Medical Entomology Flashcards
What is medical entomology
Science that deals with arthropods of medical importance
Quality of life can be reduced in areas of ________
Bitting mosquitoes
Quality of life can be reduced in areas of ________
High numbers of Bitting mosquitoes
their bites can produce itchy welts, and the bites of some species are painful to certain individuals.
Mosquitoes
What diseases are mosquitos vectors of
1) the Protozoa that causes malaria
2) the nematode worms that cause filariasis
3) And a number of arboviruses e.g yellow fever, dengue fever, West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis, la crosse encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis
How many species of mosquito is there in the world
There are an estimated 3,200 species of mosquitoes in the world
What mosquito transmits West Nile fever
Culex mosquito
Nuisance species of culex mosquitoes
Aedes, ochlerotatus, psorophora that are aggressive bloodsuckers, but are not known to be vectors of West Nile Virus
What is vector competence
refers to the ability of a mosquito to acquire an arbovirus from a reservoir host and later transmit the arbovirus to a susceptible host during the act of taking another blood meal. This is dependent on the mosquito being a suitable host in which the arbovirus survives, undergoes essential development, multiples, and eventually reaches and infects the salivary glands.
Factors that determine vector capacity
Vector competence
Mosquito populations
Host preference
Biting rates
Physiological factors also are important, including mosquito immunity to infection by specific arboviruses. Mosquitoes may be competent, but are not effective vectors if they have low vector capacity
Life cycle of mosquito
Egg- 1st larva stage- 2nd larva stage-3rd larva stage- 4th larva stage- pupa stage- Adult
Mosquito control
1) source reduction
Elimination of water from places where mosquitoes lay eggs
2) Adulticiding
Use of pesticides
List the larviciding process
1) involves applying pesticides containing methoprene or Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis or B. sphaericus bacteria, to water where mosquito larvae develop
2) Goldfish (Carassius) and mosquito fish (Gambusia) can be used for this purpose as well.
3) other types of larvicides include those that cover the surface of the water with thin films of liquid preventing the larvae from getting oxygen
List the ways to prevent mosquito bites
Mosquito repellent: repellent products containing VEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus are recommended by the CDC
The CDC also recommends treating clothing with permethrin which acts both as a repellent and an insecticide.
Other compounds such as ________, __________, ____________ are purported to be repellants but research does not support this
Citronella
Garlic
Vitamin B
