Presence of Arboviral Vector in Tourist Attractions and Public Places: Abundance, Associated Factors and Susceptibility to Temephos

• Published in: Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences
• Main Author: Sayono S.; Handoyo W.; Sumanto D.; Ekafitri W.A.; Isa M.R.; Nurul-Azira M.S.; Wan-Norafikah O.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Asian Network for Scientific Information 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85202578942&doi=10.3923%2fpjbs.2024.337.347&partnerID=40&md5=52ca18d5ed87b40b7900827dab9fe3ee

Background and Objective: Aedes mosquito is a competent vector of arboviruses, mainly dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever. The high incidence of arboviral infections among travelers indicated the vulnerability of tourist attractions and public places visitors to arboviral infections. This study aimed to determine the presence and population density of Aedes mosquitoes at the places, as well as the susceptibility to temephos larvicide. Materials and Methods: A total of 17 tourist attractions and public places in four districts/cities of Central Java Province were selected as study sites and 25-40 ovitraps were installed in each location for three days. The coordinates, altitude, vegetation density, shade, wind speed, air temperature and humidity were recorded. Ovistrips and water of each ovitrap were observed in the laboratory to determine the ovitrap index (OI) and egg density index (EDI), mosquito species and their susceptibility to temephos. Results: A total of 12,231 eggs were obtained with a range, OI and EDI of 0-1,024, 42% and 31.93 eggs/trap, respectively. Vegetation density, shade and wind speed were significantly associated with the presence of Aedes eggs in the ovitraps (p<0.05), while altitude, temperature and air humidity were correlated with the average of Aedes eggs per ovitrap. Conclusion: Although Aedes larvae in all study sites were susceptible to temephos 0.02 mg/L the results indicated the vulnerability of visitors to Aedes-borne diseases. Further investigation of arbovirus infections in Aedes mosquitoes at tourist attractions and public places is necessary conducted to evaluate the potential and risk of pathogen transmission to visitors. © 2024 Sayono Sayono et al.