A survey of tire-breeding mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Dominican Republic: Considerations about a pressing issue

INTRODUCTION: Discarded vehicle tires represent a serious threat both to the environment and to public health as they have the potential to harbor important mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) vectors. OBJECTIVE: To assess the importance of used vehicle tires as larval habitats for mosquito fauna that colonize these artificial reservoirs in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Used tires were sampled with pipettes at specialized tire fitting shops and scattered stockpiles of tires between June and August, 2018. RESULTS: We sampled 396 tires; 57 (Container Index=14.4%) were positive for immature stages and contained 2,400 specimens, 11 species, and four genera (Anopheles, Aedes, Culex, and Toxorhynchites). The most abundant species was Aedes albopictus (42.3%) followed by Aedes aegypti (34.3%), and Culex quinquefasciatus (14.0%) while other species (9.4%) were less abundant. The container index varied significantly among the different tire sizes (χ2=13.4; p≤0.05). The highest infestation levels were found in the largest tires. A low positive correlation (r=0.38, n=396; p≤0.001) between the tire size and the prevalence of immature stages was recorded. The presence of organic matter had an overall positive effect on the infestation levels (U=11,430.0; p≤0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These rubber residues, usually located nearby human populations, represent suitable breeding sites for arboviruses vectors such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and West Nile.