Mosquitoes Flashcards
Anatomy of mosquitoes
- Proboscis
- Head
- Thorax
- Abdomen
- Legs
Which gender mosquitoes bite and transmit disease?
Only females
Male versus female mosquito
- In the male, long hairs on the antennae give them a feathery appearance
- Hairs on the antennae of the female are shorter
- Males have longer palps
What are the 3 major genus of mosquitoes?
- Aedes
- Culex
- Anopheles
When are Aedes mosquitoes most active?
Aggressive day biters
When are Culex mosquitoes most active?
Most active at dawn and dusk, but can bite at night
When are Anopheles mosquitoes most active?
Most active at dawn and dusk, but can bite at night
How do Aedes mosquitoes lay eggs?
- Singly with no floats
- Their larvae rest at an angle to the water surface and have a short breathing tube with one pair of hair tufts
How do Anopheles mosquitoes lay eggs?
- Singly in floats
- Their larvae rest parallel to the water surface and have a rudimentary breathing tube
How do Culex mosquitoes lay eggs?
- In rafts with no floats
- Their larvae rest at an angle to the water surface and have a long, slender breathing tube that has several pairs of hair tufts
What diseases do Culex annulirostris cause?
- Ross river fever
- Barmah forest virus heart worm
- Japanese encephalitus
Which important mosquitoes are found in Brisbane?
- Culex annulirostris (Freshwater)
- Aedes vigilax (Saltmarsh)
- Aedes notoscriptus (Container breeding)
What diseases do Aedes vigilax cause?
- Ross river fever
- Barmah forest viruses
What diseases do Aedes notoscriptus cause?
- Heart worm
- Dengue and asian tiger disease which are not yet in brisbane
Gonotrophic cycle
The cycle of ovarian development from the time of the blood meal to the time when the fully developed eggs are laid
What does EIP stand for?
Extrinsic Incubation Period
Extrinsic Incubation Period
EIP:
- The period between the infection of a mosquito with a virus and when the mosquito is able to infect the next vertebrate host
Invasive Aedes Mosquito Species and risks to Public Health
- Increasing in travel and global trade causes environmental and climatic changes
- Leads to Expansion of mosquito range and new pathogen introduction
- Results in risk enhancement for animal and human pathogens transmission
Effect of climate change on Vector-borne disease emergence
Increased:
- vector-biting rate
- Development rate
- Pathogen replication (reducing
extrinsic incubation period)
Direct effects of climate change on VBD
- Distribution and development rate
of vectors - Infection probability and development rates of pathogens in vectors
- Feeding frequency of the vector
- Heat stress and hosts’ resistance
Indirect effects of climate change on VBD
- Decline in biodiversity - monocultures of highly productive breeds of animals
- Land use changes: irrigation/deforestation
Factors affecting vector competence of mosquitoes
- Isolation of virus from wild caught mosquitoes
- Infection of vector after feeding on a viremic host
- Transmission of the virus by the arthropod bite
- Association on field infected vector – infected vertebrate population
Key VBD carried by mosquitoes
- Malaria (parasite)
- Yellow fever (virus)
- Dengue fever/hemorrhagic fever (virus)
- Filariasis (helminth)
- Encephalitis (viruses)
Characteristics of malaria
- Fever, fatigue, vomiting, and headaches
- Severe cases: yellow skin, seizures, coma or death
