Mosquito Biology and Emerging Health Issues

Seminar paper from the year 2018 in the subject Medicine - Epidemiology, grade: 1.1, Egerton University, language: English, abstract: Mosquitoes remain to be among the most amazing organisms in the universe. Evolutionary data reveals that mosquitoes have survived for more than 30 million years in which 3,500 species have evolved. Despite the large genetic diversity observed in mosquitoes, only a few species have been found to bother humans. Over the years, research on mosquitoes has enabled entomologists in identifying different mosquito taxonomic classes. However, the classification of mosquitoes has been surrounded by unprecedented controversy because new species are being discovered year-by-year. The latest mosquito species to be identified include the two mosquito species belonging to the Topomyia genus recently discovered in Sri Lanka and the invasive Aedes japonicas species discovered in Asia (Kampen & Werner 2014). According to the taxonomic classification, mosquitoes belong to the largest animal phylum; Arthropoda, and they are grouped in the Class: Insecta that comprises of other insects such as the flies. Down in the taxonomic classification, mosquitoes belong to the Order: Diptera and Family: Culicidae that comprise of various sub-families. At present, there are 43 known mosquito genera, which comprise of over 3,500 species (Rueda 2008). In addition, an extensive study has been conducted to generate a comprehensive understanding on the anatomy, physiology and ecological characteristics of mosquitoes. It is believed that the ecological characteristics of mosquitoes and physiology are responsible for the emerging health issues. Therefore, this research paper will give a comprehensive overview of the mosquito biology. It will discuss the anatomy, physiology and ecological characteristics of mosquitoes. It will also provide a concise overview on the mosquito-borne diseases.