Knowledge of mosquito dispersal is critical for vector-borne disease control and prevention strategies and for understanding population structure and pathogen dissemination. We determined Aedes aegypti flight range and dispersal patterns from 21 mark-release-recapture experiments conducted over 11 years (1991-2002) in Puerto Rico and Thailand. Dispersal was compared by release location, sex, age, season, and village. For all experiments, the majority of mosquitoes were collected from their release house or adjacent house. Inter-village movement was detected rarely, with a few mosquitoes moving a maximum of 512 meters from one Thai village to the next. Average dispersal distances were similar for males and females and females released indoors versus outdoors. The movement of Ae. aegypti was not influenced by season or age, but differed by village. Results demonstrate that adult Ae. aegypti disperse relatively short distances, suggesting that people rather than mosquitoes are the primary mode of dengue virus dissemination within and among communities.

A knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) survey and an extensive entomologic survey were conducted in two sub-districts of Kamphaeng Phet province, Thailand, to test the hypothesis that correct dengue knowledge and practice reduce dengue vector populations. We found a negative association between respondents' knowledge of preventive measures and the number of unprotected containers in and around their houses. Knowledge of development sites was positively associated with unprotected containers. No relationships existed between knowledge of dengue and adult mosquito reduction practices. A higher number of unprotected containers increased the likelihood of the house being infested with one or more adult Aedes aegypti. Surprisingly, houses of respondents that used mosquito coils or had screening on doors and windows were significantly more likely to be infested (odds ratio =2.0) with adult Ae. aegypti. We conclude that there is a direct link between knowledge on dengue prevention and container protection practices, whereas measures against adult mosquitoes are used only when people experience a mosquito nuisance problem.

Differences in larval habitats cause variation in the size of Aedes aegypti (L.) adults. We suspected that such size variation was related to the ease with which the mosquitoes could be infected with dengue virus. Using a rearing procedure that produced three distinct size classes of mosquitoes, we determined the percentage of mosquitoes that developed disseminated dengue-2 infection following oral feeding with a suspension containing 3.3 ϫ 10 7 plaqueforming units/ml. Mosquitoes were reared from eggs deposited by females captured in either of two villages in Chachoengsao Province or in Bangkok, Thailand. More of the larger mosquitoes (10.7%) were infected than the medium (5.6%) or small (5.7%) mosquitoes. Mosquitoes from Bangkok were less easily infected (5.0%) than mosquitoes from either of the two villages (8.5% and 10.7%). These results suggest that quantitative risk assessment of dengue transmission may be very difficult unless inoculation rate is measured directly. Also, control procedures that reduce density of larvae in individual containers may exacerbate dengue transmission by creating larger mosquitoes that are more easily infected.

A hierarchical population genetic study was conducted among 19 Aedes aegypti populations in Thailand from Chiang Mai in the north to Songkhla province in the south. Single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis was used to examine variation in a 359-basepair region of the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 mitochondrial DNA gene (ND4). Seven haplotypes were detected in two lineages previously identified in ND4 haplotypes from North America. Gene flow estimates and highly significant variation among populations within 25 kilometers implicated genetic drift and vector control efforts as major factors in genetic structure. Mantel regression analysis demonstrated no isolation by distance. Urban areas were relatively panmictic, while suburban/rural sites exhibited more restricted gene flow. Significant genetic structure among groups of collections > 100 kilometers apart is consistent with recent (approximately 50 year) expansion of Ae. aegypti from highly populated areas accompanied by founder effects, but could also reflect the overall low genetic diversity in ND4 in Thailand.

The assumption that mosquito survival remains constant and that it is independent of age was tested with free-ranging Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) by using a "synthetic cohort" mark-release-recapture method. Mosquito age cohorts (1-2, 3-4, and 19-20 d) were released simultaneously in homes in rural Thai villages during dry and rainy seasons (2002). Significant age-dependent effects were detected during the dry and rainy seasons. More young than older mosquitoes were recaptured (1-4 versus 5-20 d). The best predictive fit for recaptures was obtained using a quadratic function of age. Our results provide the first field-based evidence for age-dependent Ae. aegypti mortality in which the death rate increases with advancing age and highlight the need for research on ecological and epidemiological aspects of this process.