D3008: Relationships between water quality and mosquito presence and abundance: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Mosquito-borne diseases (MBD) have (re)emerged in most environments partially due to climate and land use changes, and associated increases in breeding pools. As mosquito habitat selection is often contingent on water availability for egg and larval development, studies have recognized water quality properties as being important in larval habitats. However, underlying species-specific preferences for water quality conditions are varied. This review aimed to identify, characterize, appraise, and synthesize available global data on the relationships between water quality and mosquito presence and abundance. We identified 3285 research articles in the primary literature search. Articles were screened based on relevancy, language (French, English, Spanish), and accessibility. The final list of prioritized articles includes 61 references (1986 to 2020), with sufficient data for knowledge synthesis. The most reported water quality parameters were pH (87%), nitrogen concentrations (74%), turbidity (69%), electrical conductivity (51%), dissolved oxygen (41%), and phosphorus concentrations (33%). The most reported mosquito genera were MBD related Anopheles (72%), Culex (48%) and Aedes (30%). We identified a geographical knowledge gap as 79% of studies were set in Africa and Asia. Preliminary assessment revealed that phosphorus concentrations were positively correlated with the abundance of most genera, possibly due to eutrophication increasing larvae food availability. This finding alone highlights the potential benefits of phosphorus management practices for decreasing vector productivity. Accompanying urban expansion and greater intensity storm events, identifying vector species’ preferences for water conditions will help track vector species distribution and mitigate MBD risk.