Historical changes in the local distribution of yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti L.) in south Florida, U.S.A.

The spatial distribution of disease vectors is directly tied to disease transmission. The range of Aedes aegypti in the United States has diminished since the introduction of Aedes albopictus in the 1980s; however, Ae. aegypti persists in some urban areas, particularly in south Florida. We studied the spatial patterning of Ae. aegypti at a fine landscape scale by comparing the distribution of Ae. aegypti in Palm Beach County, Florida from 2013 to the distribution from 2006-7, taking into account microclimate and land cover. We found landscape and microclimate factors help explain the distribution of the two mosquitoes with evidence for a local range shift of Ae. aegypti. This local change in distribution may have implications for shifts on a much broader scale, with concomitant changes in risk of disease transmission.