Effect of oviposition-site deprivation on reproductive performance and life history parameters of dengue vector Aedes aegypti†

Abstract

Dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever constitute one of the most significant arthropod-borne viral diseases that occur in tropical and subtropical regions in the world. Annually 390 million new dengue cases are being reported from the 128 dengue-endemic countries. Aedes aegypti is the primary vector that transmits the disease. Since the primary vector is a container breeder, source reduction appears to be a good vector control method. Source reduction limits the oviposition of females through oviposition-site deprivation. Therefore, the current study was conducted to determine the effect of oviposition-site deprivation on the fecundity, fertility, life-history parameters, and longevity of Ae. aegypti. Oviposition-site deprivation was enabled by delaying the access to the oviposition substrate. Female mosquitoes were allowed to access the oviposition substrate separately on the day of blood feeding and 2, 4, 6, and 8 days after blood feeding. The results showed that oviposition-site deprivation significantly increased fecundity with an increase in the number of egg retention days. The number of eggs laid by the female increased by 69% when the female was compelled to retain the eggs for 8 days. The highest recorded fecundity was 100 ± 5. Nevertheless, fertility, percentage larval mortality, total larval duration, pupal duration, and longevity were not affected by the number of egg retention days. Thus, it is imperative to have a clear awareness about the effect of oviposition-site deprivation on the reproductive performance of the vector mosquitoes when adopting vector control strategies.