Biological control of Aedes aegypti and other vector culicidae using larvae-eating fish, especially Poecilia reticulata

an integrative review

Resumo

Objective: to research the main information present in the literature related to the use of larvivorous fish, especially Poecilia reticulata, in the control of Aedes aegypti. Methods: integrative review based on searches for the terms “Larvivorous Fish” and “Biological Control” in the PubMed, Scielo, BVS, Cochrane and Web of Science platforms, up to 2022, using the PRISMA methodology. The following parameters were analyzed: predation capacity of the species, details of of methodologies of breeding and of control employed and mention of the acceptance of this strategy by local communities. Results: several fish species are used for biological control; P. reticulata was present in approximately 36% of the studies analyzed; most of the articles evaluated the predatory capacity of the fish; few went into depth on breeding methodologies or use parameters; in general, local communities demonstrated good acceptance of biological control with fish; none of the evaluated articles investigated whether there was any change in water quality in the containers after the introduction of fish. Conclusions: the production of articles on the subject increased from the 2000s onwards, notably since 2006. However, most of the studies deal mainly with the predatory capacity of different fish species. Several gaps in relevant aspects of the subject were noted, such as the assessment of water quality after the insertion of fish, the definition of more simplified breeding methodologies, as well as procedures for articulating with local communities in favor of the use of biological control with fish.