possible involvement of these detoxifying enzymes is also revealed in vivo by the synergistic effects of S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate (esterase inhibitor) and piperonyl butoxide (P-450 inhibitor). The differential sensitivity to tannins among taxa is discussed in terms of ecological implications within mosquito communities from alpine hydrosystems, where the acquisition of tannins–detoxifying enzymatic systems may be considered as a key innovation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Hydrosystèmes Alpins, Centre de Biologie Alpine, Université Joseph Fourier, BP 53, 38041, Grenoble Cedex 9, France

    Delphine Rey, Marie-Paule Pautou & Jean-Claude Meyran

  2. INRA, URRX, LBI, 123 Bd. F. Meilland, BP 2078, 06606, Antibes Cedex, France

    Andre Cuany

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  1. Delphine Rey
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  2. Andre Cuany
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  4. Jean-Claude Meyran
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Rey, D., Cuany, A., Pautou, MP. et al. Differential Sensitivity of Mosquito Taxa to Vegetable Tannins. J Chem Ecol 25, 537–548 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020953804114

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