Dispersal of the Dengue Vector Aedes Aegypti Within and Between Rural Communities

Abstract

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.

Genetic structure of Aedes aegypti in the city of Córdoba (Argentina), a recently reinfested area

“…Honorio et al (2003) observed dispersal at distances between 100-800 m in an urban area of the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil. However, Harrington et al (2005), in experiments conducted in Puerto Rico and Thailand, found that most individuals disperse a few tens of meters and very few individuals disperse up to 500 m.…”

Abbreviations and acronyms

“…In some studies, released mosquitoes tended to cluster around houses with some dispersal towards adjacent houses, and mosquitoes released on the perimeter of villages moved towards the centre of the village (Sheppard et al, 1969;Trpis and Hausemann, 1986;Getis et al, 2003;Harrington et al, 2005;Maciel-de-Freitas et al, 2006). The relatively large numbers and duration of DENV infected females captured in houses with confirmed dengue cases in Merida, Mexico may further indicate high fidelity between Ae.…”

“…Even if important variations in mosquito daily and lifetime dispersal rates have been reported, however, the examination of the mean distance travelled (MDT) and the flight range of mosquitoes, as opposed to the maximum distance travelled, may be a more epidemiologically-important parameter (Harrington et al, 2005). Many studies using mark-release-recapture methods (above-mentioned) have reported a flight range for Ae.…”

“…Typically, adult Ae. aegypti mosquitoes travel relatively short distances of up to 100 m, although longer dispersal estimates of about 800 m have been observed, particularly when host density is low and female mosquitoes are starved (McDonald, 1977;Honório et al, 2003;Harrington et al, 2005).…”

“…aegypti. This species has been reported to usually fly from 50 m to 300 m during its lifetime, with mean dispersal distances of 28 m to 199 m (Harrington et al, 2005). Experiments in different parts of the world involving the release and recapture of adults suggest that most are recovered within 20 m to 50 m of the release point, with a small percentage reaching distances greater than 170 m and not more than 200 m (Morlan and Hayes, 1958;Sheppard et al, 1969;McDonald, 1977;Trpis and Häusermann, 1986;Muir and Kay, 1998;Ordoñez-Gonzalez et al, 2001;Harrington et al, 2005;Russell et al, 2005;Lourenço-de-Oliveira, 2007a, 2007b;Valerio et al, 2012).…”