Bt Research 2025, Vol.16, No.4, 147-156 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/bt 148 Although Bt public health measures have significant technological advantages, their promotion and application cannot be separated from public understanding and support. Bt technology involves the release of microbial preparations in the environment. If the public lacks relevant scientific knowledge, they may have doubts or even misunderstandings, and mistakenly regard "biological control" as "genetically modified organisms" or harmful chemicals. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a systematic study of the public's scientific cognition level, attitude and concerns about Bt. This study intends to conduct in-depth discussion on the current status and influencing factors of public awareness and acceptance of Bt public health measures based on the comprehensive domestic and foreign literature and typical cases, and put forward corresponding countermeasures and suggestions. 2 Application of Bt Technology in Public Health 2.1 Use cases of Bt preparations in mosquito control One of the most successful public health applications of Bt technology lies in the prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases. Studies have shown that Bti biocide has high selective virulence to mosquito larvae and does not pollute the environment compared to chemical insecticides (Patyka and Patyka, 2020). For example, in the village pilot in Burkina Faso, Africa, the health department regularly put Bti granules into water storage containers. Within one month, young mosquitoes disappeared, and residents reported that the mosquito density decreased significantly. Local surveys also found that compared with traditionally used organophosphorus pesticides, the community is more willing to accept Bti, a “bacterial mosquito killing method”, believing it is safer for humans and livestock (Brühl et al., 2020). Similar cases have also been reported in Asia: Malaysia once sprayed Bti water agent around high-rise buildings to control Aedes albopictus, and the result was that the mosquito density index dropped significantly, and residents reported that the breeding of young mosquitoes was significantly improved. The dengue fever vector control project in Hefei, Anhui City in 2021 also shows that Bti has a good killing effect on Aedes albopictus larvae and is recommended as the first choice for the prevention and control of young mosquitoes. However, some studies have also pointed out that in practical applications, environmental factors may affect Bti's efficacy, such as water temperature, organic matter content, etc., will reduce its insecticidal effect (Wu, 2024). 2.2 Application practice of Bt in drinking water sources and environmental sanitation Because Bt preparations are harmless to humans and animals, they are widely used in the fields of drinking water source protection and environmental sanitation. For example, in some dengue-endemic areas, public health departments will regularly place Bti sustained-release suspension agents into drinking water containers such as water storage buckets and well water to control the larvae of Aedes mosquitoes that grow in it. A report pointed out that the Bti delivery, which has been strictly controlled, has no negative impact on water quality safety. After treatment, the mortality rate of mosquito larvae in the container can reach more than 90%, while the physical and chemical indicators of water quality are maintained within the drinking standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also conducted a safety assessment of Bti, which determines that Bti does not breed in aquatic environments and is basically free of pollution to groundwater or drinking water sources (Arteaga et al., 2014). Based on this conclusion, many countries have approved the use of Bti preparations to kill mosquitoes in drinking water source protected areas and urban park water bodies. Some southern cities in China (such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen) will spray Bti microcapsule suspension agents in sewers and landscape pools around the rainy season every year to prevent and control the breeding of Culex and Aedes mosquito larvae, and ensure environmental sanitation and residents' quality of life. In addition, Bt is also used in the sanitary protection of rural drinking wells and simple tap water reservoirs: a county in Jiangxi has regularly deployed Bti floating rings in villagers' well water, reducing the density of malaria-borne Anopheles mosquito larvae by more than 85%, effectively consolidating the results of malaria elimination. These practices show that Bt technology can be organically combined with water supply sanitation engineering to provide scientific and technological support for urban and rural environmental sanitation governance (Dambach et al., 2020).
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