article · Frontiers in Tropical Diseases
A field survey in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, examined the water conditions of natural and artificial breeding sites for Aedes mosquitoes across urban and suburban settings. Out of 438 inspected habitats, over 62 per cent contained mosquito larvae, with Aedes species present in more than three quarters of the positive sites. Aedes albopictus was the predominant species identified, followed by Aedes aegypti, and both species shared nearly identical habitat water characteristics. Compared to Culex breeding locations, Aedes sites exhibited higher dissolved oxygen along with lower turbidity and lower salinity. Water salinity was notably higher in bamboo and metal containers, whereas dissolved oxygen was highest in tins. Statistical analysis revealed that mosquito larval density was positively associated with salinity and dissolved oxygen when adjusted for water temperature, pH, and turbidity.
Aedes mosquitoes transmit debilitating viral infections such as dengue and chikungunya. Understanding the precise water conditions and container types that support their breeding helps public health teams anticipate mosquito population dynamics. These ecological insights can inform targeted vector control interventions in rapidly expanding urban and suburban settings, making disease prevention efforts more efficient and resource-effective.
This early-stage ecological research provides baseline environmental parameters that public health agencies and vector control organisations can use to refine targeted surveillance and habitat mitigation protocols. The data could also inform developers of water treatment solutions, larvicides, or monitoring sensors. However, the work remains observational research, and the abstract does not outline an immediate commercial product or applied deployment pathway.
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Background The knowledge of key elements of the ecosystem affecting mosquito distribution and their population dynamics is essential for designing mosquito-borne disease interventions. The present study characterized the physicochemical properties of Aedes mosquito breeding habitats in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Kinshasa, from February to April 2021. The physicochemical characteristics of the natural and artificial aquatic habitats of Aedes were measured using a multiparametric device. Results Out of 438 breeding habitats inspected, 273 (62.3%) contained mosquito larvae. The Aedes mosquitoes identified in 76.19% of positive breeding sites were Aedes albopictus (67.30%) and Aedes aegypti (37.98%). The median values of dissolved oxygen (DO) (1.0), turbidity (19.15), and salinity (0.115) in water breeding sites of Aedes were respectively 0.8, 55.0, and 0.29 in Culex breeding sites ( p < 0.05). The physicochemical characteristics of the breeding habitat for Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were almost identical. In urban areas, the median temperature was 29.82 while it was 29.60 in suburban areas ( p < 0.05). Significantly, the salinity was higher in bamboo and metal containers while DO was higher in tins. After analysis using simple linear regression, total dissolved solids (r = 0.23; p = 0.000), conductivity (r = 0.23), salinity (r = 0.23), and temperature (r = 0.13) were associated with larval density ( p < 0.05). In the final model (r = 0.30, p = 0.01), salinity (r = 0.23) and DO (r = 0.138) adjusted to temperature, pH, and turbidity were associated positively to larvae density. Conclusion The Aedes breeding sites and mosquito density were significantly influenced by water salinity, DO, temperature, pH, and turbidity.
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DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2021.789273
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