Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) is one of the world’s most widely distributed mosquitoes and is the vector of the dengue virus, one of the most important reemerging diseases. Besides dengue, A. aegypti can also transmit urban yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus, making it of great medical importance. Thus, it is of extreme importance to find reliable methods to evaluate the presence of A. aegypti in urban areas. In Brazil, rapid index surveys of Aedes aegypti by means of larval survey (LIRAa) is the official method to estimate the Breteau (BI) and property infestation (PII) indexes, which indicates how many infested containers with larvae of A. aegypti were found by the total number of properties surveyed and the proportion of houses infested, respectively. As the LIRAa requires access to private residences and trained personal to find breeding sites and do not reveal the mosquito’s presence when in low density, it has not demonstrated efficacy in determining the presence of A. aegypti. To evaluate an alternative method, the LIRAa method was compared with an oviposition trap, made with hay infusion and a hardboard pallet, to evaluate the BI and the PII. The 2 methods were carried out simultaneously through 4 surveys, sampling 60 homes per survey. To evaluate the best configuration of ovitraps for surveillance of A. aegypti, the ovitraps were installed in intradomicile and peridomicile areas, with 1 to 5 traps per residence and with 1 to 3 pallets per trap, and these different configurations were compared using the positive ovitrap index (POI) and egg density index (EDI). The ovitraps showed greater sensitivity for detecting the presence of A. aegypti, with a BI of 72.5% and PII of 54.2%, whereas the LIRAa revealed only 2.1% for the BI and 1.3% for the PII. Therefore, the use of sentinel traps can provide information in a more rapid and precise manner. As there were no differences in the ovitraps distributions patterns, the ovitraps can be installed in the peridomicile area, with 2 traps per surveillance point and 1 pallet per trap, making their installation easier and more cost-efficient, facilitating the work of health agents in future surveillances complementing LIRAa’s actions for efficient monitoring.

Fragmentos de mata na área urbana ou periurbana podem ser locais favoráveis a procriação de Culicidae. Esse trabalho teve como objetivo levantar as espécies de culicídeos que utilizam criadouros artificiais, suas coexistência e as flutuações populacionais em uma reserva de mata localizada em Londrina - PR. Realizou-se coletas quinzenais de outubro de 1995 a setembro de 1996 em pneus e internódios de bambu armadilha que foram instalados ao nível do solo e outros internódios instalados a 2 m de altura. Coletou-se 12.656 espécimes, pertencentes a cinco gêneros e 11 espécies. As espécies mais abundantes nos criadouros foram Limatus durham Theobald, 1901, Culex eduardoi Casal & Garcia, 1968, Aedes terrens (Walker, 1856), Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823 e Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894). O maior número de indivíduos foi coletado em pneus, sendo que Limatus durham e Aedes terrens, apresentaram preferência nesse criadouro. A presença de Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762), Aedes albopictus e Haemagogus leucocelaenus (Dyar & Shannon, 1924) em diferentes coletas indica que esse tipo de ambiente não deve ser ignorado nas ações de controle de vetores, merecendo constante monitoramento.

The control of arboviruses carried by Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) can be performed with tools that monitor and reduce the circulation of these vectors. Therefore, the efficiency of four types of traps in capturing A. aegypti and A. albopictus eggs and adults, with the biological product Vectobac WG, was evaluated in the field. For this, 20 traps were installed in two locations, which were in the South (Londrina, Paraná) and North (Manaus, Amazonas) Regions of Brazil, from March to April 2017 and January to February 2018, respectively. The UELtrap-E (standard trap) and UELtrap-EA traps captured A. aegypti and A. albopictus eggs: 1703/1866 eggs in Londrina, and 10268/2149 eggs in Manaus, respectively, and presented high ovitraps positivity index (OPI) values (averages: 100%/100% in Londrina, and 100%/96% in Manaus, respectively); and high egg density index (EDI) values (averages: 68/75 in Londrina, and 411/89 in Manaus, respectively), so they had statistically superior efficiency to that of the CRtrap-E and CRtrap-EA traps in both regions, that captured less eggs and adults: 96/69 eggs in Londrina, and 1091/510 eggs in Manaus, respectively. Also presented lower OPI values (averages: 28%/4% in Londrina, and 88%/60% in Manaus, respectively); and lower EDI values (averages: 10.5/9 in Londrina, and 47/30 in Manaus, respectively). The capture ratios of Aedes adults in the UELtrap-EA and CRtrap-EA traps in Londrina and Manaus were 53.3%/29.5% and 0%/9.8%, respectively. UELtrap-EA can be adopted as efficient tool for Aedes monitoring due to their high sensitivity, low cost and ease of use.

Londrina is the fourth most populous city in southern Brazil. Its subtropical weather with rain in all seasons, as well as its high population density, make the city perfect for the Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) life cycle. Over the last few years, Londrina presented high infestation indexes and was one of the cities with the most reported cases of dengue. Uncontrolled use of synthetic insecticides may influence the mosquito’s genetic composition. In this paper, we studied mitochondrial DNA and kdr mutations in Aedes aegypti. The analysis of the ND4 gene in 330 specimens showed the presence of 27 haplotypes. The pyrethroid resistance alleles (kdr) evaluated are present in the collected populations, with a 50% frequency of the Val1016Ile and 48% of the Phe1534Cys mutations. Such analysis of the mutations in the populations collected at the State University of Londrina’s campus – a microenvironment that differs from the rest of the city – showed frequencies of 57% and 62%, respectively. The low gene flow observed, Nm = 0.11 and Nm = 0.10, along with the elevated differentiation, Fst = 0.19 and Fst = 0.18, among populations suggest an influence of genetic drift. The strong presence of resistance alleles kdr in the city is evident, which demonstrates that even with the interruption of the use of pyrethroids by the National Dengue Control Program, resistance may be maintained due to domestic use. Thus, the results have shown the need for genetic monitoring, alongside other entomological surveillance monitoring tools, to create strategies of mosquito control.

Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823 (Diptera, Culicidae) has relevance in health due to their role in transmitting pathogens that cause diseases such as Bancroftian filariasis, West Nile virus, Rift Valley fever, Saint Louis encephalitis, Zika virus and Mayaro virus. Subsequent monitoring and control of these vectors are crucial to minimize the circulation of these pathogens. Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis de Barjac, 1978 (Bti) is a bacterium that produces toxins with specific entomopathogenic action, distinguishing it from synthetic insecticides due to its high specificity and lower susceptibility to resistance. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of new Bti-based formulations for controlling C. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes under field conditions. Product BR 101 demonstrated satisfactory efficacy for up to five days, achieving a peak population reduction of 94.97% on the third day post-application, followed by a gradual population recovery. The product proved effective for C. quinquefasciatus control without affecting abiotic factors, offering an efficient option for reducing vector density with minimal impact on non-target fauna due to its selectivity.