Rev. Ibero-Latinoam. Parasitol. (2010); 69 (2): 220-222
Comunicaciones
Expansion of Aedes albopictus skull in Costa Rica
CALDERÓN-ARGUEDAS O.1, AVENDAÑO A.1, LÓPEZ-SÁNCHEZ W.1 y  TROYO A.1
1 Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET). Section of Medical Entomology. Department of 
Parasitology, School of Microbiology, University of Costa Rica.
ABSTRACT
 A report of the Aedes albopictus expansion in Costa Rica is described as well as its epidemiological 
analysis.
 Key words: Aedes albopictus, Aedes aegypti, dengue virus, Culicidae, Central America, Costa Rica.
RESUMEN
 Un informe de la expansión del Aedes albopictus in Costa Rica se presenta y también se hace un análisis 
de la  importancia epidemiológica. Se confirma la expansión del mosquito en el territorio Centro Americano
 Palabras clave: Aedes albopictus, Aedes aegypti, virus dengue virus, Culicidae, América Central, Costa 
Rica.
REPORT et al., 2006). From the re-introduction of  Aedes 
aegypti in 1993 and until 2008, there were 189,316 
 The “tiger mosquito”, Aedes albopictus is one of cases of dengue fever (DF) reported (Ministerio de 
the  primary vectors of dengue virus (Rai,1991). It Salud, 2010). Within the country, this infectious 
is also an efficient vector for other arboviruses like disease affects mainly the North Pacific, Central 
Chickungunya, Japanese Encephalitis, San Angelo Pacific and Caribbean regions where the only vec-
and La Crosse (Rai, 1991)  and has been  associated tor confirmed has been A. aegypti Linnaeus (Minis-
with the transmission of the nematode Dirofilaria terio de Salud, 2010).
immitis (Chapellapha y Chellapha 1968). Although  In October 1998, a newspaper report in Costa 
there are recent reports of West Nile virus detection Rica reported possible presence of A. albopictus in 
in A. albopictus (Holick et al., 2002), its role in the the district La Virgen, Province of Heredia located 
transmission of this virus requires further study. in the North of the Country, but it was only until 
 Dengue is the main vector-borne disease in Cos- March of 2009 that the Ministry of Health alerted 
ta Rica in terms of morbidity and mortality (Troyo the national press as to the presence of A. albopictus 
Received: 20 de Julio de 2010. Accepted: 15 de Octubre 2010.
Corresponding: Olger Calderón-Arguedas
 E-mail: olger.calderon@ucr.ac.cr
220
EXPANSION OF AEDES ALBOPICTUS SKULL IN COSTA RICA
in localities of the Northern Caribbean Region. sented in Figure 1.
This study, based in larval surveys,  demonstrated  This report of A. albopictus in Costa Rica con-
the presence of of A. albopictus in coconut shells firms the expansion of this mosquito in the Central 
in Siquirres county, Province of Limon Marin et al, American territory, where recently Guatemala, El 
2009). Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua have reported 
 Here we describe the finding of adult specimens the presence of this vector Cuellar et al., 2007; 
of A. albopictus collected in the district Pital of San DelC-Lugo et al., 2005). The United States of 
Carlos county, Province of Alajuela, in the North America was the first country of the Americas to re-
of the country. Two adult female mosquitoes were port A. albopictus, and in this case its introduction 
collected using human bait and transported to the was linked to the import of rubber tires from South-
Laboratory of Medical Entomology, University of east Asia (Rai, 1991). The same situation was pro-
Costa Rica for identification. The observation of posed in Brazil and Colombia (Rai, 1991; Cuellar 
the specimens was made with a stereoscopic micro- et al., 2007). In the case of Costa Rica, the reports 
scope, and identification was performed according of A. albopictus in the Caribbean and now in the 
the criteria specified in the keys of Rueda (2004), North of the country suggest that the distribution 
Darsey (Darsey, 1988) and (SUCAM, 1989). The of this mosquito could be related to the simple ter-
most important diagnostic characteristics are pre- ritorial expansion through continental territory of 
Figure 1. Main diagnostic charac-
teristics. a: narrow white medial 
longitudinal stripe on the scutum. 
b: White and complete transverse 
bands on the anterior part of abdo-
minal terga II-VIII. c: white ringed 
segments of tarsus III where the last 
tarsal segment has a complete white 
ringed area. d: absence of white 
scale patches on clypeus. e: contigu-
ous white scale patches forming a 
V-shaped white patch on the mese-
pimeron.
Rev. Ibero-Latinoam. Parasitol. (2010); 69 (2): 220-222 221
O. CALDERÓN-ARGUEDAS et al.
Central America; process favored by this mosqui- SI, ESPINOZA PM, SALGADO, MJ, PÉREZ R, 
to’s capability to use natural and artificial container HAMMOND SN, HARRIS E. 2005. Identification 
habitats for oviposition and larval development. In of Aedes albopictus in urban Nicaragua. J Am Mosq Control Assoc 21: 325-327.
this sense, the City of Leon in the neighbor country  5. HOLICK J, KYLE A, FERRARO W, DELANEY R, 
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centers that has reported presence of this mosquito infected with West Nile virus in southeastern Pennsyl-
(Cuellar et al., 2007). vania. J Am Mosq Control Assoc 18: 131. 6. IBÁÑEZ BERNAL S, BRISEÑO B, MUTEBI JP, AR-
 A. albopictus has been considered the ma- GOT E, RODRÍGUEZ G, MARTÍNEZ CAMPOS C, 
in vector in several dengue outbreaks in the PAZ R, DE LA FUENTE-SAN ROMÁN P, TAPIA-
continent (Rai, 1991). In an outbreak described CONYER R, FLISSER AA. 2008. First record in America of Ae. albopictus naturally infected with den-
in Tamaulipas, México (Ibáñez et al., 2008), gue virus during the 1995 outbreak at Reynosa, Méxi-
transovarial transmission of dengue serotipes 2 and co. Med Vet Entomol 11: 305-309.
3 was demonstrated. These characteristics increase  7. MARÍN R, MARQUETTI MC, ÁLVAREZ Y, GU-
the complexity of the dengue epidemiology, TIÉRREZ JM, GONZÁLEZ R. 2009. Especies de mosquitos (Diptera: Culicidae) y sus sitios de cría en la 
especially in areas such as Costa Rica where A. Región Huetar Atlántica, Costa Rica. Rev Biomed  20: 
albopictus may coexist with the main vector, A. 15-23. 
aegypti.  8. MINISTERIO DE SALUD. VIGILANCIA DE LA 
SALUD. 2010. (Cited 2009 November 3). Available at: 
http://www.ministeriodesalud.go.cr/index.php/inicio-
estadisticas-vigilancia-salud-ms. Accessed February 5. 
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222 Rev. Ibero-Latinoam. Parasitol. (2010); 69 (2): 220-222