Is perceived exposure to mosquitoes associated with actual exposure ? Results from studies in high-risk and low-risk geographic areas

Is perceived exposure to mosquitoes associated with actual exposure ? Results from studies in high-risk and low-risk geographic areas Gaillard Béatrice auteur aut IRD Simard Frédéric auteur aut IRD Dormont L. auteur aut IRD Jay-Robert P. auteur aut IRD de Lurbe D. D. auteur aut IRD Etienne M. auteur aut IRD Baudin A. auteur aut IRD Raude J. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access Perceived exposure to mosquitoes plays a fundamental role in the adoption of a range of protective behaviors aiming to prevent and control mosquito-borne disease. However, it is largely unknown in the present literature to what extent perceived exposure is associated with actual exposure. Moreover, the perception of nuisance may depend on the natural environment in which human populations are living, and especially its epidemiological context. In this study, the hypothesis that perceived exposure is driven by mosquito abundance was tested in two different geographic areas. We compared a range of perceived nuisance measures-collected through questionnaires-with egg number measured within ovitraps located in the south of France, which has been recently colonized by an arbovirus vector, and La Martinique island, a tropical French territory, which has a long history of outbreaks of mosquito-borne pathogens. Unexpectedly, only the nuisance due to mosquito noise was correlated with ovitrap activity in southern France. All other perceived exposure measures, both in the south of France and in Martinique, were not correlated with egg number surrounding households investigated. These results suggest the existence of habituation effects that may disturb the engagement in adaptive behaviors in the face of change in the entomological conditions. specialized ZONE MEDITERRANEENNE FRANCE MARTINIQUE FORT DE FRANCE ZONE TROPICALE 052 American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 101 5 976-979 2019 0002-9637 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010077357 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0074 0002-9637 [F B010077357] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010077357 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers19-12/010077357.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2020-01-07 2025-02-24 fdi:010077357 fre