Mosquito Control: Importance of Biological Alternatives in Integrated Vector Management Approaches

Mosquito-borne diseases continue to pose major global public health challenges, necessitating the development of sustainable, environmentally safe, and effective vector control strategies. Conventional reliance on chemical insecticides has led to increasing concerns regarding insecticide resistance, environmental contamination, and adverse effects on non-target organisms. In this context, biological control methods, which exploit the natural predators, parasites, and pathogens of mosquitoes, have emerged as promising alternatives and complementary tools within Integrated Vector Management (IVM) frameworks. This review synthesizes recent advances in biological control approaches for mosquito management, with a focus on protozoan, fungal, helminthic, arthropod, and chordate-based agents. Protozoan pathogens such as Vavraia culicis have demonstrated potential in reducing mosquito longevity, pupation success, and vectorial capacity, leading to significant suppression of Anopheles, Culex, and Stegomyia populations. Entomopathogenic fungi, including Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae , exhibit broad-spectrum efficacy, with strain- specific virulence and adaptability to diverse ecological and tropical environments. Helminthic interventions, particularly mermithid nematodes like Romanomermis iyengari , effectively parasitize mosquito larvae in a variety of aquatic habitats. Arthropod predators such as copepods, dragonfly nymphs, and Toxorhynchites mosquitoes have been successfully employed against container-breeding and floodwater mosquitoes, while chordate-based interventions using larvivorous fish, notably Gambusia affinis and Poecilia reticulata , continue to play a significant role in public health programmes. Although biological control agents offer species specificity and environmental compatibility, challenges related to scalability, habitat suitability, and potential non-target effects remain. Integrating these biological methods with existing vector control strategies provides a sustainable and ecologically sound approach to reducing mosquito-borne disease transmission.