Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes (subgenus Stegomyia) are competent vectors of several pathogens of human health importance, namely chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever, and Zika viruses (Hahn et al. 2017, Johnson et al. 2017, Clements and Harbach 2018). Although both mosquito species originally had tropical and subtropical ranges, they have been progressively reported occurring from further poleward geographic locations. The expansion of their range increases the number of people at risk of being infected through the bite of these mosquitoes. Mosquito transmission of Zika virus was reported from Texas during November, 2016, and chikungunya virus infection was reported from Texas in 2015; both infections were determined to have been locally acquired from Ae. aegypti or Ae. albopictus (Centers for Disease Control 2017). Aedes aegypti has a higher vectorial capacity than Ae. albopictus to transmit these viruses, exhibiting greater anthropophilic and anthropophagous preferences than Ae. albopictus. Aedes albopictus is also considered a competent vector and is more tolerant of a broader temperature range and occurs in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas.
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