Factors associated with the presence and abundance of Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae): Perspectives from larval habitat‐scale and neighbourhood‐scale analyses in the Argentine subtropics

Abstract

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae) are invasive speciesknown for their notable expansion capacity, which makes them relevant in the contextof public health due to their role as vectors. In Argentina, these species coexist in alimited subtropical area in Northeastern part of the country. Because of the limitedknowledge existing about these species in this region, the present study aims to investigate the determinants of the presence and abundance of both vectors at the larvalhabitat scale (presence and abundance) and neighbourhood scale (House, Containerand Breteau Indices; abundance; and number of pupae). For this purpose, preimaginalstages of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti were sampled in households from areas withvariable urbanisation degrees (in rural, vegetated urban and non-vegetated urban)located in the province of Misiones, Argentina. The analyses considered the association with meteorological variables (temperature and precipitation), environmental variables (type of urbanisation), biotic variables (presence of predator species) andcontainer characteristics (size and water volume). At the larval habitat scale, Ae. albopictus was associated with precipitation, temperature and rural environments. In contrast, Ae. aegypti was positively associated with urban environments and negativelywith predator presence. At the neighbourhood scale, Ae. albopictus was primarily associated with precipitation and temperature, whereas Ae. aegypti showed a negativeassociation with predator presence and positive associations with urban environmentsand, to a lesser degree, meteorological variables. These results indicate that inArgentina, meteorological, biotic and environmental factors have differential influenceson Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti, underscoring the need to consider them for thedevelopment of effective public health strategies.