ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India.
Department of Zoology, D.S.B Campus, Kumaun University, Nainital, India.
Epidemiol Health. 2023;45:e2023073. doi: 10.4178/epih.e2023073. Epub 2023 Aug 23.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease globally transmitted by Aedes aegypti. The most effective method to prevent the transmission of the disease is proficient vector control. Understanding the breeding behaviour of the responsible vectors is very pertinent in this regard; therefore, the present study was conducted to understand Ae. aegypti behaviour regarding the selection of containers for oviposition in the megacity of Delhi.
A household survey in different localities within Delhi was carried out during 2018-2019. All available containers were inspected for the presence of immature Ae. aegypti. In entomological surveillance, the ovipositional preference of Aedes was computed using the breeding preference ratio, container index in the field, and laboratory settings, and associations of dengue cases with monthly variation in environmental factors and container type were also calculated.
The household larval survey in 40 localities showed that 40% of 27,776 water-holding containers in 3,400 houses were plastic, followed by overhead tanks (26.2%), and coolers (12.1%). The most preferred breeding habitat was clay pots (9.3%), followed by metallic containers (8.5%) and solid waste (7.1%). A laboratory-based study showed that Aedes preferred clay containers (81.8%) over 4 other types of containers (plastic, paper, metal, and glass).
The present study provides a rationale for using clay containers as a possible surveillance tool (ovitraps) or as a vector control tool. This information might aid researchers in developing novel traps and targeting preferred containers for larval control activities during transmission and non-transmission seasons.
登革热是一种由埃及伊蚊传播的蚊媒病毒性疾病。预防疾病传播的最有效方法是熟练的病媒控制。了解病媒的繁殖行为在这方面非常重要；因此，本研究旨在了解德里大都市中埃及伊蚊对产卵容器选择的行为。
在 2018 年至 2019 年期间，在德里不同地区进行了家庭调查。检查所有可用容器中是否存在未成熟的埃及伊蚊。在昆虫学监测中，使用繁殖偏好比、野外和实验室容器指数来计算白纹伊蚊的产卵偏好，并计算登革热病例与环境因素和容器类型每月变化的相关性。
40 个地区的家庭幼虫调查显示，3400 户家庭中 27776 个储水容器中有 40%是塑料的，其次是屋顶水箱（26.2%）和冷却器（12.1%）。最受欢迎的繁殖栖息地是陶罐（9.3%），其次是金属容器（8.5%）和固体废物（7.1%）。一项基于实验室的研究表明，埃及伊蚊更喜欢陶罐（81.8%）而不是其他 4 种容器（塑料、纸、金属和玻璃）。
本研究为使用陶罐作为可能的监测工具（诱卵器）或病媒控制工具提供了依据。这些信息可能有助于研究人员在传播和非传播季节开发新型诱捕器并针对首选容器进行幼虫控制活动。
