A SNAPSHOT OF FEW BIOLOGICAL AND BIONOMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OFANOPHELES CULICIFACIES AND ANOPHELES ANNULARIS IN THREE MALARIOGENICALLY STRATIFIED DISTRICTS OF ODISHA, INDIA

Abstract

Despite tremendous efforts over the past century, malaria remains the major health burdenin the state Odisha, India. In view of designing a situation specific malaria control strategy,baseline data on bionomics of major Anopheles vectors were collected from three malariogenicalstratified districts of Odisha. A comparative study of vector abundance, seasonal prevalence,habit/habitats, resting sites preference, parity rate, proportion of human blood fedvectors and Anopheline species composition was established in a high (Kalahandi), moderate(Bargarh) and a low endemic (Cuttack) districts, when malaria transmission was at itspeak level. The mosquito collection showed a wide range of Anopheline fauna diversificationwith collection of two efficient malaria vectors i.e. An. culicifacies, the primary vectorwith a high peak value during monsoon and An. annularis, the secondary vector in threestudy districts. Both vectors was significantly more in indoor than outdoor in the three districtsand among indoor collections, the density was higher in CS than HD whereas the densitywas more in HD than CS in Cuttack district for annularis. Similarly, their feeding, bitingpattern as well as parity rate varies among these districts. The molecular identification of An.culicifacies revealed the presence of all five sibling species viz. A, B, C, D & E whereas onlyspecies A was detected out of two sibling species A & B of An. annularis. These entomologicalindicators such as vector density, distribution, biology and bionomics as well as theirvectorial attributes are important parameters to measure the pattern and intensity of malariatransmission. Proper monitoring and evaluation of these indices during the peak transmissionperiod can reduce the increasing trend of malaria.