Zika: Trapping and monitoring adult mosquitoes (2.5) скачать в хорошем качестве

Zika: Trapping and monitoring adult mosquitoes (2.5)

More than 3500 mosquito species have been recorded worldwide. Each of these species behaves differently, and therefore we need to understand the behaviour of our target mosquito in order to effectively trap it. In this step, Dr Victor Brugman describes the main types of adult mosquito behaviour that we can exploit to trap Aedes, and the challenges of collecting mosquitoes in a field situation. In a practical demonstration, Dr Brugman describes a commonly used traps to collect Aedes aegypti, the BG-Sentinel, and explains how it exploits the host-seeking behaviours of the mosquito. He also demonstrates the use of a backpack aspirator to collect resting mosquitoes, and discusses the factors to consider when using this type of collection method. The gold standard for measuring the densities of host-seeking vectors is the human landing catch method, where human volunteers catch mosquitoes that land on their exposed body parts. Unfortunately this approach exposes the volunteers to potentially infectious mosquitoes. Light traps placed indoors next to occupied bed nets are an invaluable and safe alternative for Anopheles mosquitoes, the vectors of malaria,1 but for Ae. aegypti they are ineffective as this species is an outdoor day biter.2 Larval sampling can be used, taking advantage of our understanding of Ae. aegypti to identify potential breeding habitats. Collected larvae and adults can then be identified by trained specialists. Population size can be estimated through mark-release-recapture experiments, in which a portion of the mosquitoes in an area are captured and marked, then released. On a second occasion another portion is sampled and the number of marked individuals is counted. The number of marked individuals within the second sample should be proportional to the number of marked individuals in the whole population, so an estimate of the total population size can be obtained. Modelling can be done to improve the accuracy of the estimate, taking into consideration the distance between release points and traps, the time between release and recapture, and the loss of marked mosquitoes to death or dispersal.3 Before swatting them, have you ever considered how many different types of mosquito are found in your country or around your home? Have you used mosquito traps yourself? What methods of attracting mosquitoes did these traps use? © London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine