[Detection of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) in the city of Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia].
BACKGROUND
Aedes albopictus is the second most important dengue virus vector in the Asian southeast after Aedes aegypti. Its entrance into the Americas occurred in 1985, and laboratory studies performed show its potential as a vector in this continent as well. In Colombia, this species has been reported in Leticia (Amazonas) in 1998 and Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca) in 2001. The latest discoveries show that this mosquito continues to advance toward the country's interior.


OBJECTIVE
To inform that the presence of A. albopictus is documented in the city of Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.


METHODS
Since 2002, weekly sampling has been performed using larval traps located at seventeen stations. The identification of the A. albopictus species, was carried out in the Unidad de Entomología, Laboratorio de Salud Pública Departamental. These identifications were confirmed in the Entomology Laboratory at Universidad del Valle and the National Institute of Health in Bogotá.


RESULTS
From April to June of 2006, larvae of A. albopictus were found in six sampling stations located between northwest and northeast of Cali, one of them in the suburban area of the Yumbo city.


CONCLUSIONS
The control of A. aegypti and A. albopictus must be integrated into a single program. The surveillance in the cities and nearest departments must be intensified with the objective of limiting the advancement of A. albopictus.
Cuéllar-Jiménez
María Elena
ME
Unidad de Entomología, Laboratorio de Salud Pública Departamental del Valle del Cauca, Carrera 76 No. 4-30, Barrio Nápoles, Santiago de Cali, Colombia. mariaelenacuellar@graffiti.net
Velásquez-Escobar
Olga Lucía
OL
González-Obando
Ranulfo
R
Morales-Reichmann
Carlos Andrés
CA
D000330:Aedes; D000818:Animals; D002947:Cities; D003105:Colombia; D003716:Dengue Virus; D007303:Insect Vectors; D011159:Population Surveillance