Monitoring of Aedes albopictus (skuse) in emilia-romagna: cluster investigation and geostatistical analysis
Albieri A.1, Carrieri M. 1, Angelini P.2., Baldacchini F.2, Venturelli C.3, Mascali Zeo S.3, Bellini R. 1
1Centro Agricoltura Ambiente “G.Nicoli”, Medical & Veterinary Entomology Dept., Italy
2Emilia Romagna Region Public Health Dept., Italy
3Emilia Romagna Region Public Health Dept., Urban and Health Entomology Dept., Italy
The Emilia-Romagna Regional Aedes albopictus (Skuse) control project use ovitraps as tools for mosquito population density estimation.
2,741 ovitraps have been positioned in urban areas using standard criteria and checked weekly during the favourable season 2008. Distance between ovitraps is fixed in the range 200-800 m.
The estimation of distribution and abundance based on ovitraps or on mean eggs density for municipalities provide only point data and not a continuous spatial distribution of the target species.
Kriging interpolation was used to estimate seasonal abundance of the species at unsampled locations throughout the study area, and cluster analysis was used to identify particular areas that had consistently high or low mosquito density statistically significant.
Definition of large geographic areas with consistently high or low abundance of Ae.albopictus may provide information on environmental variables that promote species diffusion and on disease risk surveillance programs (Chikungunya and Dengue surveillance in Emilia-Romagna).