Studies on potential breeding habitats of dengue and chickungunya vector mosquitoes in Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

In recent past, entomological survey has not been carried out in the rural villages of Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu, India. Keeping this in view, larvae and pupae of Aedes mosquitoes from different artificial containers were collected from higher altitudes of the Ramanathapuram, viz. Paramakudi, Rameshwaram, Tiruvadanai, Kadaladi, and Ramanathapuram during pre (May-June) and post (November-December) monsoon seasons in 2015 to understand the seasonal distribution, so as to forecast the risk of dengue transmission. Collected immature were transported to laboratory and allowed to emerge as adult. The adults were identified up to the species level. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were highest in water tanks followed by in discarded tyres and the maximum number of collection was made from Ramanathapuram followed by Rameshwaram. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index value of Aedes mosquitoes in the study areas recorded for Ae. aegypti, Ae. albopictus, and Ae. vittatus were 1.1571, 0.1105, and 0.0674, respectively. Presence of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in both seasons reveals re-emergence of vector borne diseases at higher altitudes.