In dengue virus transmission, which two mosquito species are the primary vectors, and what is the genus of the dengue virus?

• A. Vectors: Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti; Dengue is a flavivirus.
• B. Vectors: Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti; Dengue is a flavivirus.
• C. Vectors: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus; Dengue is a flavivirus.
• D. Vectors: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus; Dengue is a togavirus.

Answer: (C)

Dengue is spread mainly by two Aedes species that thrive in our urban and peri-urban environments: Aedes aegypti, the primary urban vector, and Aedes albopictus, which broadens transmission to more temperate and diverse areas. The dengue virus itself belongs to the genus Flavivirus, within the Flaviviridae family. This combination—Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus as the key mosquito carriers and dengue as a flavivirus—captures both who drives transmission and what kind of virus it is.

Understanding the ecology helps: Aedes mosquitoes commonly bite during the day and breed in standing water in containers and other small water-holding spots, which is why urban settings with mixed water sources are high risk. The other options mix in a mosquito species that is not a primary dengue vector (such as Culex quinquefasciatus or Anopheles gambiae) or misclassify the dengue virus as a togavirus, when it is actually a flavivirus.