Abstract
BackgroundMozambique, same as many other tropical countries, is at high risk of arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) diseases and recently two dengue virus (DENV) outbreaks occurred in the northern part of the country. The occurrence of some important vector species, such as Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus) and Ae. (Stg.) albopictus (Skuse), besides several other sylvatic vectors, have been reported in the country, which may indicate that the transmission of some arboviruses of public health importance may involve multiple-vector systems. Therefore, knowing the occurrence and distribution of existing and the new important vectors species, is crucial for devising systematic transmission surveillance and vector control approaches. The aim of this study was to map the occurrence and distribution of mosquito species with potential for transmitting arboviruses of human and veterinary relevance in Niassa Province, Northern Mozambique.MethodsField entomological surveys were undertaken in April 2016 in Lago District, Niassa Province, northern Mozambique. Breeding sites of mosquitoes were inspected and immature stages were collected and reared into adult. Mosquitoes in the adult stages were morphologically identified using taxonomic keys. Morphological identification of Aedes (Stegomyia) luteocephalus (Newstead) were later confirmed using dissected male genitalia and molecular based on the phylogenetic analyses of the sequenced barcode (cox1 mtDNA) gene.ResultsA total of 92 mosquito larvae collected developed into adults. Of these, 16 (17.39%) were morphologically identified as Ae. luteocephalus. The remaining specimens belonged to Ae. (Stg.) aegypti (n = 4, 4.35%), Ae. (Aedimorphus) vittatus (n = 24, 26.09%), Anopheles garnhami (n = 1, 1.09%), Culex (Culiciomyia) nebulosus (n = 28, 30.43%), Eretmapodites subsimplicipes (n = 18, 19.57%) and Toxorhynchites brevipalpis (n = 1, 1.09%), taxa already known to the country. Male genitalia and phylogenetic analyses confirmed the identity of Ae. luteocephalus specimens collected in this study.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first detection of Ae. luteocephalus in Mozambican territory, a vector species of yellow fever virus (YFV), Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) in Africa. Further studies are encouraged to investigate the role of Ae. luteocephalus in the transmission of arboviral diseases in Mozambique.
Highlights
Mozambique, same as many other tropical countries, is at high risk of arthropod-borne virus diseases and recently two dengue virus (DENV) outbreaks occurred in the northern part of the country
The occurrence and distribution of mosquito-borne arboviruses, those transmitted by Aedes species, such as dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV) and yellow fever viruses (YFV) represent a serious threat to global health, to African sub-Saharan countries [1,2,3,4,5,6]
The remaining specimens were identified as Anopheles (Celia) garnhami (n = 1), Ae. (Aedimorphus) vittatus (n = 24), Ae. (Stg.) aegypti (n = 4), Culex nebulosus (n = 28), Eretmapodites subsimplicipes (n = 18) and Toxorhynchites brevipalpis (n = 1) (Table 1)
Summary
Mozambique, same as many other tropical countries, is at high risk of arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) diseases and recently two dengue virus (DENV) outbreaks occurred in the northern part of the country. (Stg.) albopictus, besides others with a more sylvatic distribution, has been reported in the country [6, 9], implying that arbovirus transmission dynamics may likely involve multiple-vector systems. These findings underscore the need for a thorough understanding of occurrence and arbovirus transmission role, of overlooked important potential vectors of public health importance. This species has varied distribution throughout different geographical landscapes comprising forests, savannah, mangrove gallery, as well as intermediate landscapes between sylvatic and urban areas, where it has been found breeding in a diversity of natural and human-made larval sites [15, 17, 20]
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