Dispersal and other population parameters of Aedes aegypti in an African village and their possible significance in epidemiology of vector-borne diseases

Dispersal of Aedes aegypti aegypti adults within Shauri Moyo, an African village in the Rabai area north of Mombasa, Kenya, was studied using the mark-release-recapture method. A total of 920 mosquitoes were captured and uniquely marked, of which 828 (90%) were released and 332 (40%) recaptured. A great majority of mosquitoes were recaptured once, but some individuals were recaptured up to 10 times. Most females visited 1 or 2 houses (40.8%, 44.9%, respectively), but there were females that visited as many as 5 houses. Mosquito movement among houses of the village is summarized in tables. Dispersal ability of Aedes aegypti females was d = 0.592 and males d = 0.433. The maximum distance females and males moved per 24 hr was 154 m and 113 m, respectively. The mean distance rate was 57.0 m/day for females and 44.2 m/day for males. The size of the mosquito population at Shauri Moyo village was estimated to be 331.1 ± 146.5 using the Lincoln index method, 533.3 by the Fisher and Ford method, 270.3 ± 179.5 by Bailey's triple catch method and 380.1 ± 92.9 by the Jolly-Seber method. The mean female and male survival was 10.7 and 5.8 days, respectively. The maximum survival of females was 42 days and males 18 days. The daily survival of females and males estimated by the Fisher and Ford method was 0.825 and 0.693, respectively. The daily survival estimated using the Jolly-Seber method was 0.852 for females and 0.532 for males. Longevity is discussed in relation to extrinsic incubation periods of yellow fever and dengue viruses. The recapture rates, survivorship, and size of the village population indicate that the Ae. aegypti population in Shauri Moyo village is fairly stable. Presence or absence of blood in the stomach, and developmental stages of the ovaries were measured, showing that the majority of females fed twice and some fed as many as 3 times during one gonotrophic cycle.