Biology and Behaviour of Aedes aegypti in the Human Environment: Opportunities for Vector Control of Arbovirus Transmission

Aedes aegypti is a ubiquitous vector of arboviruses mostly in urbanised areas throughout the tropics and subtropics and a growing threat beyond. Control of Ae. aegypti is difficult and costly, and no vaccines are available for most of the viruses it transmits. With practical control solutions our goal, ideally suitable for delivery by householders in affected communities, we reviewed the literature on adult Ae. aegypti biology and behaviour, within and close to the human home, the arena where such interventions must impact. We found that knowledge was vague or important details were missing for multiple events or activities in the mosquito life cycle, such as the duration or location of the many periods when females rest between blood feeding and oviposition. The existing body of literature, though substantial, is not wholly reliable, and evidence for commonly held facts range from untraceable to extensive. Source references of some basic information are poor or date back more than 60 years, while other information that today is accepted widely as fact is not supported by evidence in the literature. Many topics, e.g., sugar feeding, resting preferences (location and duration), and blood feeding, merit being revisited in new geographical regions and ecological contexts to identify vulnerabilities for exploitation in control.

Automated summary

Ae. aegypti is a common mosquito vector of arboviruses in urbanized areas of the tropics and subtropics, but control of this species is difficult and costly. The literature on adult Ae. aegypti biology and behavior near human homes is lacking in important details, making it unreliable for developing control interventions. Basic information sources are poor and outdated, while commonly accepted facts lack evidence. Topics such as sugar feeding, resting preferences, and blood feeding require further research to identify vulnerabilities for control efforts in different contexts.