title: The dengue virus mosquito vector Aedes aegypti at high elevation in Mexico.
abstract: México has cities (e.g., México City and Puebla City) located at elevations > 2,000 m and above the elevation ceiling below which local climates allow the dengue virus mosquito vector Aedes aegypti to proliferate. Climate warming could raise this ceiling and place high-elevation cities at risk for dengue virus transmission. To assess the elevation ceiling for Ae. aegypti and determine the potential for using weather/climate parameters to predict mosquito abundance, we surveyed 12 communities along an elevation/climate gradient from Veracruz City (sea level) to Puebla City (∼2,100 m). Ae. aegypti was commonly encountered up to 1,700 m and present but rare from 1,700 to 2,130 m. This finding extends the known elevation range in México by > 300 m. Mosquito abundance was correlated with weather parameters, including temperature indices. Potential larval development sites were abundant in Puebla City and other high-elevation communities, suggesting that Ae. aegypti could proliferate should the climate become warmer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA. slozano@colostate.edu
authors.forename: Saul
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lozano-Fuentes
authors.forename: Mary H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hayden
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Welsh-Rodriguez
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ochoa-Martinez
authors.forename: Berenice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tapia-Santos
authors.forename: Kevin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Kobylinski
authors.forename: Christopher K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Uejio
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zielinski-Gutierrez
authors.forename: Luca Delle
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Monache
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Monaghan
authors.forename: Daniel F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Steinhoff
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Eisen
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000821:virology*; D000531:Altitude; D000818:Animals; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D008800:Mexico; D014887:Weather