Letters From Turkey 2 〜 Heat, Collection and Samples

Republic of Türkiye

The following is a report on the mosquito surveys conducted in Izmir, Aydin, and Mugla in July 2024. July is the hottest month of the year in the Izmir area, and we had to collect larvae under the scorching sun (nearly 40°C every day), but fortunately none of us got sick and we were able to complete the collection schedule without any problems. (Photo 2). A dog looks hot (Photo 3). As expected, humans are also looking hot (Photo 4).

Photo 2 ：Dr. Yamada of NIID checking for mosquito larvae using a ladle, 2nd from right ：Dr. Yusuf of Aegean University, 3rd from right: Dr. Seray of Aegean University
Photo 3 : Dogs cooling off in the shade of a tree in nearly 40-degree temperatures.
Photo 4 ：Humans also look hot. Itokawa team member at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases

Including this survey, we obtained 416 mosquito samples of 16 species in 4 genera over the past year. Using these samples, we will conduct research to develop a foundation for mosquito species identification methods in Turkey.

（Yukiko HIGA, Senior Research Scientist, Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases)

ベクター　Vector　Vektör　anopheles