Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Whole live micro-organism – cell – or virus containing – Fungus
Reexamination Certificate
1996-05-28
2001-07-03
Lankford, Jr., Leon B. (Department: 1651)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Whole live micro-organism, cell, or virus containing
Fungus
C424S404000, C424S405000, C424S439000, C424S442000, C424S499000, C424S493000, C424S489000, C435S254100, C504S117000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254864
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The development of biological control agents as alternatives to chemical insecticides for the control of important pest species is a subject of increasing interest. Concerns for the environment and exposure of man to harmful substances in air, food and water have stimulated legislation and restrictions regarding the use of chemical pesticides, particularly for pests found in the urban environment. Control of insect pests in urban areas is highly desirable but exposure to chemical pesticides in the household and from lawns and gardens is of great concern to the public. If given a choice, most people would use a non-toxic biological control rather than a toxic chemical to control insects in the urban environment. The problem is that very few biological alternatives to chemical insecticides are available for purchase and use by the public.
For most insect pests that need to be controlled in the urban environment (ants, roaches, termites, fleas, wasps, etc.) there is no biological agent available for purchase as a product.
Cockroaches are serious economic pests in urban areas. Because cockroaches are so closely associated with humans and commonly feed on decaying food, crumbs, or scraps, and frequent unsanitary areas such as sewage systems and septic tanks, their presence leads to suspicion of a threat to human health. Pathogenic organisms have been isolated from cockroaches collected in domestic or peridomestic environments; however, the role of cockroaches as vectors of pathogens is controversial. Unlike many blood-feeding arthropods whose feeding behavior results in the direct transmission of pathogens to humans, cockroaches have the potential to transmit pathogens indirectly via contamination of foods or utensils used to prepare food. It has been demonstrated that cockroaches acquire pathogenic bacteria simply by walking over cultures and showed that these pathogens are subsequently transferred to foodstuffs via the normal foraging behavior of the infested cockroaches. Aside from bacterially caused food poisoning and diseases such as typhoid and dysentery, many other human illnesses and diseases associated with microorganisms isolated from cockroaches have been reported. These include paralytic polio, giardiasis, otomycosis, pneumomycosis, and various worms such as hookworm and tapeworm.
Besides the possible role of cockroaches as vectors of pathogenic microorganisms, the mere presence of these insects is known to contribute to human morbidity in other ways. Perhaps the most insidious aspect is the psychological impact of these pests in terms of the anxiety and stress related to infestation, which in some instances can take on pathologic dimensions. Further, defensive secretions among cockroach species may cause burning sensations, vertigo, or nausea in individuals who come into contact with the insects.
Current cockroach control methods in buildings include preventative and corrective approaches. Preventative measures emphasize sanitation to eliminate harborages and food sources, sealing off access routes, and the creation of inhospitable environments by the application of boric acid or sorptive dusts in wall voids during construction (Ebeling, W. [1971
] Ann. Rev. Entomol
16:123-158; Ebeling, W. [1978
] Urban Entomology
, Berkeley: Univ. Calif. Div. Agric. Sci. 695 pp.). However the implementation of these measures is difficult and thus limits their effectiveness (Thoms, E. M., W. H. Robinson [1987
] J. Econ. Entomol
. 80:131-135). Corrective measures used to suppress established infestations emphasize the use of insecticide applications. A commonly used technique is to spray insecticides with long residual activity in areas frequented by cockroaches at fixed time intervals (Schal, C., R. L. Hamilton [1990
] Ann. Rev. Entomol
. 35:521-551). Despite short term suppression of cockroach populations, toxic residues and the development of insecticide resistance (Cochran, D. G. [1989
] J. Econ. Entomol
. 82:336-341) make total reliance on this technique undesirable. Alternative corrective measures such as the placement of toxic bait traps may provide sufficient control under proper conditions (Thoms & Robinson [1987], supra).
The use of natural enemies for the biological control of cockroaches has been examined to varying degrees. Although traps using biocontrol agents have been proposed, these traps are only as good as the biocontrol agent used. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,057,315 and 5,057,316. Field releases of parasitoids of the American and brown banded cockroaches resulted in rates of parasitism as high as 95% and has generated some optimism for their potential utilization (Coler, R. R., Van Driesche, R. G., Elkinton, J. S. [1984
] Environ. Entomol
. 13:603-606; Hagenbuch, B. E., R. S. Patterson, P. G. Koehler [1989
] J. Econ. Entomol
. 82:90-94). Pathogenic yeasts isolated from laboratory cockroach colonies also have been suggested as possible biological control agents, but more research is required to evaluate their potential (Archbold, E. F., M. K. Rust, D. A. Reierson [1987
] J. Med. Entomol
. 24:269-272; Archbold, E. F., M. K. Rust, D. A. Reierson, K. D. Atkinson [1986
] Environ. Entomol
. 15:221-226; Verrett, J. M., K. B. Green, L. M. Gamble, F. C. Crochen [1987
] J. Econ. Entomol
. 80:1205-1212). Numerous other fungi, bacteria, protozoans, and nematodes have been reported to be associated with cockroaches, but their potential as biological control agents is not significant, or has not been fully evaluated (Roth and Willis [1960
] Smithsonian Misc. Coll
. Vol. 141; Tsai, Y. H., K. M. Cahill [1970
] J. Parasitol
. 56:375-377; Zervos, S. [1983
] N.Z. J. Zool
. 10:329-334; Rahmet-Afla, M., A. F. Rowley [1989
] J. Invert. Path
. 53:190-196). Thus, there is a significant and longfelt need for a more effective and safe means for controlling cockroaches.
Carpenter ants, Camponotus spp., are distributed throughout North America. Some of the more common and/or studied species include
C. modoc
in the Pacific northwest,
C clatithorax
in southern California, and the
C floridanus
in Florida.
C. pennsylvanicus, C. noveboracensis
, and
C. abdominalis
, are found in the east (Ebeling, W. [1978
] Urban Entomology
, Univ. Calif.: Berkeley p. 209-213). Public concern over carpenter ants has been increasing due to the greater probability of structural infestations as suburban developments extend into the forest habitats of the ants.
Pestiferous species of carpenter ants may be considered nuisance pests because of their foraging activity inside homes. More significant damage occurs when carpenter ants extend their nests into sound wood. Nesting sites may be located in live and dead trees, sometimes resulting in damage to shade trees. Nests may also be established in walls and support beams of structures, or in voids within doors, walls, and furniture. Preference for moist or decaying wood has been reported, but nesting sites are not restricted to such areas. Carpenter ant populations develop relatively slowly with colonies of 300-2,000 workers being produced over a 2-year or longer period for various species. The presence of reproductives follows this slow development since their production has been reported only from well established colonies (Hansen, L. D., R. D. Akre [1985] “Biology of carpenter ants in Washington state (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Camponotus),”
Melandelia
43: 62 pp.; Pricer, J. L. [1908
] Biol. Bull
. 14:177-218). Despite the slow colony growth, large colonies with satellite colonies have been found. Worker movement occurs between the main colony and the satellites, which serve as areas for further brood development and colony expansion (Hansen and Akre [1985], supra).
Current methods for controlling structural infestations of carpenter ants include sanitation of potential and current nest sites, minimizing access to structures (eg. preventing the contact o
Pereira Roberto
Stimac Jerry L.
Lankford , Jr. Leon B.
Saliwanchik Lloyd & Saliwanchik
University of Florida Research Foundation Inc.
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