Landscape and meteorological variables associated withAedes aegyptiandAedes albopictusmosquito infestation in two southeastern USA coastal cities

Abstract

AbstractAedestransmitted arboviral human cases are increasing worldwide and spreading to new areas of the United States of America (USA). These diseases continue to re-emerge likely due to changes in vector ecology, urbanization, human migration, and larger range of climatic suitability. Recent shifts in landscape and weather variables are predicted to impact the habitat patterns of urban mosquitoes such asAedes aegyptiandAedes albopictus. Miami (FL) is in the tropical zone and an established hotspot for arboviruses, while Charleston (SC) is in the humid subtropical zone and newly vulnerable. Although these coastal cities have distinct climates, both have hot summers. To understand mosquito infestation in both cities and potentiate our surveillance effort, we performed egg collections in the warmest season. We applied remote sensing with land-use cover and weather variation to identify mosquito infestation patterns. Our study found predominant occurrence ofAe. aegyptiand, to a lesser extent,Ae. albopictusin both cities. We detected statistically significant positive and negative associations between entomological indicators and most weather variables in combined data from both cities. For all entomological indices, weekly wind speed and relative humidity were significantly positively associated, while precipitation and maximum temperature were significantly negatively associated.Aedesegg abundance was significantly positively associated with open land in Charleston but was negatively associated with vegetation cover in combined data. There is a clear need for further observational studies to determine the impact of climate change onAe. aegyptiandAe. albopictusinfestation in the Southeastern region of the USA.