Detection of Japanese Encephalitis Virus in Vector Mosquitoes in a Non-endemic Area, India

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is a serious growing public health problem in India, gradually engulfing new areas. In north India, eastern districts of Uttar Pradesh had been highly endemic for JE since 1978. JE outbreak was reported to have jumped over 800 km distance from its earlier most endemic area (eastern parts of north India) to a location (Karnal) in the Haryana state of western parts of north India, during the year 1990, which never reported JE earlier.1 Later, the disease gradually spread to its adjoining districts in the state. First time, from western Uttar Pradesh, 7 cases and 4 deaths due to suspected JE were reported in 2003 from Saharanpur district. In the subsequent year, 13 deaths due to suspected viral encephalitis were reported from 26th September to 23rd October, 2004 from one village namely Khekra, from Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh which is about 128 km west of Saharanpur. A serosurvey carried out on 24th and 25th October, 2004 among the family members of dead persons revealed hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies against JE and West Nile (WN) virus. Further, an outbreak of suspected JE was reported from Saharanpur district in 2005, with 212 cases and 157 deaths. This caused matter of great concern to extend further studies in Baghpat where prevalence of flavivirus infection was already recorded in the locality. For monitoring of arbovirus activities in an area, detection of virus in human sera is cumbersome, difficult and also not desirable. Therefore, as an alternative approach, detection of virus antigen in mosquitoes by antigen capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has provided a reliable tool to comprehend the types of virus circulating in nature.2 Detecting arbovirus in mosquitos forms an important part of vector surveillance and may at times also serve as an early warning signal for outbreaks, if however linked with phonological and epidemiological studies. Vector infection and abundance were found to be good indicators of JE occurrence in surveillance studies conducted in South India.3 An attempt was thus made to detect the presence of JE virus (JEV) antigen in vector mosquitoes by ELISA method from the encephalitis-affected area of Baghpat district and to provide evidence of circulating of Japanese Encephalitis virus (JEV) in natural animal-mosquito cycle

Dengue Vector Surveillance in and around Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) – Goa, India

As per the International Health Regulations, it is a moral responsibility on national governments to keep international seaports/airports and peripheral areas up to 400 meters free of vector mosquitoes in its adult and immature stages and the mosquito vectors of other diseases of epidemiological significance. In view of seriousness of the problem, the present study was undertaken in and around Mormugao Port Trust (MPT), Goa (India), to see the prevalence of Aedes mosquito. This study was undertaken in the month of February and December 2016. Inside the port, no larval breeding was detected except in December survey, and 3.85 Breteau Index (BI) was recorded. In Headland Sada (residential colony), breeding was detected with 6.0 and 10.0 BI in February and December 2016 respectively. Similarly, in Jetty village high larval breeding was searched with 9.8 and 8.0 BI in February and December, respectively. In the residential colony, plastic containers used for storing water acted as the main source of larval breeding. These plastic containers were used to store water for long time and maintaining Aedes breeding in adverse condition throughout the year. According to breeding preference ratio (BPR), cement tank showed the highest (4.37) BPR in the month of February while in December BPR was highest for iron drum (27.7) followed by waterstoring plastic container (1.14). These residential colonies are in close vicinity of the seaport. Local factors play an important role in the propagation and prevalence of Aedes mosquito. Routine entomological surveillance is required to monitor the vector prevalence in the residential colonies around the seaport. Baseline surveillance data should be collected regularly to monitor vector prevalence and destroy the breeding sites in and around the seaport

A NEW SPECIES OF STICTOPISTHUS THOMSON HYMENOPTERA ICHNEUMONIDAE FROM INDIA

Volume: 85Start Page: 151End Page: 15

Entomological Surveillance and Warning for Dengue Outbreaks in Alwar City, Rajasthan, India

Abstract The objective of the study was to find out most productive breeding sites for immature as well as for pupae of Aedes aegypti in Alwar city of Rajasthan, India, and to assess the community about awareness of dengue. The study was carried out through door-todoor entomological survey in and around houses during the month of March 2016. All field collected immature reared in laboratory and identified as Aedes aegypti. All adult mosquitoes were processed for detection of dengue virus by ELISA method by using specific monoclonal antibody. A total of 116 houses were searched for detection of immatures of Aedes mosquitoes. House index, container index and Breteau index were 58.62, 12.44 and 64.66 respectively. However, pupal index was very high (141.38). Two key containers such as cement tanks and plastic water storage containers harbored 85.33% of Aedes. Among them, cement tanks contributed about one third of the positive containers of A. aegypti breeding. It is concluded that due to irregular pipe water supply in the city of Alwar, the residents store water in cement tanks, different PWSC, earthen pots and other containers in and around their houses that provide favorable habitats of Aedes breeding. Density of Aedes mosquitoes increases due to spread of breeding in other temporary abundant containers during monsoon and post monsoon period. Thus, infected mosquito colonies with dengue virus might be increased through vertical transmission. If appropriate control measures were not undertaken, in future there may be possibility of a dengue outbreak in the city. It was also observed that community is also not aware much about dengue and prevention of Aedes breeding in the containers. Public health attention is required for prevention of any outbreak in the city