Laboratory susceptibility tests of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus larvae to the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora

Aedes aegypti is the vector of dengue, yellow fever, Zika and Chikungunya viruses, and Culex quinquefasciatus is the vector of St. Louis and West Nile encephalitis viruses. To evaluate infectivity of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora N4 in C. quinquefasciatus and A. aegypti larvae under laboratory conditions. Thirty second-instar larvae of the two mosquito species were exposed each to different doses (0:1, 1:1, 5:1, 15:1, 100:1, 500:1, 750:1 and 1,500:1) of nematode infective juveniles. Four replications per dose were performed. Parasitism varied between 2.5 and 80 % in C. quinquefasciatus, and between 4.2 and 92.5 % in A. aegypti, with significant differences between doses (p