Aedes aegypti
2236780
225026882
2008-07-11T15:05:02Z
Mark-mitchell-aldershot
3401544
{{MEA-expand}}
{{Taxobox
| name = ''Aedes aegypti''
| image = Aedes aegypti CDC-Gathany.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Arthropod]]a
| subphylum = [[Hexapoda]]
| classis = [[Insect]]a
| subclassis = [[Pterygota]]
| infraclassis = [[Neoptera]]
| superordo = [[Endopterygota]]|
| ordo = [[Fly|Diptera]]
| familia = [[Culicidae]]
| genus = ''[[Aedes]]''
| species = '''''A. aegypti'''''
| binomial = ''Aedes aegypti''
| binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1762)
}}
'''''Aedes aegypti''''', commonly known as the ''yellow fever mosquito'', is a [[mosquito]] that can spread the [[dengue fever]], [[Chikungunya]] and [[yellow fever]] viruses, and other diseases as well. The mosquito can be recognized by white markings and a marking of the form of a [[lyre]] on the [[thorax]], although other mosquitos may have only slightly different patterns.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} The mosquito is most frequently found in the [[tropics]]<ref>{{cite journal |last= Womack|first= M.|year= 1993|title=The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. |journal= Wing Beats|volume= 5|issue= 4|pages= 4}}</ref>; it has some presence in the [[southeastern United States]] (such as the lower half of [[Florida]]), but it seems to have been competitively displaced by the introduction of ''[[Aedes albopictus]]''{{Fact|date=May 2007}}.
==Genomics==
The [[genome]] of this species of mosquito was sequenced by a consortium including scientists at the J Craig Venter Institute and the University of Notre Dame, and published in 2007. The effort in sequencing its [[DNA]] was intended to provide new avenues for research into [[insecticide]]s and possible genetic modification to prevent the spread of disease. This was the second mosquito species to have its genome sequenced in full (the first was ''[[Anopheles gambiae]]''). The published data included the 1.38 billion [[base pair]]s containing the insect's estimated 15,419 [[protein]] encoding genes. The sequence indicates that the species diverged from ''[[Drosophila melanogaster]]'' (the common fruit fly) about 250 million years ago, and that ''Anopheles gambiae'' and this species diverged about 150 million years ago.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tigr.org/news/pr_05_17_07.shtml|title=Scientists at J. Craig Venter Institute Publish Draft Genome Sequence from Aedes aegypti, Mosquito Responsible for Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever | author=Heather Kowalski|date=[[2007-05-17]] | publisher=J. Craig Venter Institute }}</ref><ref>{{Nene V, Wortman JR, Lawson D, Haas B, Kodira C, Tu ZJ, Loftus B, Xi Z, Megy K, Grabherr M, Ren Q, Zdobnov EM, Lobo NF, Campbell KS, Brown SE, Bonaldo MF, Zhu J, Sinkins SP, Hogenkamp DG, Amedeo P, Arensburger P, Atkinson PW, Bidwell S, Biedler J, Birney E, Bruggner RV, Costas J, Coy MR, Crabtree J, Crawford M, Debruyn B, Decaprio D, Eiglmeier K, Eisenstadt E, El-Dorry H, Gelbart WM, Gomes SL, Hammond M, Hannick LI, Hogan JR, Holmes MH, Jaffe D, Johnston JS, Kennedy RC, Koo H, Kravitz S, Kriventseva EV, Kulp D, Labutti K, Lee E, Li S, Lovin DD, Mao C, Mauceli E, Menck CF, Miller JR, Montgomery P, Mori A, Nascimento AL, Naveira HF, Nusbaum C, O'leary S, Orvis J, Pertea M, Quesneville H, Reidenbach KR, Rogers YH, Roth CW, Schneider JR, Schatz M, Shumway M, Stanke M, Stinson EO, Tubio JM, Vanzee JP, Verjovski-Almeida S, Werner D, White O, Wyder S, Zeng Q, Zhao Q, Zhao Y, Hill CA, Raikhel AS, Soares MB, Knudson DL, Lee NH, Galagan J, Salzberg SL, Paulsen IT, Dimopoulos G, Collins FH, Birren B, Fraser-Liggett CM, Severson DW (2007) Genome sequence of Aedes aegypti, a major arbovirus vector. Science 316:1718-23.}}</ref>
==Spread of disease and prevention==
[[Image:Aedes aegypti larva.jpg|thumb|left|[[Larva]] of ''Aedes aegypti'']]
The [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|CDC]] traveler's page on preventing dengue fever suggests using [[mosquito repellent]]s that contain [[DEET]] (N, N-diethylmetatoluamide). It also explains the following:
# Although it may feed at any time, the mosquito bites humans only between a few hours after [[dawn]] until an hour or so after sunset.
# The mosquito's preferred breeding areas are in areas of [[stagnant water]], such as flower vases, uncovered barrels, buckets, and discarded tires, but the most dangerous areas are wet shower floors and toilet tanks, as they allow the mosquitos to breed right in the residence. Research has shown that certain chemicals emanating from bacteria in water containers stimulate the female mosquitoes to lay their eggs. They are particularly motivated to lay eggs in water containers that have just the right amounts of specific fatty acids associated with bacteria involved in the degradation of leaves and other organic matter in water. The chemicals associated with the microbial stew are far more stimulating to discerning female mosquitoes than plain water, for example, or filtered water in which the bacteria once lived.<ref>[http://newswise.com/articles/view/542339/ Lay Your Eggs Here] Newswise, Retrieved on July 8, 2008.</ref>
==References==
<references/>
==External links==
* [http://aaegypti.vectorbase.org/index.php VectorBase's genomic resource for ''Aedes aegypti'']
* [http://gvcocks.homeip.net/Diptera/Culicidae/aedes%20egypti.htm A page that has an image of ''Aedes aegypti'']
* [http://medent.usyd.edu.au/photos/aedes%20aegypti.htm ''Aedes aegypti'' page from University of Sydney, Australia]
* [http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/art98/aedrol.html ''Aedes aegypti'' and Dengue fever]
* [http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/dengue/ United States CDC page on dengue fever containing information on prevalence of ''Aedes aegypti'' worldwide and past efforts to eradicate it]
* {{eol|17290367}}
{{wikispecies|Aedes aegypti}}
{{commons|Aedes aegypti}}
[[Category:Culicidae]]
[[Category:Insect vectors of human pathogens]]
[[Category:Flies]]
[[de:Gelbfiebermücke]]
[[es:Stegomyia aegypti]]
[[fr:Aedes aegypti]]
[[id:Aedes aegypti]]
[[it:Aedes aegypti]]
[[no:Aedes Aegypti]]
[[pt:Aedes aegypti]]
[[fi:Keltakuumehyttynen]]
[[vi:Aedes aegypti]]