Environmental influences on < i > Aedes aegypti < /i > catches in Biogents Sentinel traps during a Californian “rear and release” program: Implications for designing surveillance programs

by Kyran M. Staunton, Jacob E. Crawford, Devon Cornel, Peter Yeeles, Mark Desnoyer, Josh Livni, Jodi Holeman, F. Stephen Mulligan, Nigel Snoad, Scott A. Ritchie AsAedes aegypti continues to expand its global distribution, the diseases it vectors (dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever) are of increasing concern. Modern efforts to control this species include “rear and release” strategies where lab-reared mosquitoes are distributed throughout the landscape to replace or suppress invasive populations. These programs require intensive surveillance efforts to monitor their success, and the Biogents Sentinel (BGS) trap is one of the most effective tools for sampling adultAe.aegypti. BGS trap catches can be highly variable throughout landscapes, so we investigated the potential impacts of environmental factors on adultAe.aegypti capture rates during a “rear and release” program in California to better understand the relative contributions of true variability in population density across a landscape and trap context. We recorded male and femaleAe.aegypti catches from BGS traps, with and without CO2, throughout control sites where no mosquitoes were released and in treatment sites where males infected withWolbachia were released. BGS trap catches were positively influenced by higher proportions of shade or bushes in the front yard of the premises as well as the presence of potential larval habitats such as subterranean vaults. In contrast, an increase in residential habi...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Source Type: research