The role of environmental variables on Aedes albopictus biology and chikungunya epidemiology

Aedes albopictus is a vector of dengue and chikungunya viruses in the field, along with around 24 additional arboviruses under laboratory conditions. As an invasive mosquito species, Ae. albopictus has been expanding in geographical range over the past 20 years, although the poleward extent of mosqu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pathogens and global health 2013-07, Vol.107 (5), p.224-241
Main Authors: Waldock, Joanna, Chandra, Nastassya L., Lelieveld, Jos, Proestos, Yiannis, Michael, Edwin, Christophides, George, Parham, Paul E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aedes - growth & development
Aedes - parasitology
Aedes albopictus
Alphavirus Infections - epidemiology
Alphavirus Infections - transmission
Animals
Arboviroses
Biological and medical sciences
Chikungunya
Chikungunya Fever
Climate
Climatic thresholds
Disease Vectors
Environment
Environmental variables
Epidemiologic Methods
General aspects
Human viral diseases
Humans
Infectious diseases
Mathematical modelling
Medical sciences
Miscellaneous
Models, Statistical
Mosquito mappings
Phylogeography
Prevalence
Review
Topography, Medical
Tropical viral diseases
Viral diseases
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Summary:Aedes albopictus is a vector of dengue and chikungunya viruses in the field, along with around 24 additional arboviruses under laboratory conditions. As an invasive mosquito species, Ae. albopictus has been expanding in geographical range over the past 20 years, although the poleward extent of mosquito populations is limited by winter temperatures. Nonetheless, population densities depend on environmental conditions and since global climate change projections indicate increasing temperatures and altered patterns of rainfall, geographic distributions of previously tropical mosquito species may change. Although mathematical models can provide explanatory insight into observed patterns of disease prevalence in terms of epidemiological and entomological processes, understanding how environmental variables affect transmission is possible only with reliable model parameterisation, which, in turn, is obtained only through a thorough understanding of the relationship between mosquito biology and environmental variables. Thus, in order to assess the impact of climate change on mosquito population distribution and regions threatened by vector-borne disease, a detailed understanding (through a synthesis of current knowledge) of the relationship between climate, mosquito biology, and disease transmission is required, but this process has not yet been undertaken for Ae. albopictus. In this review, the impact of temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity on Ae. albopictus development and survival are considered. Existing Ae. albopictus populations across Europe are mapped with current climatic conditions, considering whether estimates of climatic cutoffs for Ae. albopictus are accurate, and suggesting that environmental thresholds must be calibrated according to the scale and resolution of climate model outputs and mosquito presence data.
ISSN:2047-7724
2047-7732
DOI:10.1179/2047773213Y.0000000100