Movement of Dengue Vectors Between the Human Modified Environment and an Urban Forest in Rio de Janeiro

• Published in: Journal of medical entomology Vol. 43; no. 6; pp. 1112 - 1120
• Main Authors: Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael, Neto, Roman Brocki, Gonçalves, Jaylei Monteiro, Codeço, Claudia Torres, Lourenço-de-Oliveira, Ricardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lanham, MD Entomological Society of America 01-11-2006
• Subjects: Aedes - physiology; Aedes - virology; Aedes aegypti; Aedes albopictus; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil; Demography; Dengue Virus; dispersal; dispersal behavior; disturbed habitats; egg masses; Environment; Female; forest habitats; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General forest ecology; Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology; habitat preferences; habitats; insect marking; insect vectors; Insect Vectors - physiology; Insect Vectors - virology; mark-recapture studies; Medically important nuisances and vectors, pests of stored products and materials: population survey and control; Motor Activity - physiology; Population Dynamics; Rubidium; rubidium- marked eggs; SAMPLING, DISTRIBUTION, DISPERSAL; Stegomyia; urban areas; urban habitats; Vectors. Intermediate hosts; yellow fever; Brazil; Human; Forests; Urban environment; Insecta; Dengue; Parasite; dispersal; Dispersion; Infection; Stegomyia; Aedes albopictus; Arthropoda; Viral disease; Arbovirus disease; Culicidae; Aedes aegypti; Invertebrata; Vector; Diptera; Yellow fever
• DOI: 10.1603/0022-2585%282006%2943%5B1112%3AMODVBT%5D2.0.CO%3B2
• EISSN: 1938-2928
• ISSN: 0022-2585

The movement of Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) females between sylvatic and urban environments was investigated by marking, releasing, and recapturing adults and by identifying rubidium (Rb)-marked eggs of females that were released after taking a bloodmeal containing RbCl. When released in the forest, Ae. albopictus females flew as far as 1,000 m and reached houses within 1 wk. When Ae. albopictus were released close to houses, most females were recaptured near the release point, and Rb-marked eggs were found 1,000 m away in the forest only once, 35 d after the release. These differing patterns of movement may suggest a preference of Ae. albopictus for the human-modified environment. Ae. aegypti, however, showed low tendency to disperse into the forest. The capacity of Ae. albopictus females to disperse from a sylvatic into a human-modified environment suggests that this species may play a role in the dissemination of forest-restricted pathogens, such as yellow fever virus.