Prevalence of Stegomyia albopicta in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, India

Abstract

Dengue is one of the rapidly spreading mosquito-borne diseases transmitted worldwide by the bites of infected Stegomyia aegypti and St. albopicta mosquito. Both species are adapted for human habitation and breeds mainly in temporary water bodies. In the present study, a preliminary larval survey was carriedout in four different localities of Dakshina Kannada District. Of the 1094 suspected water bodies, 496 sites showed the presence of St. albopicta larvae and none of them showed the presence of St. aegypti indicating the dominance of the former species. The occurrence of St. albopicta was significantly higher in natural phytotelmata compared to artificial containers. Among the different breeding sites, receptacles contributed 24.5% of larval positivity. The receptacles also showed a higher breeding preference ratio (1.56) indicating that abandoned waste thrashes when receives water may act as the most preferred breeding sites for dengue vector species.