A study on Adaptation of Aedes Aegypti Mosquito Larvae in Sewage, Boring and Sea Water

Abstract

Aedes aegypti is a type of mosquito which can carry dengue virus, the etiological agent of dengue fever, Chikungunya and Zika virus, and is known to have a medium to grow only in fresh water. Environmental changes due to the rapid development have occurred, while the dengue fever is also widespread. The breeding of mosquitoes is reviewed as input in making a policy of the dengue mosquito control. This research was conducted by growing Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae in various type of water to know the ability of these mosquito larvae to hatch and breed. The water used here was fresh water as a control, sea water, diluted sea water, sewage water, brackish water used in mosques and houses of Karachi. This was an observational and experimental pilot study. Twenty five larvae of Aedes aegypti were exposed to each container in which each treatment was repeated three times. The results were analyzed by looking at the graph of observation, showing that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can survive and breed well in polluted water and in diluted sea water/boring water. The highest average number of larvae can survive in 7.9 ppt salinity and up to 8.3 pH. From this study, it can be concluded that the Aedes aegypti has the ability to breed and survive in sewage and diluted sea water/boring water. Further in-depth study of the behavioral changes in the vector of dengue infection needs to be carried out by which the control program can be well targeted.