Ernawan et al., The J. Anim. Plant Sci. 28(4):2018 973 STERILITY OF MALE AEDES AEGYPTI POST γ-RAY STERILIZATION B. Ernawan 1,2* , H.I. Sasmita 1 and A. A. Parikesit 3 1 Center for Isotopes and Radiation Application-National Nuclear Energy Agency (CIRA-Batan). Jl. Lebak Bulus Raya No. 49 Jakarta 12440, Indonesia; 2 Graduate Program of Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Science- Universitas Indonesia. Kampus UI Depok, West Java 16424, Indonesia; 3 Bioinformatics Research Group, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Science-Universitas Indonesia. Kampus UI Depok, West Java 16424, Indonesia. * Corresponding Author’s email: beni_e@batan.go.id ABSTRACT Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti), a vector of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), population control was developed using the sterile insect technique (SIT). Sterilization process was conducted using γ-ray sterilization. To support the SIT application, the sterility of male Ae. aegypti on the 1 st -5 th days post sterilization were studied. The first step of this research was the sterilization process of male Ae. aegypti with 70 Gy of γ-ray sterilization. Then, the sterile male Ae. aegypti mosquitoes on the 1 st ;2 nd ;3 rd ;4 th and 5 th days after the sterilization process respectively were competed with un- irradiated males to mate with un-irradiated females. The number of eggs that were produced was incubated to determine the fertility of sterile male Ae. aegypti. The result showed that the average number of eggs produced from mating combination of sterile male Ae. aegypti mosquitoes on the 1 st -5 th days post sterilization, un-irradiated females and un- irradiated males was 1,135; 1,118; 1,243, 1,372 and 1,326. The average percentage number of eggs that did not hatch into larvae was 97.69%; 97.87%; 90.92%, 96.20%, and 86.91%. By analysis of variance (ANOVA), the number and percentage of the unhatched eggs were not significantly different at the level confident of 95%. The research showed that the mating ability and sterility of sterile male Ae. aegypti on the 1 st -5 th days post γ-ray sterilization show no significant difference. Keywords: Sterile insect technique (SIT), sterility, Aedes aegypti, γ-ray sterilization. INTRODUCTION Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is one of major health problems in Indonesia. Epidemic of DHF is well-documented in Indonesia, and it was first recognized in 1968 on Java island, 15 years after its recognition in the Philippines (Nathin et al., 1988). Richards et al. (1997) reported outbreaks of DHF in Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) during 1993-1994, by the discovery of dengue virus (DENV) serotypes 1, 2, and 3 on the blood sample. Corwin et al. (2001) reported outbreaks of DHF in South Sumatra. DHF is transmitted by Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) mosquitoes, which acted as the vectors/carriers of DENV. Now, there are 5 variants of DENV with the recent discovery of the new variant in Serawak Malaysia (Mustafa et al., 2015). DENV enters the human body through the bite of blood-sucking female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, transmitting the virus from one person to another. Until the end of 2015, there had not been any drugs nor vaccines available for dengue disease (Tambunan et al., 2014; Fibriansah et al., 2015; Crunkhorn, 2015; Parikesit et al., 2013). However, the development of novel drugs and vaccine candidates are still in progress with the assistance of sophistication in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approach (Tambunan and Parikesit 2011; Tambunan and Parikesit 2010). In this respect, in line with the development in pharmaceutical technology, ecological measures to control Ae. aegypti as DENV vector are crucial. It should be noted that female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes need human blood as a source of protein for the egg maturation process (Harrington et al., 2001). Various attempts have been made to control the population of Ae. aegypti as DENV vector, which among others are the use of pesticides and fumigation (fogging). The use of uncontrolled pesticides and other chemical compounds has negative impacts, such as environmental pollution that can kill non-target organisms and disrupt the balance of the ecosystem. Bhanu et al. (2011) reported that deltamethrin, which is a pyrethroid pesticide used to eradicate the mosquitoes, may cause chromosome damage in the root meristem tissues of onions (Allium cepa). In addition, pesticides also cause mosquitoes to become insecticide-resistant. Maestre-serrano et al. (2014) reported the Ae. aegypti's resistance to some insecticides in Colombia. Among the most appropriate strategies to control Ae. aegypti population is the integrated pest management (IPM), some methods of which are applied and evaluated together in order to produce more effective and efficient results. The Area Wide-Integrated Pest Management (AW-IPM) is increasingly accepted to control pest population, especially for mobile pests where large scale management is more effective and preferable to the uncoordinated field (Vreysen et al., 2007). One method that can be used in AW-IPM is the Sterile Insect The Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences, 28(4): 2018, Page: 973-977 ISSN: 1018-7081