Arthropod vectors !
- Parasites
The insects that carry dengue, malaria, leishmaniasis and Chagas in Colombia: how they live, how they bite and how they are controlled.
Updated 2026-11-01
What they are
A vector is an arthropod that carries a microorganism from one host to another. Knowing its life cycle, when it bites and where it breeds explains why bed nets, removing breeding sites or fixing houses work. In Colombia, vector-borne diseases (ETV) have departmental prevention and control programmes, with entomological surveillance coordinated by the Instituto Nacional de Salud.
What they share
- Only females bite in mosquitoes and sand flies, because they need blood for their eggs; in triatomines every stage bites.
- The pathogen usually needs days inside the insect before it can be passed on (extrinsic incubation period).
- Control combines fewer breeding sites, insecticides with resistance monitoring, physical barriers and community participation.
Microorganisms in this group
- Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictusStriped-legged mosquitoes that bite by day and breed in clean water in containers. They spread dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever.Exam priority: medium
- AnophelesThe mosquito that spreads malaria. It bites at dusk and at night and breeds in still natural water; treated bed nets stop it.Exam priority: medium
- LutzomyiaA tiny hairy fly that bites at nightfall. It spreads leishmaniasis and Carrión disease and breeds in damp soil.Exam priority: medium
- Triatomines (Rhodnius prolixus, Triatoma dimidiata)Bugs that live in cracks of mud-walled houses and palm-thatch roofs. They bite at night and spread Chagas in their faeces.Exam priority: medium
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Why do only female mosquitoes bite?
Because they need the protein in blood to produce eggs; males feed on nectar.
Which vector passes the pathogen in its faeces rather than its saliva?
The triatomine bug: Trypanosoma cruzi leaves in its droppings and enters through the bite wound or mucosa.
Which environmental measure is the basis of Aedes aegypti control?
Removing, covering or scrubbing containers where water collects, such as low water tanks, tyres and vases.
Educational content on microorganisms; not a treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.
Sources: Life Cycle of Aedes Mosquitoes | Mosquitoes | CDC (CDC, 2024); Life Cycle of Anopheles Mosquitoes | Mosquitoes | CDC (CDC, 2024); Chagas disease (also known as American trypanosomiasis) (WHO, 2025).
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.