Abstract
Dengue is a serious public health problem worldwide, with cases reported annually in tropical and subtropical regions. Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762), the main vector of dengue, is a domiciliary species with high dispersal and survival capacities and can use various artificial containers as breeding sites. We assessed potential container breeding sites of A. aegypti in the municipality of Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil. In the initial phase, we analyzed 900 properties in 3 neighborhoods during the dry and rainy seasons (August-October 2005 and February-April 2006, respectively). During the second sampling period, September 2006-August 2007, we used 5 assessment cycles for 300 properties in a single neighborhood. During the dry and rainy seasons, water-storage containers comprised 55.7% (n = 1,970) and 48.5% (n = 1,836) of the total containers inspected, and showed the highest productivity of immature A. aegypti; we found 23.7 and 106.1 individuals/container, respectively, in peridomicile sites. In intradomicile sites, water-storage containers were also the most important breeding sites with 86.4% (n = 973) and 85.6% (n = 900) of all containers and a mean of 7.9 and 108.3 individuals/container in the dry and rainy seaso-October 2006 (1,342). The highest number of positives (70) was recorded in May, mostly (94%) in storage containers. Storage containers are the principal and most productive A. aegypti breeding sites and are a major contributing factor to the maintenance of this vector in Caxias.
Highlights
Dengue is a serious public health problem worldwide, with cases reported annually in tropical and subtropical regions
This method is used to assess the levels of infestation in order to reduce the larvae and pupae and minimize the risk of epidemics[7]. This strategy is adopted because the vector uses artificial containers that are often found within dwellings or in the peridomicile area as breeding sites[8]
Storage containers were the predominant type in the dry season, comprising 73.8% (n = 1,105), which was approximately 3 times the total number of all other types of containers found; these predominated in the rainy season, comprising 69.7% (n = 1,169) of all containers sampled (p < 0.05; Table 1)
Summary
Dengue is a serious public health problem worldwide, with cases reported annually in tropical and subtropical regions. A. aegypti is mainly controlled by assessing its breeding sites and sampling larvae and pupae in urban areas This method is used to assess the levels of infestation in order to reduce the larvae and pupae and minimize the risk of epidemics[7]. This strategy is adopted because the vector uses artificial containers that are often found within dwellings or in the peridomicile area as breeding sites[8]. This behavior assures the survival of the vector and reduces the efficiency of dengue control[3]. In large urban centers, the occurrence of artificial mosquito breeding sites is related to the enormous amounts of unusable, mainly disposable, materials[9]
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