Effectiveness of Copepod, Acanthocyclops vernalis on Dengue Fever Victor, Aedes aegypti under Laboratory Conditions in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

A. aegypti, the primary carrier for dengue viruses that cause dengue fever and are widespread over large areas of the tropics and subtropics. The copepod, Acanthocyclops vernalis was collected from a pond located in Hail, a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia. A. aegypti colonies established from Laboratory of Public Health Pests, Jeddah Municipality, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In the laboratory, the predatory capacity of copepod predator A. vernalis tested on first and second instars of Aedes aegypti. A single adult female of A. vernalis was tested against 50 larvae of A. aegypti in case the presence and absence of an alternative food. Several doses of A. vernalis (10, 15, 20 and 25 adults) against 100 larvae of mosquito were tested also in case the presence and absence of an alternative food under laboratory conditions.