Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part B (2019)

Author(s): Haruna Mohammed Rabi’u and Abdulhamid Ahmed

Abstract: Water filled discarded automobile tyres usually provide avenues for the breeding of mosquito vectors. Mosquitoes transmit human and animal diseases such as Malaria, yellow fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever, encephalitis, fowl pox and Rift valley fever. This study was conducted to determine the species composition and relative abundance of mosquitoes breeding in discarded automobile tyres within Minna town, Niger, State, Nigeria. Mosquito larvae were isolated via standard systematic sampling technique using a soup ladle dipper and examined using standard techniques. Water samples were collected from 250 abandoned vehicle tyres containing stagnant water in nine (9) localities. The water from 95 (38.0%) of the sampled tyres were found to contain larvae of mosquitoes. Two (2) genera and six species of mosquito were identified from a total of 804 mosquito larvae isolated. These include, 722 (89.8%) Aedes aegypti Linnaeus; 8 (1.0%) Culex pipiens molestus Forsk; 7 (0.9%) Culex pipiens pipiens Linnaeus; 43 (5.4%) Culex quinquefasciatus Say; 9 (1.1%) Culex simpsoni Theobald and 15 (1.9%) Culex tigripes Grandpre. Aedes aegypti was the only species encountered breeding in tyres from all the nine localities and its container breeding indices ranged from 9.7% to 56.5% indicative of very high probability of transmission of epidemic yellow fever and other diseases spread by Aedes mosquito in the area. The abundance of each of the six mosquito species breeding in the area did not differ significantly (P>0.05). However, the abundance of larval Aedes aegypti amongst the nine locations differ significantly (P<0.05). Efforts to reduce the cases of Mosquito-borne diseases in the area should include proper environmental sanitation and public health awareness campaigns.