Seasonal and Topographical Factors Affecting Breeding Sites of Culex Larvae in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand

Warabhorn PREECHAPORN; Mullica JAROENSUTASINEE; Krisanadej JAROENSUTASINEE; Jirawat SAETON

Authors

Warabhorn PREECHAPORN CX-KURUE & Computational Science Graduate Program, School of Science, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80161
Mullica JAROENSUTASINEE CX-KURUE & Computational Science Graduate Program, School of Science, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80161
Krisanadej JAROENSUTASINEE CX-KURUE & Computational Science Graduate Program, School of Science, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80161
Jirawat SAETON CX-KURUE & Computational Science Graduate Program, School of Science, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80161

Keywords:

Culex larvae, season, topography, breeding site

Abstract

This study investigated how the seasons affect the key breeding sites of Culex larvae in three topographical areas: mangrove, rice paddy and mountainous areas. We examined how the number of Culex larvae varied in different types of water containers. Water containers were categorised into the following groups: indoor/outdoor containers, artificial/natural containers, earthen/plastic containers, containers with/without lids and dark/light coloured containers. Samples were collected from 300 households in both the wet and dry seasons from three topographical areas in Nakhon Si Thammarat province with 100 households/topographical area. Culex larvae were found in 19 out of 29 types of water containers in mangrove, rice paddy and mountainous areas. Culex females laid eggs in different container types depending on the season and topographical areas. Culex larvae were found in highest numbers in metal boxes in all three topographical areas and for both wet and dry seasons. The number of positive containers was higher in outdoor containers than indoor containers, artificial containers than natural containers, earthen containers than plastic containers, and dark coloured containers than light coloured containers Furthermore, the number of positive containers was found to be higher in containers without lids than containers with lids. The number of Culex larvae differed among the three topographical areas and between the wet and dry seasons.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

FM Simsek. Seasonal larvae and adult population dynamics and breeding habitat diversity of Culex theileri Theobald. Tur. J. Zool. 2004; 28, 337-44.

Annual Epidemiological Surveillance Report 2004 ISSN 0857-6521, Available at: http://epid.moph.go.th, accessed January 2007.

U Thavara, A Tawatsin, C Chansang, W Kong-ngamsuk, S Paosriwong, J Boon-Long, Y Rongsriyam and N Komalamisra. Larval occurrence, oviposition behavior and biting activity of potential mosquito vectors of dengue on Samui Island, Thailand. J. Vector Ecol. 2001; 26, 172-80.

WA Hawley. The biology of Aedes albopictus. J. Am. Mosq. Contr. Assoc. 1988; 1 Suppl, 1-40.

PAE Hoeck, FB Ramberg, SA Merrill, C Moll and HH Hagedorn. Population and parity levels of Aedes aegypti collected in Tucson. J. Vector Ecol. 2003; 28, 65-73.

WJH McBride and HB Ohmann. Dengue viral infections, pathogenesis, and epidemiology. Microbes Infect. 2000; 2, 1041-50.

W Preechaporn, M Jaroensutasinee and K Jaroensutasinee. The larval ecology of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus in three topographical areas of Southern Thailand. Dengue Bull. 2006; 30, 204-13.

DH Graham. Mosquitoes of the Auckland district. Trans. Proc. NZ. Inst. 1939; 60, 205-44.

DH Graham. Mosquito life in the Auckland district. Report of the Auckland mosquito research committee on an investigation. Tran. Proc. Royal Soc. NZ. 1939; 69, 210-44.

JN Belkin. Mosquito studies (Diptera: Culicidae) VII, the Culicidae of New Zealand. Contributions of the AEI. 1968; 3, 1-182.

M Laird. New Zealand’s north mosquito survey. J. Am. Mosq. Contr. Assoc. 1990; 6, 287-99.

M Laird. Background and finding of the 1993-94 New Zealand mosquito survey. NZ Entomologist. 1995; 18, 77-90.

JP Lester and AJ Pike. Container surface area and water depth influence the population dynamics of the mosquito Culex pervigilans (Diptera: Culicidae) and its associated predators in New Zealand. J. Vector Ecol. 2003; 28, 267-74.

S Wongkoon, M Jaroensutasinee and K Jaroensutasinee. Larval infestation of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Dengue Bull. 2005; 29, 169-75.

SP Yanoviak. Container color and location affect macroinvertebrate community structure in artificial treeholes in Panama. Florida Entomol. 2001; 84, 265-71.

M Zyzak, T Loyless, S Cope, M Wooster and JF Day. Seasonal abundance of Culex nigripalpus Theobald and Culex salinarius Coquollett in north Florida, USA. J. Vector Ecol. 2002; 27, 155-62.

Y Eshita and T Kurihara. Studies on the habitats of Aedes albopictus, Aedes riversi in the Southwestern part of Japan. Japn. J. Sanit. Zool. 1978; 30, 181-6.

R Rattanarithikul and P Panthusiri. Illustrated keys to the medically important mosquitoes of Thailand. South East Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health. 1994; 25 Suppl 1, 1-66.

BP Das, S Lal and VK Saxena. Outdoor resting preference of Culex tritaeniorhynchus, the vector of Japanese encephalitis in Warangal and Karim Nagar districts, Andhra Pradesh. J. Vect. Borne Dis. 2004; 41, 32-6.

T Solomon. Control of Japanese Encephalitis - Within our grasp? N. Engl. J. Med. 2006; 355, 867-71.

N Shinichi and J Gilmatam. A survey of the mosquito fauna in Ulithi Athol, Yap state, Federated States of Micronesia. Kagoshima University Research Centre for the Pacific Islands Occasional Papers No.39, 111-114, 2003 Section 3, Report 5. The Progress Report of the 2000 and 2001 Survey of the Research Project “Social Homeostasis of Small Islands in an Island-zone”

LJ Hribar, JM. Smith, JJ Vlach and TN Verna. Survey of container-breeding mosquitoes from the Florida keys, Monroe county, Florida. J. Am. Mosq. Contr. Assoc. 2001; 17, 245-8.

PK Sumodan. Potential of rubber plantations as breeding source for Aedes albopictus in Kerala, India. Dengue Bull. 2003; 27, 197-8.

JF Anderson, TG Andreadis, AJ Main and DL Kline. Prevalence of West Nile virus in tree canopy-inhabiting Culex pipiens and associated mosquotoes. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2004; 71, 112-9.

Available at: http://www.mimosq.org/gemeral.html, accessed January 2007.

JR Schneider, AC Morrison, H Astete, TW Scott and ML Wilson. Adult size and distribution of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicide) Associated with larval habitats in Iquitis, Peru. J. Med. Entomol. 2004; 41, 634-42.

LE Collins and A Blackwell. Electroantennogram studies of potential oviposition attractants for Toxorhynchites moctezuma and Toxorhynchites amboinensis mosquitoes. Physiol. Entomol. 1998; 23, 214-9.

ME Slaff, JJ Reilly and WJ Crans. Colonization of the predaceous mosquito, Toxorhynchites rutilus septentroinalis (Dyar and Knab). Proc. N. J. Mosq. Contr. Assoc. 1975; 62, 146-8.

LR Hilburn, NL. Willis and JA Seawright. An analysis of preference in the color of oviposition sites exhibited by female Toxorhynchites. rutilus in the laboratory. Mosq. News. 1983; 43, 302-6.

JR Linley. Laboratory tests of the effects of pcresol and 4-methylcyclo-hexanol on oviposition by three species of Toxorhynchites mosquitoes. Med. Vet. Entomol. 1989; 3, 347-52.