A shift in resting habitat and feeding behavior of Anopheles fluviatilis sibling species in the Keonjhar district of Odisha, India.

Abstract

Anopheles fluviatilis exists as a complex of sibling species S, T, U and V exhibiting distinct variations. Sibling species S is considered as the main vector and anthropogenic whereas T, U and V are zoophagic non-vectors. This study was performed in a forested village of Keonjhar district, Odisha to identify the status of An. fluviatilis sibling species. Mosquito collections were made from cattle sheds (CS), human dwellings (HD) and mixed dwellings (MD) from June 2012 to May 2013. The proportion of An. fluviatilis collected from different habitats was compared with An. culicifacies. PCR assays were conducted to reveal their sibling species composition, host preference and sporozoite rate. Anopheles fluviatilis was the dominant species followed by An. culicifacies. The relative proportion of collection was high in MD and HD for An. fluviatilis and An. culicifacies respectively. PCR assay confirmed 9.4% S and 75.5% T. Mean collection of sibling species T and S were significantly high in MD and HD. Human blood index (HBI) of 0.88 and 0.61 was confirmed for sibling species S and T respectively with 13% sporozoite rate for S. High density of the sibling T was found in the study site with a shift in resting habitat and blood feeding preference. GenBank submissions: KJ451071.1, KJ451072.1, KJ451073.1, KJ451074.1, KJ451432.1, KJ451433.1, KJ451434.1, KJ451435.1, KJ451428.1, KJ451429.1, KJ451430.1, KJ451431.1.