Distribution and Abundance of Aedes Aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Two Hospitals in Cuiabá, State of Mato Grosso, Brasil

Abstract:
Hospitals play an important role within a healthcare setting. The presence of arthropods in hospitals, like spiders, mites, bedbugs, mosquitoes, beetles, cockroaches, flies and ants, was reported in many studies. Besides its great epidemiological relevance, the presence of culicines that are potential disease vectors in hospitals have been neglected in arthropod monitoring activities in this environment. This is worrisome, especially in the case of dengue, once hospitals may favor various modes of endogenous or exogenous dispersion of this arbovirose. Dengue is transmitted among humans by Aedes mosquitoes, specially Aedes aegypti, and these insects are perfectly adapted to the urban environment. Therefore, this study aimed at registering and monitoring the presence of Aedes aegypti in the University Hospital Júlio Muller (UHJM), and University Hospital General (UHG), both localized in the capital of Mato Grosso. For surveillance, ovitraps were placed in several points distributed throughout the hospitals, and were collected monthly (for 12 months) at the end of a 5-day installation period. The ovitraps used in this work consisted of black plastic containers (plant pots) laterally perforated to obtain a maximum limit of immersion of the paddles in the water, in case the container flooded with rainwater. The substrate for oviposition ware “porous wood paddles” measuring 2.5 cm in width and 12.5 cm in length, coarse or rugged on one surface and smooth on the other. To increase the attractive power of the trap, 10% hay infusion (Cynodon dactylon, Poaceae) was added containing 84.4 g of dried grass fermented for 7 days in 10 L of water. Entomologic indexes with Egg Density Index (EDI), Positive Ovitraps Index (POI), and Mean Number of Eggs (MNE) were used for data analysis. In the UHJM, the presence of mosquito was registered in 11 months of study, and UHG registered positivity in all months. Several points show positivity of vector, including internal and external areas. The continuous presence of Ae. aegypti in the hospitals throughout the study period, points out the need of this mosquito in the arthropod control list in this environment. In addiction, our data indicate that hospitals could be important locations for dengue dissemination. This is particularly important, considering that Ae. aegypti is an important vector of several arboviruses.