Geometric morphometrics of Aedes aegypti populations and study of transmission of arboviral diseases in Barreiras, Brazil

Abstract

Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (A. aegypti) transmits arboviral diseases of high public health importance, including those caused by Zika virus (ZIKV), Dengue virus (DENV), Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Yellow fever virus (YFV). Barreiras is a city with 157,638 inhabitants in the West of the State of Bahia, Northeast of Brazil. The climate is dry, with well-determined and concentrated seasons of rains. The city is crossed by a Federal Highway and by the Rio Grande river. In this study, we aimed to understand the dynamics of mosquito vectors and arboviral diseases in Barreiras. We used correlation statistics to investigate a possible relationship among rains, mosquito abundance and transmission of diseases. In addition, as a preliminary population genetics estimate, we used geometric morphometrics to compare mosquitoes from areas limited by a highway and a river. We found that i) infestation occurs in rain-dependent cycles and that ii) both, the river and the highway segregate populations of A. aegypti in different areas of the studied city. Our results indicate that it is necessary to treat anthropic containers with mosquito breading capacity during both, the dry and rain seasons in urban areas similar to Barreiras.