RESUMO
Dengue is a vector-borne disease transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. The incidence of dengue disease shows a clear dependence on seasonal variation. How does the temperature affect the incidence? We addressed this question indirectly by estimating the size of the A. aegypti population for different temperatures applying population dynamics theory. In order to achieve this objective we designed temperature-controlled experiments to assess the entomological parameters regarding the mosquito's life-cycle at different temperatures. By obtaining the mortality, transition and oviposition rates for different stages of the life-cycle of the mosquito we were able to calculate the basic offspring number Q(0), which is the capacity of vector reproduction and ultimately gives the size of the vector population.
Assuntos
Aedes/virologia , Vírus da Dengue , Insetos Vetores , Modelos Biológicos , Temperatura , Animais , Feminino , Masculino , Dinâmica Populacional , Estações do AnoRESUMO
The incidence of dengue infection, a vector-borne disease transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, shows clear dependence on seasonal variation. Based on the quantification method that furnishes the size of the A. aegypti population in terms of the estimated entomological parameters for different temperatures, we assessed the risk of dengue outbreaks. The persistence and severity of epidemics can be assessed by the basic reproduction number R(0), which varies with temperature. The expression for R(0) obtained from 'true' and 'pseudo' mass action laws for dengue infection is discussed.