Temporal associations between microclimate, adult Aedes mosquito indices, and dengue cases at the residence level in Malaysia: Implications for targeted interventions.

<h4>Introduction</h4>Dengue continues to be a major public health concern in Malaysia, as evidenced by the significant surge in cumulative dengue case numbers and deaths in 2023 compared to the previous year. While previous studies have explored the interplay of abiotic and biotic factor...

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Main Authors: Nur Athen Mohd Hardy Abdullah, Nazri Che Dom, Biswajeet Pradhan, Siti Aekball Salleh, Rahmat Dapari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316564
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author Nur Athen Mohd Hardy Abdullah
Nazri Che Dom
Biswajeet Pradhan
Siti Aekball Salleh
Rahmat Dapari
author_facet Nur Athen Mohd Hardy Abdullah
Nazri Che Dom
Biswajeet Pradhan
Siti Aekball Salleh
Rahmat Dapari
author_sort Nur Athen Mohd Hardy Abdullah
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Introduction</h4>Dengue continues to be a major public health concern in Malaysia, as evidenced by the significant surge in cumulative dengue case numbers and deaths in 2023 compared to the previous year. While previous studies have explored the interplay of abiotic and biotic factors of mosquito density and dengue cases on a local scale in Malaysia, there is a notable gap in the research focusing on adult Aedes mosquito populations.<h4>Aims</h4>This study aims to contribute to the existing knowledge by investigating the association and time lags (TLs) between daily microclimate (DM), mosquito indices (MIs), and dengue cases at the residence level.<h4>Methods</h4>In this longitudinal study, field data were collected over 26 weeks using data loggers, gravid oviposit sticky (GOS) traps, and non-structural 1 (NS1) test kits in both non-dengue hotspot (NDH) and dengue hotspots (DH). The collected data encompassed DM variables, vegetation cover (VC), MIs, and number of dengue cases. An autocorrelation analysis was conducted to determine the TLs between MIs and their preceding values, while a cross-correlation analysis revealed the TLs between MIs and DM variables.<h4>Results</h4>The study indicated there are positive correlations between the adult index (AI) of Ae. albopictus, their preceding values and rainfall at an NDH. Conversely, the AIs of total Aedes at the DH exhibited positive correlations with their preceding values, temperature, rainfall, and maximum relative humidity (RH), but negative correlations with the mean and maximum RH. The dengue-positive trap index (DPTI) of total Aedes at DHs demonstrated positive associations with their preceding values, mean temperature, minimum temperature, maximum RH, and rainfall, with negative correlations observed for the maximum temperature, mean RH, and minimum RH. Similar trends were identified for the Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus at DHs. The association between dengue cases, DM, and MIs was inconclusive due to underreported cases.<h4>Conclusions</h4>This study highlighted the DM and TLs of dengue virus-infected and non-infected adult female Aedes mosquitoes using onsite data collection. Furthermore, this study presents a replicable methodology that can be adopted by researchers worldwide for investigating the dynamics of dengue transmission in similar settings. The findings offer valuable insights for decision-makers, providing them with evidence-based information to implement targeted interventions and strategies aimed at controlling Aedes mosquito populations and mitigating the spread of dengue virus infections.
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spelling doaj-art-caaaa4bce9564a9d9438a2fbb7fc51252025-02-09T05:30:40ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01202e031656410.1371/journal.pone.0316564Temporal associations between microclimate, adult Aedes mosquito indices, and dengue cases at the residence level in Malaysia: Implications for targeted interventions.Nur Athen Mohd Hardy AbdullahNazri Che DomBiswajeet PradhanSiti Aekball SallehRahmat Dapari<h4>Introduction</h4>Dengue continues to be a major public health concern in Malaysia, as evidenced by the significant surge in cumulative dengue case numbers and deaths in 2023 compared to the previous year. While previous studies have explored the interplay of abiotic and biotic factors of mosquito density and dengue cases on a local scale in Malaysia, there is a notable gap in the research focusing on adult Aedes mosquito populations.<h4>Aims</h4>This study aims to contribute to the existing knowledge by investigating the association and time lags (TLs) between daily microclimate (DM), mosquito indices (MIs), and dengue cases at the residence level.<h4>Methods</h4>In this longitudinal study, field data were collected over 26 weeks using data loggers, gravid oviposit sticky (GOS) traps, and non-structural 1 (NS1) test kits in both non-dengue hotspot (NDH) and dengue hotspots (DH). The collected data encompassed DM variables, vegetation cover (VC), MIs, and number of dengue cases. An autocorrelation analysis was conducted to determine the TLs between MIs and their preceding values, while a cross-correlation analysis revealed the TLs between MIs and DM variables.<h4>Results</h4>The study indicated there are positive correlations between the adult index (AI) of Ae. albopictus, their preceding values and rainfall at an NDH. Conversely, the AIs of total Aedes at the DH exhibited positive correlations with their preceding values, temperature, rainfall, and maximum relative humidity (RH), but negative correlations with the mean and maximum RH. The dengue-positive trap index (DPTI) of total Aedes at DHs demonstrated positive associations with their preceding values, mean temperature, minimum temperature, maximum RH, and rainfall, with negative correlations observed for the maximum temperature, mean RH, and minimum RH. Similar trends were identified for the Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus at DHs. The association between dengue cases, DM, and MIs was inconclusive due to underreported cases.<h4>Conclusions</h4>This study highlighted the DM and TLs of dengue virus-infected and non-infected adult female Aedes mosquitoes using onsite data collection. Furthermore, this study presents a replicable methodology that can be adopted by researchers worldwide for investigating the dynamics of dengue transmission in similar settings. The findings offer valuable insights for decision-makers, providing them with evidence-based information to implement targeted interventions and strategies aimed at controlling Aedes mosquito populations and mitigating the spread of dengue virus infections.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316564
spellingShingle Nur Athen Mohd Hardy Abdullah
Nazri Che Dom
Biswajeet Pradhan
Siti Aekball Salleh
Rahmat Dapari
Temporal associations between microclimate, adult Aedes mosquito indices, and dengue cases at the residence level in Malaysia: Implications for targeted interventions.
PLoS ONE
title Temporal associations between microclimate, adult Aedes mosquito indices, and dengue cases at the residence level in Malaysia: Implications for targeted interventions.
title_full Temporal associations between microclimate, adult Aedes mosquito indices, and dengue cases at the residence level in Malaysia: Implications for targeted interventions.
title_fullStr Temporal associations between microclimate, adult Aedes mosquito indices, and dengue cases at the residence level in Malaysia: Implications for targeted interventions.
title_full_unstemmed Temporal associations between microclimate, adult Aedes mosquito indices, and dengue cases at the residence level in Malaysia: Implications for targeted interventions.
title_short Temporal associations between microclimate, adult Aedes mosquito indices, and dengue cases at the residence level in Malaysia: Implications for targeted interventions.
title_sort temporal associations between microclimate adult aedes mosquito indices and dengue cases at the residence level in malaysia implications for targeted interventions
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316564
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