OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of the distance between infested and non-infested areas in the geographical spread of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictuspopulations in the state of S. Paulo. Regional patterns were also studied, considering the determinants related to soil occupation. METHODS: Information related to the counties in the state of S. Paulo where were concentrations of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus and counties infested up to the end of each year (1985 to 1995), both in the state of S. Paulo and in the neighboring states, were used. Four indicators were defined to analyze the infestation process. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The analysis indicated the contribution of the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraná for the initial Ae. aegypti infestation in the state of S. Paulo and Ae. albopictus infestation in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. In the counties where there was a concentration of these species, their establishment was more frequent among those closer to the infested area. Seventy-five percent of the counties where there were established populations of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were situated up to 34 km and 60 km, respectively, from the nearest infested county. The analysis of the geographical spread rate of the Ae. aegypti revealed three different large areas with unexpected patterns: the area with greater demographic population density (east of the state) had the lower rate of geographical mosquito spread, indicating the existence of other factors with preponderant influence on the macro-regional patterns. For Ae. albopictus, there was no evidence of a relationship between their geographical spread patterns and the demographic population density.
Aedes; Residence characteristics; Ecology, vectors; Aedes aegypti; Aedes albopictus
