Relationship between vertical stratification and feeding habits of mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) assemblages collected in conservation units in the green belt of the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Autor(es)

Evangelista, Eduardo ^{[1, 2]} ; Medeiros-Sousa, Antonio Ralph ^[3] ; Ceretti-Junior, Walter ^[3] ; Oliveira-Christe, Rafael ^[1] ; Wilk-da-Silva, Ramon ^[1] ; Duarte, Ana Maria Ribeiro de Castro ^[4] ; Vendrami, Daniel Pagotto ^[1] ; Carvalho, Gabriela Cristina de ^[3] ; Mucci, Luis Filipe ^[4] ; Marrelli, Mauro Toledo ^[3]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Trop Med, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Hlth Surveillance Unit, Sao Paulo City Hall, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[4] State Dept Hlth, Superintendency Control Endem Dis SUCEN, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Acta Tropica; v. 221, SEP 2021.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

Sa tilde o Paulo is one of the largest cities in the world and has several characteristics that favor a diversity of urban and wild mosquitoes. Little is known about how variations in mosquito diversity and feeding preferences for different hosts in different vegetation strata can influence the risk of pathogen transmission to humans. We investigated vertical stratification of mosquitoes and its relationship with vertebrate hosts in environments with different degrees of conservation in two conservation units in the city of Sa tilde o Paulo. Adult mosquitoes were collected using CDC traps, aspiration and Shannon traps. After morphological identification, host blood in engorged females was analyzed by PCR with a vertebrate-specific primer set based on mitochondrial cytochrome b DNA of vertebrates commonly found in the two conservation units. Although a higher abundance of the species Anopheles cruzii and Culex nigripalpus was found in the canopy, blood not only from birds but also from humans and rodents was identified in these mosquitoes. In one of the units, Wyeomyia confusa and Limatus durhamii were found occupying mainly niches at ground level while Culex vaxus was frequently found in the canopy. Haemagogus leucocelaenus, the main vector of yellow fever, was found in low abundance at all collection points, particularly in the canopy. Species richness and composition tended to vary little between canopy and ground level in the same environment, but the abundance between canopy and ground level varied more depending on the species analyzed, the most abundant and frequent species exhibiting a predilection for the canopy. Even those mosquito species observed more frequently in the canopy did not show an association with hosts found in this stratum as most of the blood identified in these species was from humans, suggesting opportunist feeding behavior, i.e., feeding on the most readily available host in the environment. The two most common species in the study, An. cruzii and Cx. nigripalpus, may be able to act as bridge vectors for pathogens to circulate between the forest canopy and ground level. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 14/50444-5 - Biodiversidade de mosquitos (Diptera : Culicidae) no Parque Estadual da Cantareira e na área de proteção ambiental Capivari - Monos, estado de São Paulo
• Beneficiário: Mauro Toledo Marrelli
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOTA - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 15/25820-6 - Estudo das variações das assembleias de culicídeos (Diptera: Culicidae) nos diferentes estratos da vegetação e sua relação com hábitos alimentares
• Beneficiário: Eduardo Evangelista
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Mestrado