AUTHOR=Mbanzulu Kennedy Makola , Mboera Leonard E. G. , Wumba Roger , Engbu Danoff , Bojabwa Michael Mondjo , Zanga Josué , Mitashi Patrick Mulopo , Misinzo Gerald , Kimera Sharadhuli Iddi 

TITLE=Physicochemical Characteristics of Aedes Mosquito Breeding Habitats in Suburban and Urban Areas of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Tropical Diseases

VOLUME=2

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/tropical-diseases/articles/10.3389/fitd.2021.789273

DOI=10.3389/fitd.2021.789273

ISSN=2673-7515

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>The knowledge of key elements of the ecosystem affecting mosquito distribution and their population dynamics is essential for designing mosquito-borne disease interventions. The present study characterized the physicochemical properties of <italic>Aedes</italic> mosquito breeding habitats in Democratic Republic of the Congo.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Kinshasa, from February to April 2021. The physicochemical characteristics of the natural and artificial aquatic habitats of <italic>Aedes</italic> were measured using a multiparametric device.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Out of 438 breeding habitats inspected, 273 (62.3%) contained mosquito larvae. The <italic>Aedes</italic> mosquitoes identified in 76.19% of positive breeding sites were <italic>Aedes albopictus</italic> (67.30%) and <italic>Aedes aegypti</italic> (37.98%). The median values of dissolved oxygen (DO) (1.0), turbidity (19.15), and salinity (0.115) in water breeding sites of <italic>Aedes</italic> were respectively 0.8, 55.0, and 0.29 in <italic>Culex</italic> breeding sites (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). The physicochemical characteristics of the breeding habitat for <italic>Ae. aegypti</italic> and <italic>Ae. albopictus</italic> were almost identical. In urban areas, the median temperature was 29.82 while it was 29.60 in suburban areas (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). Significantly, the salinity was higher in bamboo and metal containers while DO was higher in tins. After analysis using simple linear regression, total dissolved solids (r = 0.23; <italic>p</italic> = 0.000), conductivity (r = 0.23), salinity (r = 0.23), and temperature (r = 0.13) were associated with larval density (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). In the final model (r = 0.30, <italic>p</italic> = 0.01), salinity (r = 0.23) and DO (r = 0.138) adjusted to temperature, pH, and turbidity were associated positively to larvae density.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>The <italic>Aedes</italic> breeding sites and mosquito density were significantly influenced by water salinity, DO, temperature, pH, and turbidity.</p></sec>