Increasing Role of Roof Gutters as Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Breeding Sites in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) and Consequences on Dengue Transmission and Vector Control

During the past ten years, the islands of Guadeloupe (French West Indies) are facing dengue epidemics with increasing numbers of cases and fatal occurrences. The vector Aedes aegypti is submitted to intensive control, with little effect on mosquito populations. The hypothesis that important Ae. aegypti breeding sites are not controlled is investigated herein. For that purpose, the roof gutters of 123 houses were systematically investigated, and the percentage of gutters positive for Ae. aegypti varied from 17.2% to 37.5%, from humid to dry locations. In the dryer location, most of houses had no other breeding sites. The results show that roof gutters are becoming the most important Ae. aegypti breeding sites in some locations in Guadeloupe, with consequences on dengue transmission and vector control

First detection of dengue and chikungunya viruses in natural populations of Aedes aegypti in Martinique during the 2013 – 2015 concomitant outbreak

International audienceDengue and chikungunya viruses are transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. In Martinique, an island of the French West Indies, Aedes aegypti is the suspected vector of both arboviruses; there is no Aedes albopictus on the island. During the concomitant outbreak of 2013 - 2015, the authors collected wild A. aegypti populations, and for the first time, detected dengue and chikungunya viruses in field-collected females. This paper demonstrates the mosquito's role in transmission of both dengue and chikungunya on the island, and also highlights a tool that public health authorities can use for preventing outbreaks

Evaluating vector competence for Yellow fever in the Caribbean

Abstract The mosquito-borne disease, Yellow fever (YF), has been largely controlled via mass delivery of an effective vaccine and mosquito control interventions. However, there are warning signs that YF is re-emerging in both Sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Imported from Africa in slave ships, YF was responsible for devastating outbreaks in the Caribbean. In Martinique, the last YF outbreak was reported in 1908 and the mosquito Aedes aegypti was incriminated as the main vector. We evaluated the vector competence of fifteen Ae. aegypti populations for five YFV genotypes (Bolivia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, and Uganda). Here we show that mosquito populations from the Caribbean and the Americas were able to transmit the five YFV genotypes, with YFV strains for Uganda and Bolivia having higher transmission success. We also observed that Ae. aegypti populations from Martinique were more susceptible to YFV infection than other populations from neighboring Caribbean islands, as well as North and South America. Our vector competence data suggest that the threat of re-emergence of YF in Martinique and the subsequent spread to Caribbean nations and beyond is plausible

Socio-ecological factors contributing to the exposure of human populations to mosquito bites that transmit dengue fever, chikungunya and zika viruses: a comparison between mainland France and the French Antilles

International audienceThis article presents the findings of a research programme involving bothresearchers and operators involved in Vector Control in France and the French Antilles.We used an interdisciplinary approach to analyse how socio-ecological factors interact tocontribute to the exposure of urban and suburban populations to Aedes aegypti andAedes albopictus, mosquitoes that vector the chikungunya, zika and dengue feverviruses. Our analysis indicates that, beyond the territorial specificities of the sites studied,similar processes work to encourage the presence of mosquitoes at homes in both zones:the presence of water, the structure of gardens, inhabitants’ representations of the riskrelated to mosquitoes, and/or their personal experience. In the French Antilles, thepresence of larval breeding sites is also tied to a lack of urban infrastructure.We identifytwo main categories of larval breeding sites in individual homes: “Behavioural Habitats”(BHs) and “Structural Habitats” (SHs). While the presence of BHs is related to inhabitants’behaviour, SHs are mainly the product of building and garden design. Prevention aimedat curbing larval breeding sites as such needs to begin at the building and garden designstage. This article makes recommendations regarding the layout and management ofbuildings and gardens