The first record of a case of probable dengue fever is in a Chinese medical encyclopedia from the Jin Dynasty (265–420 AD) which referred to a “water poison” associated with flying insects. The first recognized Dengue epidemics occurred almost simultaneously in Asia, Africa, and North America in the 1780s, shortly after the identification and naming of the disease in 1779. The first confirmed case report dates from 1789 and is by Benjamin Rush, who coined the term […]
Aedes aegypti is a so-called holometabolous insect. This means that the insects go through a complete metamorphosis with an egg, larvae, pupae, and adult stage. The adult life span can range from two weeks to a month depending on environmental conditions. The life cycle of Aedes aegypti can be completed within one-and-a-half to three weeks (see Figure 1). Egg After taking a blood meal, female Aedes aegypti mosquitos produce on average 100 to 200 eggs per batch. The females can
The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti is a mosquito that can spread the dengue fever, Chikungunya yellow fever viruses, and other diseases. The mosquito is a small, dark mosquito of approximately 4 to 7 millimeters with typical white markings on the legs and a marking of the form of a lyre on the thorax. Females are larger than males and can be distinguished by small palps tipped with silver or white scales. Aedes aegypti is a day-biting mosquito. That means that
The Asian tiger mosquito or forest day mosquito Aedes albopictus is characterized by its black and white striped legs and small black and white body (see Figure 1). It is native to the tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia; however, in the past couple of decades, this species has invaded many countries throughout the world through the transport of goods and increasing international travel. This mosquito has become a significant pest in many communities because it
The origins of the word dengue are not clear, but one theory is that it is derived from the Swahili phrase “Ka-dinga pepo”, meaning “cramp-like seizure caused by an evil spirit”. The Swahili word “dinga” may possibly have its origin in the Spanish word “dengue” meaning fastidious or careful, which would describe the gait of a person suffering the bone pain of dengue fever. Alternatively, the use of the Spanish word may derive from the similar-sounding
Dengue is caused by Dengue virus (DENV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus. DENV is a single-stranded RNA positive-strand virus of the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus. This genus includes also the West Nile virus, Tick-borne Encephalitis Virus, Yellow Fever Virus, and several other viruses that may cause encephalitis. DENV causes a wide range of diseases in humans, from self-limited Dengue Fever (DF) to a life-threatening syndrome called Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) or Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS). There are