Mosquitoes & their related

Diseases

Table of Contents
Mosquitoes & Public Health
Importance
Mosquito Anatomy & Biology
Mosquito Identification
Mosquito Borne Disease

Mosquitoes & Public

Health Importance

Introduction: Public Health Importance of Mosquitoes

All mosquitoes, being hematophagous (blood
feeding) on human and other animal hosts are
potentially vectors (transmitters) of various
diseases.
Mosquitoes
are a nuisance since they bite
trying to get a blood meal from man and his
animals.
Mosquitoes
diseases.

known

to

cause

vector

borne

Introduction: Public Health Importance of Mosquitoes

The Aedes mosquito was introduced

in the Caribbean through the African
slave trade.
The Aedes aegypti remains the
principal vector responsible for the
transmission of Dengue,
Chikungunya and Zika virus.

Introduction: Public Health Importance of Mosquitoes

The presence of mosquitoes means

individuals are at risk of disease
transmission which can impact on
the:
Mental and social well being of
individuals
Economic cost (vector control, sick, loss
productivity)
Negatively on the tourism sector

Mosquito Anatomy &

Biology

What is a Mosquito?
Mosquito is an
insects, part of a
group of arthropods
crabs, spiders and
shrimps etc.
They are invertebrate
animals with hard
exoskeletons with
joints.

Life Cycle of a Mosquito

There are four distinct
stages in the life history of
the mosquito:
Egg
Larva
Pupa
Adult
The first three stages occur
in water
the adult is an active flying
insect that feeds upon the
blood of man and animals or
upon plant juices depending
on the species of
mosquitoes.

Life Cycle of a Mosquito

Egg
The ADULT female mosquito
takes a blood-meal and after
digestion of the blood and
absorbing the protein, flies
to an appropriate location
and lays EGGS in close
proximity to water
Eggs are laid:

directly on the water surface,

on the sides of a container, or
on plants growing in the water.

Life Cycle of a Mosquito

Egg
Some mosquito species lay
their eggs on a moist
surface.
When water is introduced
then the larval stage will
emerge.
The eggs of some species
can survive up for 3-5
years without water.
Depending on the species,
the eggs may hatch in 1-3
days, producing LARVA.

Life Cycle of a Mosquito

Larva
The larva of all mosquitoes live in
water
Most mosquitoes are adapted to
almost
all
kinds
of
aquatic
environment except:
Flowing streams
Open waters of large streams &
seas
These larvae may grow in 4 instars
(stages)
They cast off their old skins and
increase in size.
The larval stage may take up to 7
days or more, depending on the
nutrition, temperature and species.

Life Cycle of a Mosquito

Larva
Larval mosquitoes feed on
debris of organic matter.
Most people can recognize
as the wriggling immature
stage of the mosquito.
Although, mosquitoes get
their food from the water,
they must come to the
surface for air.
It is a phase of feeding
and
growth
for
the
mosquito.

Life Cycle of a Mosquito

Pupa
A comma-shaped phase of the
insect.
The adult features of the adult
mosquito are developed, and only
lasts 1-2 days.
Mortality in this stage is relatively
low
The amount of pupa present in any
container, is a good indication of
the productivity of a container.
The ADULT then emerges from the
pupa, takes to the wing and flies off
to mate and feed - take a blood
meal (females), or plant juices
(males).

Life Cycle of a Mosquito

Adult
About equal numbers of
male
and
females
produced.
Males usually emerge
first and remain near the
larval habitats and mates
with the female soon
after their emergence.
Female tends to travel
greater distances and
appears to live long.

Life Cycle of a Mosquito

Adult

Habitat: Depend on the species of

mosquito
The Aedes prefers highly domesticated
areas and breeds in clean, clear water
and bites during the day (dusk to dawn).
The Culex mosquito is less particular
about the water quality in which they
breed (drains and dirty bodies of water)
and prefers to feeds at dawn or after
dusk.
The Anopheles sp. occurs in a wide
range of habitats but most species prefer
clean, unpolluted water. They can also
be found in fresh or salt water marshes,
mangrove swamps, the edge of streams
and rivers and temporary rain pools. A
few species breed in tree holes or the
leaf axils of some plants. Most Anopheles
species are active at dusk or dawn and
at nights.

Mosquitos Anatomy
Three parts of an adult
mosquito:
Head (eyes,
antennae, the mouth
parts (proboscis)
Thorax (wings and
venation)
Abdomen

Mosquitos Anatomy
The Head
Sensory organs which assist in
finding and feeding on people
and animals.
Two largecompound
eyescapable of detecting
even slight movement.
Antennae, long feathery
organs, which contain sensitive
receptors to detect carbon
dioxide in human breath from
distances of more than 100
feet.
Maxillary palp which pick up
the odor of ocentol and other
chemicals released in human
sweat.
Proboscis is a long serrated
mouthpart used to pierce the
skin and suck out blood. The
proboscis holds two tubes, one

Mosquitos Anatomy
The thorax
Legs there are three pairs of
legs resulting in 6 legs. The
legs are used to identify the
species
of
mosquito.
For
example the Aedes species
have white banded legs.

Mosquitos Anatomy
The abdomen
There are small opening on the
abdomen
called
spiracles
which draws in air.
The abdomen is also where the
mosquito stores its eggs.

Mosquito Identification

Mosquito
Identification
In the discipline of medical (public
health) entomology, a system of
keys has been developed to
identify mosquitoes at the species
and at the generic levels.
These keys are based on
anatomical features such as the
features of:
- the head (the eyes, the
antennae, the mouth parts);
- the thorax (the wings and
venation, the scales on the wings
and thorax, the legs and details;
- the abdomen ( the shape ,
the terminal segment, the hairs and
scales etc.).
However, for identification of
general common mosquito types, in
the egg, larval, pupal and adult
stages of an Anopheles, Aedes or
Culex types more detail is needed.

Clue: White banded

legs

Clue: Proboscis
longer than
Maxillary Palps

Mosquitoes in St. Vincent

Mosquito Borne Diseases

Mosquito- Borne Diseases

Aedes associated with the transmission of Dengue Fever (DF),
Chikungunya and Zika Virus. Yellow Fever although not endemic in
SVG is endemic in Trinidad.
Anopheles associated with the transmission of Malaria. Malaria is
not endemic to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is transmitted
by Anopheles mosquitoes in Countries such as Guyana, Suriname,
Belize, Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic (DR).
Culex associated with the transmission of Lymphatic filarias, but
only confirmed in Guyana and Suriname. The West West Nile virus
infection, transmitted by Culex mosquitoes, may be present in
migratory birds. In 2002, there were confirmed infections in birds
in Jamaica, DR and Puerto Rico. There were human cases in 2002
in Cayman and the Bahamas, and caged bird and horse infection
in Trinidad in 2004.

Dengue Fever and Chikungunya

Virus
Viral diseases transmitted from an infected
to a non-infected person, by the bite of an
Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Characterised by the sudden onset of:
Dengue Fever

Chikungunya Virus

Fever

High fever

Headache

Headache

Retro-orbital pains

Severe joint pain mainly in

arms and legs

Backache

Back pain

Loss of appetite

Rash (about 50% of persons

affected)

Muscle and joint pain

Muscle pain

Dengue Fever and Chikungunya

Virus
Incubation Period
Dengue Fever

Chikungunya Virus

Typically 3 to 5 days
with a range of 3 to 15
days

Typically 3 to 7days with

a range of 1 to 12 days.

The infection is selflimiting, and the patient

infected with one of the
4 Dengue serotypes
recovers after being
unwell for 10- 15 days.

Most people start to feel

better after 7 to 10 days
although some people
will develop longer term
joint pain.

Yellow Fever
The "yellow" in the name refers to the jaundice that affects some
patients.
Symptoms of yellow fever include:

Fever
Headache
Jaundice
Muscle Pain
Nausea
Vomiting and Fatigue

A small proportion of patients who contract the virus develop severe

symptoms and approximately half of those die within 7 to 10 days.
The virus is endemic in tropical areas of Africa and Central and South
America but is currently not endemic to St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
Since the launch of the Yellow Fever Initiative in 2006, significant
progress in combatting the disease has been made in West Africa and
more than 105 million people have been vaccinated in mass campaigns.

Yellow Fever
Large epidemics of yellow fever occur when infected people
introduce the virus into heavily populated areas with high
mosquito density and where most people have little or no
immunity, due to lack of vaccination. In these conditions,
infected mosquitoes transmit the virus from person to
person.
Yellow fever is prevented by an extremely effective vaccine,
which is safe and affordable. The vaccine provides effective
immunity within 30 days for 99% of persons vaccinated.
Good supportive treatment in hospitals improves survival
rates. There is currently no specific anti-viral drug for yellow
fever.

Zika Virus
Zika is also spread to people through the
bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito.
The virus can also be transmitted from an
infected mother to an unborn child
resulting in microcephaly.
This disease can also caused a paralytic
disease called Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
Studies also shown that the virus can also
be transmitted via sexual intercourse.

Zika Virus
People with Zika virus disease can have symptoms including:

mild fever,
skin rash,
conjunctivitis,
muscle and joint pain, malaise or
headache.

These symptoms normally last for 2-7 days.

The symptoms are similar to other arbovirus
infectionssuch as Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever and
Chikungunya
Confirmation of diseases is done through laboratory
testing

Factors affecting Disease Transmission:

Climate/Weather conditions
In some years there are more episodes of DF
transmission than other years, and this may be
affected by climatic conditions.
Dry hot periods such as occur in an El Nino period as
happened in late 2009 and early 2010 in the Caribbean
are not very conducive for mosquito production.
However, research has shown that the year after (El
Nino +1), when it is wet and warm could be good for
mosquito production and virus multiplication in the
mosquito and transmission to new susceptible hosts.
Thus late 2010 may well be a dangerous year for DF
transmission in EC countries (Fig.12).

Climate/Weather conditions

 The role of the Vector Control

Inspectors thus very important in
disease prevention, since: There are no effective treatment or
vaccines for most diseases
transmitted by the mosquitoes.
It is therefore, important to
control/eliminate the immature and
mature stages of the mosquito!

Questions?