Seasonal variation of mosquito breeding sites in the industrial areas of the city of Abidjan, south-eastern Cote d'Ivoire

Abstract

The expanding of industrial activities in Côte d'Ivoire, particularly in the city of Abidjan (73% of the national industrial sector), has led to significant environmental imbalances. These have created favourable conditions for the reproduction and maintenance of many disease vectors such as mosquitoes. Controlling these insect vectors requires the understanding of their ecology, including genus diversity and their breeding sites types. It is in this context that a study was conducted on the seasonal variation of mosquito breeding sites in the industrial areas of Abidjan. Larval surveys were conducted from February to March 2019 (dry season) and from June to July 2019 (rainy season) in the industrial zones of the communes of Koumassi, Port-Bouët and Yopougon. This study led to the identification of 2,015 and 1,977 potential breeding sites in the rainy and dry seasons respectively. The breeding sites were grouped into four types : abandoned tyres, discarded containers, natural breeding sites, other breeding sites. Of these sites, 740 (36.72%) and 288 (14.57%) were positive in the rainy and dry seasons respectively. Abandoned tyres were abundant with 1,685 (85.23%) observed in the dry season and 1,593 (79.06%) in the wet season in the study sites. The presence of vegetation and sunshine negatively influenced the presence of larvae in the Vridi industrial zone (Port-Bouët). In addition, Aedes breeding sites were most frequently observed with 218 (75.69%) in the dry season and 495 (66.89%) in the rainy season. The results obtained in this study could be used to develop an effective method to fight against mosquitoes in the industrial zones of Abidjan.