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Mosquito Newsletter 1: Filariasis Mosquitoes in PacELF Countries and Areas
There are many different kinds of mosquitoes in the Pacific islands and some, but, not all mosquitoes, can transmit the worm that causes filariasis. It is important to know which mosquitoes transmit filariasis worms in your country. To stop these mosquitoes from spreading filariasis, you must know how to recognize the filariasis mosquitoes, and enough about their biology (when they feed, where they lay their eggs and how far they can fly) to allow you to control them. This webpage will be updated regularly to highlight one mosquito to tell you about its biology and how to control it. In this first article, some basic background on the filariasis mosquitoes in the Pacific will be presented. Later articles will focus on individual species.
The species of mosquitoes (or vectors) of filariasis are shown in the table below and the PacELF countries where these mosquitoes are found. The most important vectors are shown in bold.
| Vector |
Countries Where Found |
| Aedes cooki |
Niue |
| Aedes fijiensis |
Fiji |
| Aedes horrensces |
Fiji |
| Aedes kochi |
Papua New Guinea |
| Aedes marshallensis |
Kiribati |
| Aedes polynesiensis |
Am Samoa, Samoa, Cook Islands, Tokelau, Tuvalu, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, Fiji |
| Aedes pseudoscutellaris |
Fiji |
| Aedes rotumae |
Rotuma Island in Fiji |
| Aedes tabu |
Tonga |
| Aedes upolenis |
Samoa |
| Ochlerotatus oceanicus* |
Tonga |
| Ochlerotatus samoanus |
Samoa |
| Ochlerotatus tutuilae |
Samoa |
| Ochlerotatus vigilax |
New Caledonia, Fiji |
An punctulatus complex
(also called Anopheles farauti group) |
Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu |
| Culex quinquefasciatus |
Kiribati, Pelau, Fed States Micronesia, Papua New Guinea |
| Mansonia uniformis |
Papua New Guinea |
*Uncertain if this species is a vector of filariasis
Sometimes a mosquito can transmit filariasis in one country but not in another, even though the mosquito is found in both countries.
Mosquitoes have 4 stages: the eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. The eggs are laid on or near water and the larvae and pupae are found in the water. The larvae generally live for 1 to 3 weeks.
Adult female mosquitoes take a blood meal to get protein to make eggs. She will feed on blood every 2 to 5 days. Some mosquitoes prefer human blood but other mosquitoes may prefer to feed on birds or other animals. Some mosquitoes will feed on whatever animal is near them when they are hungry. The mosquitoes that transmit the malaria parasite feeds on blood only at night while the mosquitoes that transmit dengue feed only during the day! In Melanesian and Micronesian countries, the mosquitoes that transmit filariasis feed only at night while in Polynesian countries (and Fiji), the filariasis mosquitoes feed mainly during the day
The adult mosquito must live for 10 days or more to be able to transmit the worms that cause filariasis. This is because the mosquito must first pick up the worms from a person already infected with filariasis. The worms then needs to grow inside the mosquito for a week or more before they can infect another person when the mosquito takes a blood meal on an uninfected person.
For more information on the biology of mosquitoes, check pages 52 and pages 99 to 103 of the PacELF Handbook. To find out more about how to collect and control mosquitoes, look in the PacELF Handbook on pages 104 to 120. Country specific information on mosquitoes and mosquito control for each PacELF country and area can be found in the PacMAN book, or contact the PacELF home office.
Additonal information on mosquitoes, mosquito control and lymphatic filariasis can be found at the following websites:
www.PacELF.org (Information on PacELF activities)
www.vector.lfas.ufl.edu (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site on
lymphatic filariasis)
www.mosquito.org (American Mosquito Control Association site with data on mosquito control)
www.arbovirus.health.nsw.au (mosquito photographs and information on control)
Download the Mosquito Newsletter as .PDF (400Kb)
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