Mosquitoes vs mosquitoes: a systematic review of mass release strategies for the control of Aedes-borne diseases
Abstract
Background. Aedes-borne arboviruses have emerged or re-emerged worldwide, driving the development and implementation of mosquito mass-release strategies aimed at reducing vector populations or their ability to transmit viruses. These strategies include the sterile insect technique (SIT), the incompatible insect technique (IIT), combined and boosted-SIT/IIT approaches, and Wolbachia-based population replacement strategies (PRS). Yet, despite their increasing implementation worldwide, the strength of evidence supporting their effectiveness has rarely been critically assessed across techniques and outcome measures. Methodology/Principal Findings. To address this gap, semi-field and field studies were systematically reviewed and a weight-of-evidence framework was applied to evaluate the strength and consistency of the entomological and epidemiological evidence across these strategies. Seventy-nine studies conducted across 22 countries or territories met the inclusion criteria. Most studies evaluated entomological outcomes, whereas relatively few assessed disease incidences. For SIT, evidence consistently demonstrated induced sterility, reflected by reduced egg hatch rates. However, evidence for adult population suppression remained limited whereas epidemiological evidence was absent. For IIT and combined SIT-IIT, the evidence showed that mosquito populations were more consistently suppressed, and a few studies also reported reductions in dengue incidence. The strongest epidemiological evidence concerned PRS. Across diverse geographical settings, stable establishment of Wolbachia in local Aedes aegypti populations was consistently associated with substantial reductions in dengue incidence. Conclusions/Significance. Mosquito mass-release strategies should not be considered as a single class of interventions. Rather, they differ markedly in the strength of evidence supporting their entomological and epidemiological effectiveness. This review
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BibTeX
@misc{fite2026mosquitoes,
title = {{Mosquitoes vs mosquitoes: a systematic review of mass release strategies for the control of Aedes-borne diseases}},
author = {Johanna Fite and Christophe Boëte and Xavier Fauvergue and Erwan Kubes and Guy Lempériere and Marie-Marie Olive and Remy Rossin and Anubis Vega-Rúa and Sylvie Manguin},
howpublished = {HAL},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05783592v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Mosquitoes vs mosquitoes: a systematic review of mass release strategies for the control of Aedes-borne diseases
AU - Johanna Fite
AU - Christophe Boëte
AU - Xavier Fauvergue
AU - Erwan Kubes
AU - Guy Lempériere
AU - Marie-Marie Olive
AU - Remy Rossin
AU - Anubis Vega-Rúa
AU - Sylvie Manguin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
PB - HAL
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05783592v1
AB - Background. Aedes-borne arboviruses have emerged or re-emerged worldwide, driving the development and implementation of mosquito mass-release strategies aimed at reducing vector populations or their ability to transmit viruses. These strategies include the sterile insect technique (SIT), the incompatible insect technique (IIT), combined and boosted-SIT/IIT approaches, and Wolbachia-based population replacement strategies (PRS). Yet, despite their increasing implementation worldwide, the strength of evidence supporting their effectiveness has rarely been critically assessed across techniques and outcome measures. Methodology/Principal Findings. To address this gap, semi-field and field studies were systematically reviewed and a weight-of-evidence framework was applied to evaluate the strength and consistency of the entomological and epidemiological evidence across these strategies. Seventy-nine studies conducted across 22 countries or territories met the inclusion criteria. Most studies evaluated entomological outcomes, whereas relatively few assessed disease incidences. For SIT, evidence consistently demonstrated induced sterility, reflected by reduced egg hatch rates. However, evidence for adult population suppression remained limited whereas epidemiological evidence was absent. For IIT and combined SIT-IIT, the evidence showed that mosquito populations were more consistently suppressed, and a few studies also reported reductions in dengue incidence. The strongest epidemiological evidence concerned PRS. Across diverse geographical settings, stable establishment of Wolbachia in local Aedes aegypti populations was consistently associated with substantial reductions in dengue incidence. Conclusions/Significance. Mosquito mass-release strategies should not be considered as a single class of interventions. Rather, they differ markedly in the strength of evidence supporting their entomological and epidemiological effectiveness. This review
ER -