Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America.
Technical University of Mombasa, Mombasa, Kenya.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2020 May 11;14(5):e0008239. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008239. eCollection 2020 May.
Understanding mosquito breeding behavior as well as human perspectives and practices are crucial for designing interventions to control Aedes aegypti mosquito-borne diseases as these mosquitoes primarily breed in water-holding containers around people's homes. The objectives of this study were to identify productive mosquito breeding habitats in coastal Kenya and to understand household mosquito management behaviors and their behavioral determinants. The field team conducted entomological surveys in 444 households and semi-structured interviews with 35 female caregivers and 37 children in Kwale County, coastal Kenya, between May and December 2016. All potential mosquito habitats with or without water were located, abundances of mosquito immatures measured and their characteristics recorded. Interviews explored household mosquito management behaviors and their behavioral determinants. 2,452 container mosquito habitats were counted containing 1,077 larvae and 390 pupae, predominantly Aedes species. More than one-third of the positive containers were found outside houses in 1 of the 10 villages. Containers holding water with no intended purpose contained 55.2% of all immature mosquitoes. Containers filled with rainwater held 95.8% of all immature mosquitoes. Interviews indicated that households prioritize sleeping under bednets as a primary protection against mosquito-borne disease because of concern about night-time biting, malaria-transmitting Anopheles mosquitoes. Respondents had limited knowledge about the mosquito life cycle, especially with respect to day-time biting, container-breeding Aedes mosquitoes. Therefore, respondents did not prioritize source reduction. Most mosquitoes breed in containers that have no direct or immediate purpose ("no-purpose containers"). These containers may be left unattended for several days allowing rainwater to collect, and creating ideal conditions for mosquito breeding. An intervention that requires little effort and targets only the most productive containers could effectively reduce mosquito indices and, relatedly, mosquito-borne disease risk.
了解蚊子的繁殖行为以及人类的观点和做法对于设计干预措施以控制埃及伊蚊传播的疾病至关重要，因为这些蚊子主要在人们家庭周围的蓄水容器中繁殖。本研究的目的是确定肯尼亚沿海地区有生产力的蚊子繁殖栖息地，并了解家庭蚊子管理行为及其行为决定因素。研究小组于 2016 年 5 月至 12 月在肯尼亚沿海夸莱县的 444 户家庭中进行了昆虫学调查，并对 35 名女性照顾者和 37 名儿童进行了半结构化访谈。定位了所有可能有或没有水的蚊子栖息地，测量了蚊子幼虫的丰度，并记录了其特征。访谈探讨了家庭蚊子管理行为及其行为决定因素。共计数了 2452 个容器蚊子栖息地，其中含有 1077 只幼虫和 390 只蛹，主要是埃及伊蚊。在 10 个村庄中的 1 个村庄中，有三分之一以上的阳性容器是在房屋外面发现的。没有预期用途的盛水容器中包含了 55.2%的所有幼虫。盛有雨水的容器中含有 95.8%的所有幼虫。访谈表明，由于担心夜间叮咬和传播疟疾的按蚊，家庭将在蚊帐下睡觉作为预防蚊媒疾病的首要保护措施。受访者对蚊子的生命周期，尤其是白天叮咬、容器繁殖的埃及伊蚊的生命周期知之甚少。因此，他们没有优先考虑减少源头。大多数蚊子在没有直接或即时用途的容器中繁殖（“无目的容器”）。这些容器可能会被闲置几天，让雨水积聚，从而为蚊子繁殖创造理想的条件。一种干预措施需要很少的努力，并且只针对最有生产力的容器，就可以有效地降低蚊子指数，并相应地降低蚊媒疾病的风险。
