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. 2024 Jan 29:2024:4123543.
doi: 10.1155/2024/4123543. eCollection 2024.

Breeding Habitat Preference of the Dengue Vector Mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus from Urban, Semiurban, and Rural Areas in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka

J M Manel K Herath  1   2 , W A Priyanka P De Silva  3 , Thilini C Weeraratne  3 , S H P Parakrama Karunaratne  3
Affiliations

Breeding Habitat Preference of the Dengue Vector Mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus from Urban, Semiurban, and Rural Areas in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka

J M Manel K Herath et al. J Trop Med. .

Abstract

Elimination of vector mosquito larvae and their breeding environments is an effective strategy in dengue disease control. Present study examined larval density and water quality in breeding habitats and container preference of dengue vectors Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Larval surveys were conducted monthly in urban, semiurban, and rural sites in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka, from January 2019 to December 2021. Larval densities were recorded under the following three categories: type of container (16 types), type of material (6 types), and location (indoor/outdoor). Breeding preference ratios (BPRs) were calculated using Index of Available Containers and the Index of Contribution to Breeding Sites. Out of 19,234 wet containers examined, larval stages were found in 1,043 habitats. Ae. albopictus larvae were in all three areas whereas Ae. aegypti larvae were restricted to urban areas. Highest number of wet containers and highest positivity were reported from urban followed by semiurban. In general, discarded nondegradable items were the most frequent and mostly positive breeding sites. For Ae. aegypti, the most preferred breeding sites were gutters and concrete slabs. Ae. albopictus mostly preferred concrete slabs in urban areas and tyres in semiurban and rural areas. Material types such as rubber and concrete were mostly preferred by Ae. aegypti whereas ceramic was preferred by Ae. albopictus. Although plastic was the most available material type in all study sites, preference to plastic was low except for urban Ae. albopictus. Both species preferred urban indoor breeding habitats although outdoor breeding was preferred by Ae. albopictus in rural areas. Larval densities of Ae. aegypti and semiurban Ae. albopictus significantly correlated with the BPR of the container type and material type. Dengue vector larvae were found in a 6.7-9.4 pH range. Total dissolved solids and alkalinity positively correlated with preference. Information generated can be successfully used in waste management and public education for effective vector control.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of the study locations in the Kurunegala district, Sri Lanka. Breeding habitats of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were studied in three localities (Bandarnayakapura, Galgamuwa town area, and Buluwala).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Different types of breeding habitats. (a) Ornamental flower pot, (b) fridge tray, (c) concrete slab, (d) tree hole, (e) gutter, (f) discarded nondegradable receptacles, (g) commodes and cisterns, (h) covering items, (i) tyres, (j) water storage barrel, (k) bamboo stumps, (l) discarded degradable receptacles, (m) water storage cement tanks, (n) leaf axis, and (o) clay pots.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Container availability (given by Index of Available Containers (IACs)) and their positivity (given by Index of Contribution to Breeding Sites (ICBSs)) for dengue vector species (A: Ae. aegypti; B: Ae. albopictus) for the urban, semiurban, and rural study areas. Different letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) among the habitats (a–d) and among the groups (A–E lines above the groups) by analysis of variance (ANOVA). WSBs: water storage barrels, WSC tanks: water storage cement tanks, CSs: concrete slabs, OFPs: ornamental flower pots, THs: tree holes, leaf axis: LA, AC: air conditioning refrigerators, CIs: covering items, D-d: discarded degradable, D-non: discarded nondegradable, CPs: clay pots, C and C: commodes and cisterns, BSs: bamboo stumps, and M: miscellaneous.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Container availability (IAC) according to the material type and their positivity (ICBS) for dengue vector species (A: Ae. aegypti; B: Ae. albopictus) in the urban, semiurban, and rural study sites in Kurunegala district. Different letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) among the habitats (a–d) and among the groups (A–D lines above the groups) by analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Container availability (IAC) according to place of containers and their positivity (ICBS) for dengue vector species (A: Ae. aegypti; B: Ae. albopictus) for the selected urban, semiurban, and rural areas in Kurunegala district. Different letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) among the habitats (a–c) and among the groups (A-B lines above the groups) by analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Principal components analysis (PCA) and agglomerative hierarchical clustering/dendrogram. (a, c) Correlation between water quality parameters and various container types and materials. (b, d) Classification of distinct container based on agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) methodologies (clustering dendrogram) on the container type and the material of the containers.
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