The team will consist of five researchers and two students from different institutions and universities. The research is being carried out in close collaboration with the local mosquito control units of each of these islands.
Mosquitoes are not only annoying, they can also transmit all kinds of pathogens to humans and farm animals. These can lead to diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, malaria, Zika, Rift Valley fever and West Nile fever. There have been several outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases in the Caribbean over the past decade, including chikungunya in 2014, Zika in 2016, and multiple dengue outbreaks, the latest of which was reported in 2020.
mosquito research
There will be a new study led by the Leiden Naturalis Biodiversity Center to map the current mosquito biodiversity on the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. The goal is to spend seven to ten days on each island, setting ten to sixteen traps to inventory adult mosquitoes. In addition, the larvae in the water are sampled at various possible breeding grounds of mosquitoes. These investigations will take place between November 13 and December 6, starting in Aruba. The aim of the expedition is to gain knowledge about the diversity of mosquitoes, as well as to develop tools for mosquito identification to support public health research on the islands.
Public health implications
In an outbreak, controlling the specific mosquito population responsible for the spread of the disease is often the only way to slow the spread. Therefore, up-to-date information on local mosquito populations and their occurrence across the islands is needed to effectively control disease. As conditions change due to climate, and more and more people live on the islands, changes in insect populations, such as those of mosquitoes, can be expected in the future.
This expedition is part of the Mobocon program, which focuses on capacity building to combat mosquito-borne diseases on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. This program started in 2017 and is funded by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.
Text: DCNA; Natural Biodiversity Center
Photos: Carel de Haseth; Sam Farmer List; Jordy van der Beek