Development and field evaluation of a motion sensor activated suction trap to study vector-host interactions

1. Researchers elucidating vectors of zoonotic diseases encounter problems
with inefficient surveillance techniques leading to underestimation of the
importance of some species, and the overestimation of the importance of
others. Carbon dioxide-baited light traps are the most widely used traps
for sampling vector groups. However aspirating directly from the hosts is
the most accurate method to incriminate vectors. 2. A novel vector
trapping system was developed, consisting of a suction trap, activated by
a motion sensor, and controlled by a microcontroller, which activates
automatically when host animals approach. The prototype was tested in two
field experiments with ungulates and biting midges (Diptera:
Ceratopogonidae) at a preserve in Florida. We measured the biting midge
community collected at traps near and far from hosts and compared
communities using diversity metrics and abundance curves. 3. Traps
activated in the presence of host animals with 94% accuracy. Diversity and
richness of Culicoides species differed between sensor
and control traps with 11 species captured by control traps and 7 species
by sensor traps. Vector species were captured in significantly greater
numbers in sensor traps, while more non-vector species were caught in
control traps. 4. Results confirm that vector species can be
underrepresented in light trap collections, likely due to their tight
associations with vertebrate hosts, a finding that should be taken into
consideration when incriminating arbovirus vectors. Our novel trap system
was a first attempt at solving the issue of collecting vector species from
non-tame animals, effectively aspirating questing midges. Simple
modifications of the system could be made to target other vector-host
systems.