title: Variation in Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) (Diptera, Culicidae) infestation in artificial containers in Caxias, state of Maranhão, Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dengue is a serious public health problem worldwide, with cases reported annually in tropical and subtropical regions. Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762), the main vector of dengue, is a domiciliary species with high dispersal and survival capacities and can use various artificial containers as breeding sites. We assessed potential container breeding sites of A. aegypti in the municipality of Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the initial phase, we analyzed 900 properties in 3 neighborhoods during the dry and rainy seasons (August-October 2005 and February-April 2006, respectively). During the second sampling period, September 2006-August 2007, we used 5 assessment cycles for 300 properties in a single neighborhood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the dry and rainy seasons, water-storage containers comprised 55.7% (n = 1,970) and 48.5% (n = 1,836) of the total containers inspected, and showed the highest productivity of immature A. aegypti; we found 23.7 and 106.1 individuals/container, respectively, in peridomicile sites. In intradomicile sites, water-storage containers were also the most important breeding sites with 86.4% (n = 973) and 85.6% (n = 900) of all containers and a mean of 7.9 and 108.3 individuals/container in the dry and rainy seaso-October 2006 (1,342). The highest number of positives (70) was recorded in May, mostly (94%) in storage containers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Storage containers are the principal and most productive A. aegypti breeding sites and are a major contributing factor to the maintenance of this vector in Caxias.
authors.affiliation: Divisão de Curso de Entomologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM.
authors.forename: Joelma
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soares-da-Silva
authors.forename: Sebastiana Silva
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Ibiapina
authors.forename: Juliana Maria Trindade
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bezerra
authors.forename: Wanderli Pedro
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Tadei
authors.forename: Valéria Cristina Soares
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D011156:Population Density; D012621:Seasons