Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Microclimate and Human Factors in the Divergent Ecology of Aedes aegypti along the Arizona, U.S./Sonora, MX Border

  • Original Contribution
  • Published:
EcoHealth Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examined the association of human and environmental factors with the presence of Aedes aegypti, the vector for dengue fever and yellow fever viruses, in a desert region in the southwest United States and northwest Mexico. Sixty-eight sites were longitudinally surveyed along the United States–Mexico border in Tucson, AZ, Nogales, AZ, and Nogales, Sonora during a 3-year period. Aedes aegypti presence or absence at each site was measured three times per year using standard oviposition traps. Maximum and minimum temperature and relative humidity were measured hourly at each site. Field inventories were conducted to measure human housing factors potentially affecting mosquito presence, such as the use of air-conditioning and evaporative coolers, outdoor vegetation cover, and access to piped water. The results showed that Ae. aegypti presence was highly variable across space and time. Aedes aegypti presence was positively associated with highly vegetated areas. Other significant variables included microclimatic differences and access to piped water. This study demonstrates the importance of microclimate and human factors in predicting Ae. aegypti distribution in an arid environment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aiken SR, Frost DB, Leigh CH (1980) Dengue hemorrhagic fever rainfall in peninsular Malaysia: some suggested relationships. Social Science & Medicine: Medical Geography 14D:307-316

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Alto BW, Juliano SA (2001) Precipitation and temperature effects on populations of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae): implications for range expansion. Journal of Medical Entomology 38(5):646-656

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barrera R, Amador M, Clark GG (2006) Ecological factors influencing Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) productivity in artificial containers in Salinas, Puerto Rico. Journal of Medical Entomology 43:484-492

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartley LM, Donnelly CA, Garnett GP (2002) The seasonal pattern of dengue in endemic areas: mathematical models of mechanism. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 96(4):387-397

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bequaert J (1946) Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, in Arizona. Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society 41:157

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter SR (1982) Stemflow chemistry: effects on population dynamics of detritivorous mosquitoes in tree-hole ecosystems. Oecologia 53:1-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chadee DD (1990) Aedes aegypti surveillance in Tobago, West Indies (1983-1988). Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 6:148-150

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chakravarti A, Kumaria R (2002) Eco-epidemiological analysis of dengue infection during an outbreak of dengue fever, India. Virology Journal 2:32. Available: http://www.virologyj.com/content/2/1/32. Accessed Dec 2008

  • Chang MS, Hii J, Buttner P, Mansoor F (1997) Changes in abundance and behavior of vector mosquitoes induced by land use during the development of an oil palm plantation in Sarawak. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 91:382-386

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Christophers SR (1960) Aedes aegypti (L.), the yellow fever mosquito: its life history, bionomics and structure. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Colwell, RR, Epstein PR, Gubler D, Maynard N, McMichael AJ, Patz JA, Sack B, Shope R (1998) Climate change and human health. Science 279:963

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Comrie AC (2000) Mapping a wind-modified urban heat island in Tucson, Arizona (with comments on integrating research and undergraduate learning). Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 81:2417-2431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui J (2007) QIC program and model selection in GEE analyses. The Stata Journal 7:209-220

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly C, Gibson WP, Taylor GH, Johnson GL, Pasteris P (2002) A knowledge-based approach to the statistical mapping of climate. Climate Research 22:99-113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darsie RF, Ward RA (editors) (2005) Identification and Geographical Distribution of the Mosquitoes of North America, North of Mexico. Gainesville: University of Florida Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Engelthaler DM, Fink TM, Levy CE, Leslie MJ (1997) The reemergence of Aedes aegypti in Arizona. Emerging Infectious Diseases 3:241-242

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fay RW, Eliason DA (1966) A preferred oviposition site as a surveillance method for Aedes aegypti. Mosquito News 26:531-535

    Google Scholar 

  • Focks DA, Daniels E, Haile DH, Keesling JE (1995) A simulation model of the epidemiology of urban dengue fever: Literature analysis, model development, preliminary validation, and samples of simulation results. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 53:489-506

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gubler DJ (1997) Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever: its history and resurgences as a global public health problem. In: Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, Gubler DJ, Kuno G, (editors), Wallingford, UK: CABI Publishing, pp 1-22

    Google Scholar 

  • Gubler DJ (2006) Dengue/dengue haemorrhagic fever: history and current status. Novartis Found Symposium 277:3-16; discussion 16-22, 71-73, 251-253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrington LC, Scott TW, Lerdthusnee K, Coleman RC, Costero A, Clark GG, Jones JJ, Kitthawee S, Kittayapong P, Sithiprasasna R, Edman JD (2005) Dispersal of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti within and between rural communities. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 72(2):209-220

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes GR, Tinker ME (1958) The 1956-1957 status of Aedes aegypti in the United States. Mosquito News 18:253-257

    Google Scholar 

  • Herrera-Basto E, Prevots DR, Zarate ML, Silva JL, Sepulveda-Amor J (1992) First reported outbreak of classical dengue fever at 1,700 meters above sea level in guerrero state, Mexico, June 1988. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 46:649-653

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoeck PA, Ramberg FB, Merrill SA, Moll C, Hagedorn HH (2003) Population and parity levels of Aedes aegypti collected in Tucson. Journal of Vector Ecology 28:65-73

    Google Scholar 

  • Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geográfica e Informática (INEGI) (2000) Available: http://www.inegi.gob.mx/inegi/default.asp. Accessed March 2007

  • Jetten TH, Focks DA (1997) Changes in the distribution of dengue transmission under climate warming scenarios. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 57:285-297

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Juliano SA, Lounibos LP, O’Meara GF (2004) A field test for competitive effects of Aedes albopictus on A aegypti in South Florida: differences between sites of coexistence and exclusion?. Oecologia 139(4):583-593

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kay B, Vu SN (2005) New strategy against Aedes aegypti in Vietnam. Lancet 365:613-617

    Google Scholar 

  • Koopman JS, Prevots DR, Vaca Marin MA, Gomez Dantes H, Zarate Aquino ML, Longini IM Jr, Sepulveda Amor J (1991) Determinants and predictors of dengue infection in Mexico. American Journal of Epidemiology 133:1168-1178

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MacArthur RH (1972) Geographical Ecology: Patterns in the Distribution of Species. Oxford: Princeton University Press, pp 144-149

    Google Scholar 

  • Magnarelli LA (1978) Nectar-feeding by female mosquitoes and its relation to follicular development and parity. Journal of Medical Entomology 14:527-530

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martinez-Ibarra JA, Rodriguez MH, Arredondo-Jimenez JI, Yuval B (1997) Influence of plant abundance on nectar feeding by Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in southern Mexico. Journal of Medical Entomology 34:589-593

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly PF (1957) Genetical aspects of the Aedes aegypti problem. I. Taxonomy and bionomics. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 51:392-408

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald JL, Sluss TP, Lang JD, Roan CC (1973) Mosquitoes of Arizona. Tucson (AZ): University of Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station, Technical Bulletin No. 205.

  • Merrill SA, Ramberg FB, Hagedorn HH (2005) Phylogeography and population structure of Aedes aegypti in Arizona. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 72:304-310

    Google Scholar 

  • Migration News (2005) Available: www.fnsnews@nmsu.edu. Accessed September 2008

  • Moore CG, Cline BL, Ruiz-Tiben E, Lee D, Romney-Joseph H, Rivera-Correa E (1978) Aedes aegypti in Puerto Rico: environmental determinants of larval abundance and relation to dengue virus transmission. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 27:1225-1231

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison AC, Zielinski-Gutierrez E, Scott TW, Rosenberg R (2008) Defining challenges and proposing solutions for control of the virus vector Aedes aegypti. PLoS Med 5(3):e68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy D (1953) Collections records of some Arizona mosquitoes. Entomology News 14:233-238

    Google Scholar 

  • Nagao Y, Thavara U, Chitnumsup P, Tawatsin A, Chansang C, Campbell-Lendrum D (2003) Climatic and social risk factors for Aedes infestation in rural Thailand. Tropical Medicine and International Health 8(7):650-659

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Climatic Data Center (2006) Available: www.ncdc.gov. Accessed April 2007

  • National Weather Service (2006) Available: www.nws.noaa.gov. Accessed May 2007

  • Oke TR (1996) Boundary layer climates, 2nd edn. New York: Routledge

    Google Scholar 

  • Pan W (2001) Akaike’s information criterion in generalized estimating equations. Biometrics 57:120-125

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) (2006) Number of reported cases of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever, region of the Americas, 2006. Available: http://www.paho.org/common/Display.asp?Lang=E&RecID=8979. Accessed Jan 2007

  • Patz JA, McGeehin MA, Bernard SM, Ebi KL, Epstein PR, Grambsch A, Gubler DJ, Reiter P, Rombieu I, Rose JB, Samet JM, Trtanj J (2000) US national assessment on climate change: health report. Environmental Health Perspectives 108(4):367-376

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson TA, Martinez-Campos C, Nakazawa Y, Martinez-Meyer E (2005) Time-specific ecological niche modeling predicts spatial dynamics of vector insects and human dengue cases. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 99:647-655

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramos MM, Mohammad H, Zielinski-Gutierrez E, Hayden MH, Robles Lopez JL, Fournier M, Rodríguez Trujillo A, Burton R, Brunkard JM, Anaya-Lopez L, Abell A, Kuri-Morales P, Smith B, Munoz J, Waterman S, and the Dengue Serosurvey Working Group (2008) Epidemic dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever at the Texas–Mexico border: results of a household-based seroepidemiological survey, December 2005. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 78(3):364-369

    Google Scholar 

  • Ratho RK, Mishra B, Kaur J, Kakkar N, Sharma K (2005) An outbreak of dengue fever in periurban slums of Chandigarh, India, with special reference to entomological and climatic factors. Indian Journal of Medical Science 59(12):518-526

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reiter P (2007) Oviposition, dispersal, and survival in Aedes aegypti: implications for the efficacy of control strategies. Vector Borne Zoonotic Diseases 7(2):261-273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reiter P, Amador MA, Colon N (1991) Enhancement of the CDC ovitrap with hay infusions for daily monitoring of Aedes aegypti populations. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 7(1):52-55

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reiter P, Lathrop S, Bunning M, Biggerstaff B, Singer D, Tiwari T, Baber L, Amador M, Thirion J, Hayes J, Seca C, Mendez J, Ramirez B, Robinson J, Rawlings J, Vorndam V, Waterman S, Gubler D, Clark G, Hayes E (2003) Texas lifestyle limits transmission of dengue virus. Emerging Infectious Diseases 9:86-89

    Google Scholar 

  • Rueda LM, Patel KJ, Axtell RC, Skinner RE (1990) Temperature-dependent development and survival rates of Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: culicidae). Journal of Medical Entomology 27:892-898

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanchez L, Vanlerberghe V, Alfonso L, del Carmen Marquetti M, Guzman MG, Bisset J, van der Stuyft P (2006) Aedes aegypti larval indices and risk for dengue epidemics. Emerging Infectious Diseases 12(5):800-806

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott TW, Morrison AC, Lorenz LH, Clark GG, Strickman D, Kittayapong P, Zhou H, Edman JD (2000) Longitudinal studies of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Thailand and Puerto Rico: population dynamics. Journal of Medical Entomology 37:77-88

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sota T, Mogi M (1992) Interspecific variation in desiccation survival time of Aedes (stegomyia) mosquito eggs is correlated with habitat and egg size. Oecologia 90:353-358

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thammapalo S, Chongsuwiwatwong V, Geater A, Lim A, Choomalee K (2005) Socio-demographic and environmental factors associated with Aedes breeding places in Phuket, Thailand. Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health 36(2):426-433

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinker ME, Hayes GR Jr (1959) The 1958 Aedes aegypti distribution in the United States. Mosquito News 19:73-78

    Google Scholar 

  • Tun-Lin W, Burkot TR, Kay BH (2000) Effects of temperature and larval diet on development rates and survival of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti in north Queensland, Australia. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 14:31-37

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • United States Census Bureau (2005) Available: www.census.gov. Accessed May 2007

  • Vezzani D, Rubio A, Velazquez SM, Schweigmann N, Wiegand T (2005) Detailed assessment of microhabitat suitability for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Acta Tropica 95:123-131

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wilder-Smith A, Gubler DJ (2008) Geographic expansion of Dengue: the impact of international travel. Medical Clinics of North America 92: 1377-1390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (2004) Available: www.who.org. Accessed May 2007

Download references

Acknowledgements

The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. This manuscript was prepared by Mary H. Hayden and co-authors under award NA16GP2615 from the Office of Global Programs, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, finding, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce. The authors would like to thank the NOAA’s Office of Global Programs for funding support. We greatly appreciate the comments and suggestions provided by the anonymous reviewers. We would also like to thank Duane Gubler, Gary Clark, Philippe Waterinckx, Deborah Thomas, Craig Levy, Andrew Comrie, and RosaElena Cuevas for field support without which this research would not have been possible. All of the household study participants were unfailingly gracious in providing access to their property throughout the duration of the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Applications Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA

    Mary H. Hayden

  2. Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Christopher K. Uejio

  3. Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Kathleen Walker & Frank Ramberg

  4. Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA

    Rafael Moreno

  5. Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Cecilia Rosales & Mercedes Gameros

  6. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA

    Linda O. Mearns

  7. Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez

  8. Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

    Craig R. Janes

Authors
  1. Mary H. Hayden
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christopher K. Uejio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kathleen Walker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Frank Ramberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Rafael Moreno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Cecilia Rosales
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Mercedes Gameros
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Linda O. Mearns
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Craig R. Janes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary H. Hayden.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hayden, M.H., Uejio, C.K., Walker, K. et al. Microclimate and Human Factors in the Divergent Ecology of Aedes aegypti along the Arizona, U.S./Sonora, MX Border. EcoHealth 7, 64–77 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-010-0288-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-010-0288-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation