Detection of Aedes Aegypti eggs in Valparaíso Region highlights emerging public health challenges.
Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) (Diptera: Culicidae) was eradicated from continental Chile in the 1950s and reintroduced to Arica, city located in the northern frontier with Peru, in 2016. In April 2023, staff of the reference laboratory of entomology at the Public Health Institute of Chile (ISP), detected a whole egg and two hatched eggs of Aedes sp., based on observation under a stereoscopic microscope from an ovitrap installed in the commune of Los Andes, Valparaíso Region, Chile. The egg was reared under controlled environmental conditions until it reached the fourth instar larval stage. The larva presented morphological structures typical of those of Ae. aegypti under microscope. The remaining structure of the hatched eggs was submitted to molecular analysis, and it was identified as Ae. aegypti. This finding represents the first record of this species in the Valparaíso Region, and it is the southernmost record of the mosquito in the Chilean territory. The worldwide distribution patterns of Ae. aegypti represent significant challenges for public health. Accordingly, vector control strategies would to be adapted to new records of this species in the country.
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