Adriana Troyo Rodríguez

Zika Virus (ZIKV): A New Emerging Pathogen Transmitted by Aedes Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Latin American Subcontinent

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) are two species of synanthropic mosquitoes that are common in outdoor and indoor domiciliary environments in tropical countries. Their vectorial competence and vectorial capacity make them excellent biological vectors for the main arboviruses that affect human beings. Both Aedes species are listed as the primary vectors of dengue (DENV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) viruses, which circulate in many American countries. The recent introduction of zika virus (ZIKV) into the Latin American subcontinent and its association with microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome has alerted health authorities about the sanitary emergency that the presence of this new virus in the American territory represents. The emergence of this pathogen raises the necessity to improve the epidemiologic and entomologic surveillance systems and to develop new strategies of prevention and control. This review aims to provide an overview of ZIKV and the role of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in its transmission.Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) are two species of synanthropic mosquitoes that are common in outdoor and indoor domiciliary environments in tropical countries. Their vectorial competence and vectorial capacity make them excellent biological vectors for the main arboviruses that affect human beings. Both Aedes species are listed as the primary vectors of dengue (DENV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) viruses, which circulate in many American countries. The recent introduction of Zika virus (ZIKV) into the Latin American subcontinent and its association with microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome has alerted health authorities about the sanitary emergency that the presence of this new virus in the American territory represents. The emergence of this pathogen raises the necessity to improve the epidemiologic and entomologic surveillance systems and to develop new strategies of prevention and control. This review aims to provide an overview of ZIKV and the role of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in its transmission.

Presencia de Trypanosoma minasense (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) en Alouatta palliata (Primates: Cebidae) de Costa Rica

* Centro de Investigacion en Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET), Departamento de Parasitologia, Facultad deMicrobiologia Universidad de Costa Rica.** Escuela de Biologia, Universidad de Costa Rica.*** Escuela de Biologia, Centro Regional de Occidente, Universidad de Costa Rica.**** Departamento de Investigacion, Universidad de Ciencias Medicas.Direccion: Misael Chinchilla. Facultad de Microbiologia, Universidad de Costa Rica. San Jose, Costa Rica,America Central.

Diversidad larval de mosquitos (Diptera: Culicidae) en contenedores artificiales procedentes de una comunidad urbana de San José, Costa Rica

A larval survey of mosquitoes was performed in artificial containers from indoor and outdoor enviroments in the neighborhood “La Carpio”, San José, Costa Rica. “La Carpio” is a community that suffered a dengue outbreak during the last months of the rainy season in 2002. During 2003, 582 and 369 houses were visited in the dry and rainy season, respectively, and the potencial mosquito breeding sites were searched for larvae. Of 1160 water containers identified, 152 (13.0%) were positive for at least one species of mosquito larvae and two mosquito species were found in 9 (0.78%) of the containers. In order to estimate the mosquito diversity, an infestation index by species (Ii) was calculated for each kind of container. Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, Cx. restuans, Cx. coronator, and Limatus durhamii were identified. Ae. aegypti was the most common species, and it showed the highest infestation index for all the containers (p < 0.05). In addition to Ae. aegypti, the presence of other species of Culicidae could mask the success of campaigns for prevention of dengue. This is also an important factor to consider in order to prevent the ocurrence of emerging vector borne diseases such as West Nile Virus Encephalitis.A larval survey of mosquitoes was performed in artificial containers from indoor and outdoor enviroments in the neighborhood “La Carpio”, San Jose, Costa Rica. “La Carpio” is a community that suffered a dengue outbreak during the last months of the rainy season in 2002. During 2003, 582 and 369 houses were visited in the dry and rainy season, respectively, and the potencial mosquito breeding sites were searched for larvae. Of 1160 water containers identified, 152 (13.0%) were positive for at least one species of mosquito larvae and two mosquito species were found in 9 (0.78%) of the containers. In order to estimate the mosquito diversity, an infestation index by species (Ii) was calculated for each kind of container. Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus, Cx. restuans, Cx. coronator, and Limatus durhamii were identified. Ae. aegypti was the most common species, and it showed the highest infestation index for all the containers (p < 0.05). In addition to Ae. aegypti, the presence of other species of Culicidae could mask the success of campaigns for prevention of dengue. This is also an important factor to consider in order to prevent the ocurrence of emerging vector borne diseases such as West Nile Virus Encephalitis.