Abstract
BackgroundThe domestic dengue vector Aedes aegypti mosquitoes breed in indoor containers. However, in northern peninsular Malaysia, they show equal preference for breeding in both indoor and outdoor habitats. To evaluate the epidemiological implications of this peridomestic adaptation, we examined whether Ae. aegypti exhibits decreased survival, gonotrophic activity, and fecundity due to lack of host availability and the changing breeding behavior.Methodology/Principal FindingsThis yearlong field surveillance identified Ae. aegypti breeding in outdoor containers on an enormous scale. Through a sequence of experiments incorporating outdoors and indoors adapting as well as adapted populations, we observed that indoors provided better environment for the survival of Ae. aegypti and the observed death patterns could be explained on the basis of a difference in body size. The duration of gonotrophic period was much shorter in large-bodied females. Fecundity tended to be greater in indoor acclimated females. We also found increased tendency to multiple feeding in outdoors adapted females, which were smaller in size compared to their outdoors breeding counterparts.Conclusion/SignificanceThe data presented here suggest that acclimatization of Ae. aegypti to the outdoor environment may not decrease its lifespan or gonotrophic activity but rather increase breeding opportunities (increased number of discarded containers outdoors), the rate of larval development, but small body sizes at emergence. Size is likely to be correlated with disease transmission. In general, small size in Aedes females will favor increased blood-feeding frequency resulting in higher population sizes and disease occurrence.
Highlights
Aedes aegypti is a common domestic vector mosquito, which lives in close association with and shows a preference for feeding on humans, even when other hosts are available [1,2,3]
Many of those containers were away from human dwellings, e.g., near roadside food stalls. The acquisition of this outdoor breeding or peridomestic adaptation together with indoor breeding behavior can potentially increase the biting activity of this vector species both indoors and outdoors, which may have important implications for disease transmission
We noted more than half of the Ae. aegypti breeding containers were outdoors in many areas of Penang Island, Malaysia
Summary
Aedes aegypti is a common domestic vector mosquito, which lives in close association with and shows a preference for feeding on humans, even when other hosts are available [1,2,3]. The latter form originated in North Africa from the South African sylvan form during the expansion of the Sahara Desert [9] This domestic form was transported to the rest of the world through trade and shipping during the 15th–19th centuries. In a yearlong survey in the Northern peninsula of Malaysia performed in 2009, more than half of the immature Ae. aegypti were collected from outdoor containers Many of those containers were away from human dwellings, e.g., near roadside food stalls. To evaluate the epidemiological implications of this peridomestic adaptation, we examined whether Ae. aegypti exhibits decreased survival, gonotrophic activity, and fecundity due to lack of host availability and the changing breeding behavior
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