RESUMEN
Most residences in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) rely on household rainwater-catchment systems and subterranean cisterns for long-term water storage that may provide suitable habitats for mosquitoes of public health relevance. We conducted a household cistern survey (n = 164) on the islands of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas in 2019. The survey revealed that 45.7% (95% CI: 38.3-53.4%) of cisterns contained mosquitoes (adult and/or immature mosquitoes). Aedes aegypti, a vector of chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses in the USVI, was found in 27.4% (95% CI: 21.2-34.7%) of cisterns and accounted for 83.3% of the total mosquitoes identified in the study. The odds of detecting mosquitoes in a cistern were 5.45 times higher at locations where the residents reported that they had observed adult mosquitoes coming out of their cisterns (95% CI: 2.25-14.21), suggesting that vector control personnel should consider resident complaints about mosquitoes in their cistern as valid and likely reliable self-assessments. Resident mosquito management practices in cisterns did not correspond with decreased odds of mosquito detection. We conclude that cisterns in the USVI commonly provide habitat for immature and adult Ae. aegypti, which may decrease the effectiveness of area-wide mosquito control strategies. Additional studies are necessary to evaluate the importance of these cisterns as they relate to mosquito production and arbovirus transmission risk, and to assess physical and chemical control methods.
Asunto(s)
Aedes , Infección por el Virus Zika , Virus Zika , Animales , Estudios Transversales , Ecosistema , Mosquitos Vectores , Islas Virgenes de los Estados UnidosRESUMEN
The first report of Mansonia dyari on Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands (USVI), is confirmed. Adult and larval specimens were collected in 2018 and 2019 through adult surveillance and larval collections. Specimens were identified by microscopic methods, and a representative specimen was confirmed by DNA sequencing (mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I). Morphological features are reviewed and compared with Mansonia flaveola, a species previously reported in the USVI. Notes are provided on the locations, collection methods, and mosquito associates found with Ma. dyari in the USVI.
Asunto(s)
Distribución Animal , Malvaceae , Animales , Complejo IV de Transporte de Electrones/análisis , Femenino , Proteínas de Insectos/análisis , Larva/anatomía & histología , Larva/enzimología , Larva/genética , Larva/crecimiento & desarrollo , Malvaceae/anatomía & histología , Malvaceae/enzimología , Malvaceae/genética , Malvaceae/crecimiento & desarrollo , Análisis de Secuencia de ADN , Islas Virgenes de los Estados UnidosRESUMEN
The rapid expansion of Zika virus (ZIKV), following the recent outbreaks of Chikungunya virus, overwhelmed the public health infrastructure in many countries and alarmed many in the scientific community. Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) have previously been incriminated as the vectors of these pathogens in addition to dengue virus. In our study, we challenged low generation Ae. aegypti (Chiapas, Mexico) and Ae. albopictus (North Carolina, Mississippi), with three strains of ZIKV, Puerto Rico (GenBank: KU501215), Honduras (GenBank: KX694534), and Miami (GenBank: MF988743). Following an oral challenge with 107.5 PFU/ml of the Puerto Rico strain, we observed high infection and dissemination rates in both species (95%). We report estimated transmission rates for both species (74 and 33%, for Ae. aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) and Ae. albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae), respectively), and the presence of a probable salivary gland barrier in Ae. albopictus to Zika virus. Finally, we calculated vectorial capacity for both species and found that Ae. albopictus had a slightly lower vectorial capacity when compared with Ae. aegypti.Second Language Abstract: La rápida expansión del virus Zika, poco después de las epidemias de chikungunya, rebaso la infraestructura de salud pública en muchos países y sorprendió a muchos en la comunidad científica. Notablemente, Aedes aegypti y Aedes albopictus transmiten estos patógenos además del virus del dengue. En este estudio se expusieron con tres cepas americanas de virus Zika a grupos de Aedes aegypti y Aedes albopictus de generación reciente. Encontramos altos porcentajes de infección y diseminación en ambas especies (95%). Se reporta, la transmisión viral en ambas especies (74 y 33%, para Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, respectivamente) y una probable barrera a nivel de glándulas salivarías. Finalmente, calculamos la capacidad vectorial para ambas especies.