ABSTRACT In view of the adaptive ability of mosquitoes and their role in the transport of infective agents, entomological surveys undertaken in transitional environments are very important for the determination of the risk they represent for Public Health. Among the principal vectors of the infectious agents involved in the occurrence of important arboviruses, such as dengue, for example, are the Culicidae-insects capable of installing themselves in the urban nuclei, which exist within areas containing vestigial forests. This present study conducted a survey of mosquito species by means of traps to catch their larvae installed in five rural areas within the Atlantic Forest domain and containing its vestigial vegetation in the municipality of Santa Bárbara D'Oeste, São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 13,241 larvae belonging to six mosquito species were collected on 920 occasions (32.52% of positive collections). Aedes albopictus (64.23%) and Aedes aegypti (32.75%) were the most frequent, followed by Culex quinquefasciatus (1.32%), Aedes fluviatilis (1.04%), Culex Complex Coronator (0.40%) and Toxorhynchites theobaldi (0.22%). Three areas were analyzed by means of Simpson's diversity index and the spatial analysis showed that the sites with the greatest abundance of Ae. aegypti presented lower diversity values and were associated with more highly consolidated urban nuclei. The vector of dengue, chikungunya and zika has great infesting ability in urban areas, which means that the early implementation of entomological surveillance and control activities in specific areas - such as transitional ones - is highly important.

Trata-se de um inquérito amostral (502 entrevistas) realizado na região de Campinas SP, em Santa Bárbara D'Oeste (170.000 habitantes), por ser o primeiro município a registrar casos de dengue autóctone na região, desde 1995. Avaliou-se o conhecimento da população sobre o dengue, seu vetor e prevenção em 3 bairros da cidade. Estas informações foram comparadas com a presença de criadouros no ambiente domiciliar, em áreas com e sem transmissão. O bairro com melhores condições sociais e urbanas apresentaram conhecimento mais adequado sobre a doença, embora os bairros periféricos tenham sido priorizados em atividades educativas devido à ocorrência de casos. Observou-se criadouros em todas as áreas examinadas, em quantidades semelhantes. Constatou-se a distância entre conhecimento e mudanças de comportamento. Identificou-se as fontes de informações mais referidas e os criadouros predominantes nos domicílios. Os resultados deste inquérito podem servir como subsídios para (re)orientar ações educativas das equipes de controle de vetores, bem como avaliar um instrumento simplificado para acompanhamento do impacto do programa local de controle do dengue.

A survey with 502 interviews was realized in the region of Campinas (S.P.) to evaluate the community's knowledge and concepts regarding dengue: disease, vector and prevention. This information was then compared with the actual behavior towards prevention and the presence of breeding sites. Three neighborhoods of Santa Barbara D'Oeste (170,000 inhabitants) were chosen because they were located in the first municipality with autochthonous transmission, since 1995. Areas with better social and urban conditions scored higher in terms of knowledge compared with peripheral neighborhoods, even though these regions had priority in the local education program, due to case notification. However, breeding sites were found equally in both regions. A major gap between knowledge and attitude was detected in all regions. The results of the survey can help the organization of education programs to find ways to put this knowledge into practice. This instrument is useful to monitor the impact of dengue control programs.