Aedes mosquito distribution across urban and peri-urban areas of Kinshasa city, Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. Victoire Nsabatien
  2. Josue Zanga
  3. Nono Mvuama
  4. Arsene Bokulu
  5. Hyacinthe Lukoki
  6. Glodie Diza
  7. Dorcas Kantin
  8. Leon Mbashi
  9. Christelle Bosulu
  10. Narcisse Basosila
  11. Erick Bukaka
  12. Fiacre Agossa
  13. Jonas Nagahuedi
  14. Jean-Claude Palata
  15. Emery Metelo

  • Curated by GigaByte

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    Editors Assessment:

    In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Aedes mosquitoes are principal vectors of the arboviruses that cause yellow fever, chikungunya and dengue in the human population. However systematic surveillance data on these species remains limited, hindering for entomological and modelling research and control strategies. This paper is one of a series of Data Release papers in GigaByte supported by TDR and the WHO describing datasets hosted in GBIF to tackle these data gaps in vectors of human disease data. To address this data deficiency this paper presents a geo-referenced dataset of 6,577 entomological occurrence records collected in 2024 throughout urban and peri-urban areas of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The data collected using Larval dipping, Human landing catches, Prokopack aspirator, and BG-Sentinel traps. Data auditing and peer review found the data well validated, but requested some additional fields and methodological details. This work and the extremely useful data provided representing an important step towards building a pan-African resource for Aedes mosquito data collection.

    This evaluation refers to version 1 of the preprint

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Abstract

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Aedes mosquitoes are vectors of medically important arboviruses, mediating the transmission of yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya. However, systematic surveillance of these species remains limited, preventing the rapid detection of changes in distribution, abundance, and behaviour. Here, we present a geo-referenced dataset of 6,577 entomological occurrence records collected in 2024 throughout urban and peri-urban areas of Kinshasa city, DRC, using Larval dipping, Human landing catches, Prokopack aspirator, and BG-Sentinel traps. Our records include Aedes albopictus (n = 2,694), Aedes aegypti (n = 1,939), Aedes vittatus (n = 2), and Aedes spp. (n = 1,942), annotated with species, sex, life stage, reproductive status, and spatial coordinates. Our dataset is published as a Darwin Core archive in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. This dataset, the most detailed spatial record of Aedes mosquitoes in Kinshasa to date, provides a robust foundation for entomological research and data-driven arbovirus vector control in DRC.

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  1. Version published to 10.46471/gigabyte.166
  2. GigaByte

    Editors Assessment:

    In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Aedes mosquitoes are principal vectors of the arboviruses that cause yellow fever, chikungunya and dengue in the human population. However systematic surveillance data on these species remains limited, hindering for entomological and modelling research and control strategies. This paper is one of a series of Data Release papers in GigaByte supported by TDR and the WHO describing datasets hosted in GBIF to tackle these data gaps in vectors of human disease data. To address this data deficiency this paper presents a geo-referenced dataset of 6,577 entomological occurrence records collected in 2024 throughout urban and peri-urban areas of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The data collected using Larval dipping, Human landing catches, Prokopack aspirator, and BG-Sentinel traps. Data auditing and peer review found the data well validated, but requested some additional fields and methodological details. This work and the extremely useful data provided representing an important step towards building a pan-African resource for Aedes mosquito data collection.

    This evaluation refers to version 1 of the preprint

  3. GigaByte

    AbstractIn the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Aedes mosquitoes are principal vectors of medically important arboviruses, with major implications for yellow fever, chikungunya and dengue. However, systematic surveillance of these species remains limited, constrained by competing public health priorities such as malaria and other neglected tropical diseases. This gap in surveillance prevents the rapid detection of changes in the distribution, abundance and behaviour, particularly in rapidly urbanizing environments where breeding habitats are proliferating and ecological conditions are favourable for the establishment of these vectors. To address this gap, spatially explicit, small-scale data on Aedes populations in urban and peri-urban areas are needed to accurately assess transmission risk and develop targeted, evidence-based vector control strategies. Here, we present a geo-referenced dataset of 6,577 entomological occurrence records collected in 20224 throughout urban and peri-urban areas of Kinshasa city, DRC, using Larval dipping, Human landing catches, Prokopack aspirator, and BG-Sentinel traps. Records include Aedes albopictus (n = 2,694), Aedes aegypti (n = 1939), Aedes vittatus (n = 2), and Aedes spp. (n = 1,942), each annotated with species, sex, life stage, reproductive status, and spatial coordinates. The dataset is published as a Darwin Core archive in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), and represents the most detailed, spatially explicit record of Aedes mosquito occurrence in Kinshasa to data, providing a robust foundation for entomological and modelling research to support data driven arbovirus vector control strategies in DRC.

    Reviewer 1. Bastien Molcrette

    Are all data available and do they match the descriptions in the paper?

    Correction needed in manuscript Table 1: row ‘Ae. spp (*unid)’ column ‘total’ should be 1942 (instead of 1932). Additional Comments: Aedes vittatus has only been observed and characterized twice in a full year, among 6577 samples: how confident are you that these samples have been correctly classified? Are there any other references for the observation of Aedes vittatus around Kinshasa?

    The full data review and audit is here: https://gigabyte-review.rivervalleytechnologies.com/journal/gx/download-files?YXJ0aWNsZV9pZD02NDAmZmlsZT0yODAmdHlwZT1nZW5lcmljJnZpZXc9dHJ1ZQ==

    Reviewer 2. Paul Taconet

    Is the data acquisition clear, complete and methodologically sound?

    No. See attached.

    Is there sufficient detail in the methods and data-processing steps to allow reproduction?

    No. See below.

    Additional Comments: This data paper presents a valuable contribution, and the effort invested in publishing such a dataset is both commendable and highly appreciated. It represents an important step towards building a pan-African resource for Aedes mosquito data collection.

    Overall, the paper and dataset are highly promising, but clarifying the sampling design and improving metadata consistency will significantly enhance their usability and scientific value.

    Major comments:

    The main point of confusion concerns the geographical definition of the sampling sites. In the manuscript, it is stated that “within each area, two sampling sites were selected.” This suggests a total of four sampling sites (2 areas × 2 sites each). However, elsewhere the text mentions “adults collected from different households for each of the three sampling techniques,” which implies three households per area (i.e., three sites).

    In contrast, the dataset appears to include only two sampling points (one per area), each with extremely precise geographic coordinates (six decimal places, implying sub-meter accuracy). This suggests that collections were made at identical locations, contradicting the description in the paper (two sites, multiple households, etc.).

    To resolve this inconsistency, clarification is needed both in the paper and in the dataset:

    Minor comments (manuscript):

    • In the “Mosquito collection” section, please provide more detail about the sampling schedule (e.g., total number of sessions for each technique, average sampling frequency, etc.).
    • In Table 2, define precisely how dry and rainy seasons were determined (e.g., based on calendar months or rainfall thresholds or other).
    • The dataset contains information on mosquito sex and feeding status, yet the paper does not describe how these were determined. Please add methodological details.
    • Indicate how far apart the sampled households were located, since simultaneous sampling at nearby sites could bias results.
    • Typographical corrections:
      • Introduction: “entomological occurrence records collected in 20224 2024” → revise.
      • Introduction: “spatially explicit record of Aedes mosquito occurrence in Kinshasa to data date” → revise.
      • Methods: “Water from each breeding sites was using with a ladle...” → revise wording for clarity.

    Comments on the dataset:

    • For completeness, the event table could include additional fields such as habitat, samplingEffort (especially relevant for adult collection), sampleSizeValue, and sampleSizeUnit. These details are already provided in the paper and could easily be added to the GBIF dataset.
    • In the occurrence table, the entries under ScientificName are currently generic (e.g., “Aedes albopictus” should be written as Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895)). Consider renaming the current column as genericName and adding a proper ScientificName column with complete taxonomic names.
    • The use of MaterialSample as the basisOfRecord seems questionable. According to community discussions (e.g., https://discourse.gbif.org/t/understanding-basis-of-record/5857), HumanObservation would be more appropriate in this case.
  4. Version published to 10.1101/2025.09.03.674006 on bioRxiv