Notes on the blood-feeding behavior of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Cameroon.

Basile Kamgang,Christophe Paupy,Frédéric Simard,Elysée Nchoutpouen

doi:10.1186/1756-3305-5-57

Abstract

BackgroundThe invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus is often considered a poor vector of human pathogens, owing to its catholic feeding behavior. However, it was recently incriminated as a major vector in several Chikungunya epidemics, outside of its native range. Here we assessed two key elements of feeding behavior by Ae. albopictus females in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Central Africa. Host preference was explored and the human-biting activity of females was monitored over 24 h to determine periods of maximum bite exposure.FindingsAnalysis of ingested blood in outdoor-resting females showed that Ae. albopictus preferentially fed on humans rather than on available domestic animals (95% of the blood meals contained human blood). Our results further showed that Ae. albopictus is a day-biting species in Yaoundé, with a main peak of activity in the late afternoon.ConclusionThis is the first report on the feeding behavior of Ae. albopictus in Central Africa. The species is highly aggressive to humans and might therefore be involved in human-human virus transmission in this setting.

Highlights

The invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus is often considered a poor vector of human pathogens, owing to its catholic feeding behavior
This is the first report on the feeding behavior of Ae. albopictus in Central Africa
The species is highly aggressive to humans and might be involved in human-human virus transmission in this setting

Summary

Introduction

The invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus is often considered a poor vector of human pathogens, owing to its catholic feeding behavior. It was recently incriminated as a major vector in several Chikungunya epidemics, outside of its native range. We assessed two key elements of feeding behavior by Ae. albopictus females in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Central Africa. Concomitant with the spread of Ae. albopictus in Central Africa, an increase in DENV and CHIKV outbreaks was reported in a number of countries, including Cameroon [10], Gabon [5,11] and the Republic of Congo [12]. Cameroonian Ae. albopictus populations were shown to be orally susceptible to DEN-2 virus and CHIKV infection [5], and the species was recognized as the main vector of both viruses in 2007 in Libreville, Gabon [5,11]

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