Aedes aegypti oviposition in urban communities in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert

Abstract

Background & objectives: Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) is the vector of multiple arboviruses, the most important being dengue viruses (DENV) that causes more than 90 million cases per year. The expanded range of Ae. aegypti into temperate climates has contributed to the increasing risk of DENV to new human populations. As an effort to better understand the ecology of Ae. aegypti in a temperate climate, larval surveillance was conducted to identify oviposition locations of this species from 2016-2018 in two nonincorporated communities located in El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Methods: This survey was conducted inside and outside private residences examining any possible water holding containers to collect with a dipper, turkey baster, or Pasteur pipette. Larvae and pupae were transported to the laboratory and reared to adults for morphological identification. A total of 601 Ae. aegypti larvae were collected and reared to adults from 24 containers in the Sparks community. In contrast, a total of 68 Ae. aegypti were collected and reared to adults from seven containers in the Anapra community. Results: In both locations, the predominant container type that yielded immature mosquitoes were plastic buckets. Although the results were based on a small sample size, the finding provided a preliminary understanding of the oviposition sites of Ae. aegypti in two urban communities in a temperate climate region. Interpretation & conclusion: The identification of oviposition sites can be used to develop and implement vector control strategies.

Keywords

• aedes aegypti
• oviposition
• disease ecology
• chihuahuan desert