Which mosquito is the urban vector for Dengue and Yellow Fever?

• A. Toxorhynchites rutilus
• B. Culex pipiens
• C. Aedes aegypti
• D. Anopheles quadrimaculatus

Answer: (C)

Urban transmission of Dengue and Yellow Fever is driven by Aedes aegypti because it thrives in cities, breeds in small water-filled containers near homes, and bites mainly during the day, making it highly effective at spreading these viruses among people. The other mosquitoes don’t fit this role: Toxorhynchites rutilus does not feed on humans and its larvae prey on other mosquitoes; Culex pipiens is more often associated with West Nile and other pathogens and tends to bite at night and in different settings; Anopheles quadrimaculatus is a malaria vector with different feeding and breeding habits. So, the mosquito most closely linked to urban dengue and yellow fever transmission is Aedes aegypti.