Proliferation of Aedes aegypti in urban environments mediated by the availability of key aquatic habitats

Abstract

Aedes aegypti is the main vector of dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever viruses. Controlling populations of vector mosquito species in urban environments is a major challenge and being able to determine what aquatic habitats should be prioritized for controlling Ae. aegypti populations is key to the development of more effective mosquito control strategies. Therefore, our objective was to leverage on the Miami-Dade County, Florida immature mosquito surveillance system based on requested by citizen complaints through 311 calls to determine what are the most important aquatic habitats in the proliferation of Ae. aegypti in Miami. We used a tobit model for Ae. aegypti larvae and pupae count data, type and count of aquatic habitats, and daily rainfall. Our results revealed that storm drains had 45% lower percentage of Ae. aegypti larvae over the total of larvae and pupae adjusted for daily rainfall when compared to tires, followed by bromeliads with 33% and garbage cans with 17%. These results are indicating that storm drains, bromeliads and garbage cans had significantly more pupae in relation to larvae when compared to tires, traditionally know as productive aquatic habitats for Ae. aegypti . Ultimately, the methodology and results from this study can be used by mosquito control agencies to identify habitats that should be prioritized in mosquito management and control actions, as well as to guide and improve policies and increase community awareness and engagement. Moreover, by targeting the most productive aquatic habitats this approach will allow the development of critical emergency outbreak responses by directing the control response efforts to the most productive aquatic habitats.

Aedes larval bionomics and implications for dengue control in the paradigmatic Jaffna peninsula, northern Sri Lanka

“…albopictus , typically regarded to be a peri-urban vector of dengue, has expanded its range to built-up areas of Jaffna city. Urban farms have been reported to provide favourable environments for Aedes mosquitoes in Florida, USA [ 31 , 32 ], and this also appears to be the case in the Jaffna peninsula. A previous GIS-based study showed that the built-up areas of Jaffna city have a high local incidence of dengue [ 33 ], which is consistent with the present findings that show high ovitrap indices in the city.…”

The Influence of the pH and Salinity of Water in Breeding Sites on the Occurrence and Community Composition of Immature Mosquitoes in the Green Belt of the City of São Paulo, Brazil

“…Among these is the subgenus Kerteszia of the genus Anopheles, the subgenus Microculex of the genus Culex, and the species in the genus Wyeomyia [37][38][39]. Therefore, bromeliads are important aquatic habitats for mosquitoes and require monitoring, both in urban and rural environments [40].…”

Ornamental Bromeliads of Local Botanical Gardens Serve as Production Sites for Pyrethroid-Resistant Culex Quinquefasciatus (Say) in Collier County, Florida

“…Recent studies in Miami-Dade County have revealed Ae. aegypti successfully propagates within tank-type bromeliads and are the dominant species found in ornamental bromeliads in urban environments (Wilke et al 2018, Wilke et al 2019, Wilke et al 2020. In order to assess the relationship between disease vector mosquito species and bromeliads in Collier County, Florida, the Collier Mosquito Control District began a district-wide survey of mosquito species found in bromeliads within urban residential and commercial settings, as well as high-traffic tourist destinations.…”