ANSES Scientific Conference – New Prospects for Vector Control of Pathogens

Fighting pathogen vectors, including mosquitoes and ticks, is essential to prevent and reduce at the source serious pathologies that still threaten human health on a global scale. The use of chemical mosquito insecticides, with their successes and failures, is emblematic of the challenges that research must face in preparing future vector control strategies.

On the morning of Thursday December 17 2020, from 10am to 12pm, ANSES is organising a digital-format scientific conference on the topic of vector control. Its aim is to report on the results of the National Plan for Research on Environmental and Occupational Health (PNR EST) on this challenging subject.

The conference will begin with an overview of recent research on new approaches to vector control, including specific insect viruses acting in synergy with insecticides, and the use of attractant substances to trap mosquitoes. Then the characterisation and dynamics of resistance to insecticides in mosquito populations will be discussed. This research, funded by the PNR EST seeks to address the multiple challenges of integrated vector management.

At the end of the morning, a review of the literature on the sterile insect technique (SIT) and the incompatible insect  technique (IIT) will be presented, shedding a new light on the effectiveness of these two control methods. This work is funded by ANSES under a specific research and development agreement.

In organising this conference, ANSES hopes to contribute to informing and mobilising the relevant actors – whether scientists, decision makers or professionals on the ground –, with regard to this issue. The objective is to explore new avenues to address the challenges of integrated vector control, improve its effectiveness and limit its impacts, in particular through preventing insecticide resistance.

Webinar - Thursday 17 December 2020 from 10am to 12pm - #AnsesRecherche

Replay (in French)