A New, Cost-Effective, Battery-Powered Aspirator for Adult Mosquito Collections

Abstract

We report the development of a new mosquito aspirator with the same aspiration capacity (airflow) of the CDC Backpack Aspirator (CDC-BP), but smaller and lighter (0.8 kg without battery), less expensive (US$45-70), easier to build, and compatible with the use of telescoping extension poles to access hard-to-reach locations. The performance of this new aspirator, named "Prokopack," was compared with the CDC-BP in laboratory settings as well as in paired collections in combined sewer overflow (CSO) tunnels in Atlanta, GA, and indoor mosquito collections in Iquitos, Peru. The difference in suction power between both aspirators (average, 0.29-0.43 m/s) was negligible. However, 2.3 times more mosquitoes were collected using the Prokopack in the upper wall (>1.5 m) and ceilings of CSO tunnels than with the CDC-BP in lower walls. Indoor collection in Iquitos yielded significantly more total mosquito numbers [including Culex pipiens complex, Culex (melanoconion) sp., and Mansonia sp.] and Aedes aegypti (L.) in the Prokopack than in the CDC-BP. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of the Prokopack to collect different mosquito species in different epidemiological settings.