Impact of daily temperature fluctuations on dengue virus transmission by Aedes aegypti
Open Access
- 18 April 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Vol. 108 (18), 7460-7465
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1101377108
Abstract
Most studies on the ability of insect populations to transmit pathogens consider only constant temperatures and do not account for realistic daily temperature fluctuations that can impact vector–pathogen interactions. Here, we show that diurnal temperature range (DTR) affects two important parameters underlying dengue virus (DENV) transmission by Aedes aegypti. In two independent experiments using different DENV serotypes, mosquitoes were less susceptible to virus infection and died faster under larger DTR around the same mean temperature. Large DTR (20 °C) decreased the probability of midgut infection, but not duration of the virus extrinsic incubation period (EIP), compared with moderate DTR (10 °C) or constant temperature. A thermodynamic model predicted that at mean temperatures 18 °C, larger DTR reduces DENV transmission. The negative impact of DTR on Ae. aegypti survival indicates that large temperature fluctuations will reduce the probability of vector survival through EIP and expectation of infectious life. Seasonal variation in the amplitude of daily temperature fluctuations helps to explain seasonal forcing of DENV transmission at locations where average temperature does not vary seasonally and mosquito abundance is not associated with dengue incidence. Mosquitoes lived longer and were more likely to become infected under moderate temperature fluctuations, which is typical of the high DENV transmission season than under large temperature fluctuations, which is typical of the low DENV transmission season. Our findings reveal the importance of considering short-term temperature variations when studying DENV transmission dynamics.Keywords
This publication has 43 references indexed in Scilit:
- Influence of climate on malaria transmission depends on daily temperature variationProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2010
- Climate change and the global malaria recessionNature, 2010
- Understanding the link between malaria risk and climateProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2009
- Thermal behaviour of Anopheles stephensi in response to infection with malaria and fungal entomopathogensMalaria Journal, 2009
- The ecology of climate change and infectious diseasesEcology, 2009
- Local and Global Effects of Climate on Dengue Transmission in Puerto RicoPLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2009
- Genetic specificity and potential for local adaptation between dengue viruses and mosquito vectorsBMC Evolutionary Biology, 2009
- Temperature, Viral Genetics, and the Transmission of West Nile Virus by Culex pipiens MosquitoesPLoS Pathogens, 2008
- Environmental influence on the genetic basis of mosquito resistance to malaria parasitesProceedings. Biological sciences, 2006
- Thermal biology in insect-parasite interactionsTrends in Ecology & Evolution, 2003