Potential impact of a presumed increase in the biting activity of dengue-virus-infected Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) females on virus transmission dynamics

Recently, we showed that infection with dengue virus increases the locomotor activity of Aedes aegypti females. We speculate that the observed increased locomotor activity could potentially increase the chances of finding a suitable host and, as a consequence, the relative biting rate of infected mosquitoes. We used a mathematical model to investigate the impact of the increased locomotor activity by assuming that this activity translated into an increased biting rate for infected mosquitoes. The results show that the increased biting rate resulted in dengue outbreaks with greater numbers of primary and secondary infections and with more severe biennial epidemics.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Luz,Paula Mendes, Lima-Camara,Tamara Nunes, Bruno,Rafaela Vieira, Castro,Márcia Gonçalves de, Sorgine,Marcos Henrique Ferreira, Lourenço-de-Oliveira,Ricardo, Peixoto,Alexandre Afrânio
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 2011
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02762011000600017
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