{ "abstract": "Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, poses a major public health challenge in tropical regions. In Brazil, its incidence has increased, especially in socioeconomically vulnerable areas, where environmental conditions favor the proliferation of vectors. Our objective was to assess the socioeconomic and environmental vulnerabilities associated with the spatial distribution of a) Ae. aegypti and b) resident exposure to CHIKV in a low-income community. Identifying key exposure hotspots, our work improves our understanding of CHIKV transmission in informal settlements and facilitates community-based interventions to mitigate CHIKV risk. We monitored Ae. aegypti using ovitraps and conducted a serological survey from October 2021 to June 2022 in a vulnerable informal community in Salvador, Brazil. Blood samples and sociodemographic, household, and environmental data were collected from residents aged ≥5 years. CHIKV serology was performed, and spatial models using Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation assessed vector distribution, seropositivity, and associated factors. Among 194 ovitraps, posterior estimates indicated higher egg counts in peridomicile locations (IRR = 1.99; CrI:1.31-3.06); households experiencing food insecurity (IRR = 1.77; CrI:1.05 - 2.99), properties with unpaved yards (IRR = 3.76; CrI:2.31-6.18), and areas with greater garbage density (IRR = 1.25; CrI:1.01 -1.56). Among 888 participants, Bayesian spatial modeling identified factors associated with CHIKV seropositivity: elderly (OR= 2.24; CrI:1.16-4.35), uncovered brick walls (OR=2.29; CrI:1.16-4.55), the presence of yards, either paved (OR=2.06; CrI:1.30-3.00) or unpaved (OR=2.71; CrI:1.73-4.25), and self-reported mosquito sightings (OR=1.94; CrI:1.19-3.18). In addition, remotely sensed Land Surface Temperature (OR=1.33; CrI:0.98-1.83) and the spatial ovitraps egg counts (OR=1.14; CrI:0.87-1.52) were relevant variables. Our high-resolution study identified fine-scale vulnerabilities linked to both Ae. aegypti abundance and heightened risk of CHIKV transmission. Based on our findings, effective control strategies should not only focus on traditional methods such as enhancing basic urban infrastructure and services and promoting community awareness, but also target specific breeding sites around homes, address garbage accumulation, and consider the influence of micro-scale temperature variations. These results emphasize the importance of tailored, neighborhood-specific interventions to effectively reduce chikungunya transmission in high-risk communities. Author summary: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection is an increasing public health concern in Brazil, particularly in socioeconomically vulnerable urban communities where environmental conditions favor the proliferation of Aedes mosquitoes. Despite this, much of the existing evidence on CHIKV transmission relies on aggregated data at neighborhood or city scales, which may overlook important heterogeneity in exposure risk within informal settlements. Given the strong influence of household conditions and local environments on mosquito breeding and virus transmission, fine-scale investigations are essential to better understand CHIKV dynamics in these settings. In this study, we examined the spatial distribution of Aedes aegypti and human exposure to CHIKV in a low-income community in Salvador, Brazil. We conducted entomological surveillance using ovitraps and a serological survey among community residents, alongside the collection of sociodemographic, household, and environmental information. By integrating high-resolution field data with spatial modeling approaches, this study aimed to characterize how social and environmental vulnerabilities shape mosquito distribution and CHIKV exposure at small spatial scales. This work seeks to inform more precise, locally tailored strategies for chikungunya prevention and control in vulnerable urban communities.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil", "Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil", "Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America", "Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil", "Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil", "Centre for Health Informatics, Computing, and Statistics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom", "Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom", "Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden" ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 17, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Jaqueline S. Cruz", "orcid": "0000-0003-4128-1008" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Hernan D. Argibay" }, { "affs": [ 0, 1 ], "name": "Nivison Nery" }, { "affs": [ 0, 1, 2 ], "name": "Hammed Mogaji" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Thiago da M. Barreto" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Lorena Ellen S. Batista" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Lara R. S. Silva" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Victor Kaua Nery" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Victoria C. Dedavid Ferreira" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Ianei de O. Carneiro" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Yeimi A. Alzate López" }, { "affs": [ 0, 2, 4 ], "name": "Mitermayer G. Reis" }, { "affs": [ 0, 2 ], "name": "Albert I. Ko" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Petter Diggle" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Michael Begon" }, { "affs": [ 0, 1 ], "name": "Federico Costa" }, { "affs": [ 0, 7 ], "name": "Hussein Khalil", "orcid": "0000-0001-9982-6387" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7b80bve39vgrz.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pntd.0014776", "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014776", "id": "7b80bve39vgrz", "issns": [ "1935-2735", "1935-2727" ], "landing_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014776", "language": "en", "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "heading", "Aedes Aegypti" ], [ "heading", "Alphaviruses" ], [ "heading", "Animals" ], [ "heading", "Arthropoda" ], [ "heading", "Biology and Life Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Biology and life sciences" ], [ "heading", "Brazil" ], [ "heading", "Chikungunya Infection" ], [ "heading", "Chikungunya Virus" ], [ "heading", "Disease Vectors" ], [ "heading", "Ecology and Environmental Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Eggs" ], [ "heading", "Entomology" ], [ "heading", "Epidemiology" ], [ "heading", "Eukaryota" ], [ "heading", "Geographical locations" ], [ "heading", "Infectious Diseases" ], [ "heading", "Insect Vectors" ], [ "heading", "Insects" ], [ "heading", "Invertebrates" ], [ "heading", "Medical Conditions" ], [ "heading", "Medical Microbiology" ], [ "heading", "Medical Risk Factors" ], [ "heading", "Medicine and Health Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Microbial Pathogens" ], [ "heading", "Microbiology" ], [ "heading", "Mosquitoes" ], [ "heading", "Neglected Tropical Diseases" ], [ "heading", "Organisms" ], [ "heading", "Pathogens" ], [ "heading", "Pathology and Laboratory Medicine" ], [ "heading", "People and places" ], [ "heading", "Physiology" ], [ "heading", "RNA viruses" ], [ "heading", "Reproductive Physiology" ], [ "heading", "Research Article" ], [ "heading", "Serology" ], [ "heading", "South America" ], [ "heading", "Species Interactions" ], [ "heading", "Terrestrial Environments" ], [ "heading", "Togaviruses" ], [ "heading", "Tropical Diseases" ], [ "heading", "Urban Environments" ], [ "heading", "Viral Diseases" ], [ "heading", "Viral Pathogens" ], [ "heading", "Viruses" ], [ "heading", "Zoology" ], [ "openalex", "2739|Mosquito-borne diseases and control" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Microbiology/Medical microbiology/Microbial pathogens/Viral pathogens/Togaviruses/Alphaviruses/Chikungunya virus" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropoda/Insects/Mosquitoes/Aedes aegypti" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Viruses/RNA viruses/Togaviruses/Alphaviruses/Chikungunya virus" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Viruses/Viral pathogens/Togaviruses/Alphaviruses/Chikungunya virus" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Reproductive physiology/Eggs" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Species interactions/Disease vectors/Insect vectors/Mosquitoes/Aedes aegypti" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropoda/Insects/Mosquitoes/Aedes aegypti" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Entomology/Insects/Mosquitoes/Aedes aegypti" ], [ "plos", "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Terrestrial environments/Urban environments" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Epidemiology/Medical risk factors" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Disease vectors/Insect vectors/Mosquitoes/Aedes aegypti" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Viral diseases/Chikungunya infection" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Tropical diseases/Neglected tropical diseases/Chikungunya infection" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Pathology and laboratory medicine/Pathogens/Microbial pathogens/Viral pathogens/Togaviruses/Alphaviruses/Chikungunya virus" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Pathology and laboratory medicine/Serology" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Geographical locations/South America/Brazil" ] ], "openalex": "W7221533656", "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014776&type=printable", "pmcid": "PMC13712677", "pmid": "42862816", "published": "2026-10-12", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7b80bve39vgrz.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:30Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pntd.0014776", "source": "plos", "url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014776" }, { "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:23:12Z", "native_id": "PMC13712677", "source": "pmc", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0014776" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:microbiology", "subfield": "microbiology" }, { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:zoology", "subfield": "zoology-behaviour" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "heading:Epidemiology", "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:infectious diseases", "subfield": "infectious-disease" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "heading:Physiology", "subfield": "physiology" } ], "title": "Socio-environmental assessment of Aedes aegypti distribution and risk of chikungunya in vulnerable community", "title_text": "Socio-environmental assessment of Aedes aegypti distribution and risk of chikungunya in vulnerable community", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:23:12Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7b80bve39vgrz", "venue": "PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases", "versions": [] }