Aedes aegypti
| Yellow fever mosquito | |
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| Larva | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Culicidae |
| Genus: | Aedes |
| Subgenus: | Stegomyia |
| Species: | Ae. aegypti |
| Binomial name | |
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Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus in Hasselquist, 1762) |
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| Global Aedes aegypti predicted distribution in 2015. (blue=absent, red=present). |
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| Synonyms | |
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| External identifiers for Aedes aegypti | |
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| Encyclopedia of Life | 740699 |
| ITIS | 126240 |
| NCBI | 7159 |
| Also found in: | |
Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses, and other diseases. The mosquito can be recognized by white markings on its legs and a marking in the form of a lyre on the upper surface of its thorax. This mosquito originated in Africa, but is now found in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. The average wing length of female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes varies greatly (1.67–3.83 mm in a Peruvian habitat).
Aedes aegypti is a vector for transmitting several tropical fevers. Only the female bites for blood, which she needs to mature her eggs. To find a host, these mosquitoes are attracted to chemical compounds emitted by mammals, including ammonia, carbon dioxide, lactic acid, and octenol. Scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service have studied the specific chemical structure of octenol to better understand why this chemical attracts the mosquito to its host. They found the mosquito has a preference for "right-handed" (dextrorotatory) octenol molecules.
The yellow fever mosquito can also contribute to the spread of reticular cell sarcoma among Syrian hamsters.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traveler's page on preventing dengue fever suggests using mosquito repellents that contain DEET (N, N-diethylmetatoluamide, 20% to 30%). It also suggests:
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