Current evidences of the efficacy of mosquito mass-trapping interventions to reduce Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus populations and Aedes-borne virus transmission

Background: Over the past decades, several viral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes—dengue, chikungunya, Zika—have spread outside of tropical areas. To limit the transmission of these viruses and preserve human health, the use of mosquito traps has been developed as a complement or alternative to other vector control techniques. The objective of this work was to perform a systematic review of the existing scientific literature to assess the efficacy of interventions based on adult mosquito trap to control Aedes population densities and the diseases they transmit worldwide. Methods and findings: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic review was conducted using the PubMed and Scopus databases. Among the 19 selected papers, lethal ovitraps were used in 16 studies, host-seeking female traps in 3 studies. Furthermore, 16 studies focused on the control of Ae. aegypti. Our review showed great heterogeneity in the indicators used to assess trap efficacy: e.g., the number of host-seeking females, the number of gravid females, the proportion of positive containers, the viral infection rate in female mosquitoes or serological studies in residents. Regardless of the type of studied traps, the results of various studies support the efficacy of mass trapping in combination with classical integrated vector control in reducing Aedes density. More studies with standardized methodology, and indicators are urgently needed to provide more accurate estimates of their efficacy. Conclusions: This review highlights gaps in the demonstration of the efficacy of mass trapping of mosquitoes in reducing viral transmission and disease. Thus, further large-scale cluster randomized controlled trials conducted in endemic areas and including epidemiological outcomes are needed to establish scientific evidence for the reduction of viral transmission risk by mass trapping targeting gravid and/or host-seeking female mosquitoes.