Abstract
Aedes aegypti is the main vector of arboviral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika. A key feature for disease transmission modeling and vector control planning is adult mosquito dispersal. We studied Ae aegypti adult dispersal by conducting a mark-capture study of naturally occurring Ae. aegypti from discarded containers found along a canal that divided two residential communities in Donna, Texas, USA. Stable isotopes were used to enrich containers with either 13C or 15N. Adult mosquitoes were collected outdoors in the yards of households throughout the communities with BG Sentinel 2 traps during a 12-week period. Marked mosquito pools with stable isotopes were used to estimate the mean distance travelled using three different approaches (Net, Strip or Circular) and the probability of detecting an isotopically marked adult at different distances from the larval habitat of origin. We consistently observed, using the three approaches that male (Net: 220 m, Strip: 255 m, Circular: 250 m) Ae. aegypti dispersed further in comparison to gravid (Net: 135 m, Strip: 176 m, Circular: 189 m) and unfed females (Net: 192 m, Strip: 213 m, Circular: 198 m). We also observed that marked male capture probability slightly increased with distance, while, for both unfed and gravid females, such probability decreased with distance. Using a unique study design documenting adult dispersal from natural larval habitat, our results suggest that Ae. aegypti adults disperse longer distances than previously reported. These results may help guide local vector control authorities in their fight against Ae. aegypti and the diseases it transmits, suggesting coverage of 200 m for the use of insecticides and innovative vector control tools.
Highlights
Release efforts of sterile, transgenic, or Wolbachia infected individuals for population suppression or replacement purposes[4,5]
The marking of mosquitoes with stable isotopes was done in larval habitats, providing insight into dispersal of naturally occurring mosquitoes from existing larval habitats, avoiding any spurious estimation of dispersal metrics related to releasing laboratory reared adult mosquitoes
We consistently detected that male Ae. aegypti had a higher dispersal than gravid and unfed females, a robust result according to all approaches we used for dispersal estimation
Summary
Release efforts of sterile, transgenic, or Wolbachia infected individuals for population suppression or replacement purposes[4,5]. Studies of mosquito dispersal are traditionally done by implementing mark-release-recapture (MRR) designs, using either laboratory reared or field captured mosquitoes[6,7]. The objective of this study was to utilize a stable isotope mark-capture design to identify dispersal of adult female and male Ae. aegypti in South Texas. Our results show that naturally occurring male Ae. aegypti disperse further than gravid and unfed females. We suggest that this stable isotope mark-capture study design is appropriate for application to Ae. aegypti elsewhere in the world, depending on cost and availability of the equipment for the isotopic analysis[10]. The information derived from this type of studies is valuable to guide local vector control activities, as illustrated by inferences specific to our study site
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