Evaluating experimental design to sample mosquitoes

Abstract

Mosquito study is crucial for public health, research, and vector control. We evaluated four understudied aspects of experimental design: (i) global efficiency of trapping devices-BG-Sentinel (BG) vs. CDC light traps (LT), (ii) temporal efficiency over a three-day sampling period, (iii) the impact of sampling duration on vector presence and abundance assessments, and (iv) site visit frequency for biodiversity surveys. Both traps were deployed across 10 Cambodian provinces, with collections conducted every 24 h over three-day periods from 2019 to 2021. A total of 1992 collections yielded 181,798 mosquitoes spanning 153 identified species. Using a hurdle generalized linear mixed model to address overdispersion and zero inflation, we found that 21 of 54 studied species showed a preference for one of the trapping device: LT captured 15 species more efficiently, while six species preferred BG. Anthropophilic vectors such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus were more attracted to BG, whereas LT captured higher species richness and zoophilic vectors. For six of 13 primary vector species, we showed that the capture efficiency declines from day one to day three on a three days sampling period. However, annual trends in presence and abundance remained consistent regardless of whether sampling lasted one, two, or three days. Finally, we quantified the probability of collecting a new species during subsequent visits, showing that this probability declines with visit sampling effort at rates dependent on trap type and sampling days duration. These findings provide empirical guidelines for optimizing mosquito surveillance strategies based on study objectives.

MeSH Terms

Affiliated Institutions

• Institut Pasteur du Cambodge KH
• Université de Bretagne Sud FR

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