Presumed Dirofilaria immitis infections in wild-caught Aedes taeniorhynchus and Aeds scapularis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

One of 48 A. taeniorhynchus and 1 of 292 A. scapularis collected at a coastal lowland farm near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were found to harbour 5 early 3rd-instar larvae and 1 2nd-instar larva, respectively, of Dirofilaria immitis in their Malpighian tubules. This appears to be the first record of D. immitis larvae in mosquitoes in Brazil. No larvae were found in 18 other mosquito species (n = 229) examined.