Abstract
BackgroundThe recent detection of the South Asian malaria vector Anopheles stephensi in Ethiopia and other regions in the Horn of Africa has raised concerns about its potential impact on malaria transmission. We report here the findings of a survey for this species in eastern Ethiopia using both morphological and molecular methods for species identification.MethodsAdult and larval/pupal collections were conducted at ten sites in eastern Ethiopia and Anopheles specimens were identified using standard morphological keys and genetic analysis.ResultsIn total, 2231 morphologically identified An. stephensi were collected. A molecular approach incorporating both PCR endpoint assay and sequencing of portions of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) loci confirmed the identity of the An. stephensi in most cases (119/124 of the morphologically identified An. stephensi confirmed molecularly). Additionally, we observed Aedes aegypti larvae and pupae at many of the An. stephensi larval habitats.ConclusionsOur findings show that An. stephensi is widely distributed in eastern Ethiopia and highlight the need for further surveillance in the southern, western and northern parts of the country and throughout the Horn of Africa.
Highlights
The recent detection of the South Asian malaria vector Anopheles stephensi in Ethiopia and other regions in the Horn of Africa has raised concerns about its potential impact on malaria transmission
The majority of An. stephensi sampled using pyrethrum spray sheet collections (PSC) were from Semera and Erer and that of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were from Degehabur
With the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) endpoint assay, 119 specimens were identified as An. stephensi and 11 specimens were identified as non-An. stephensi
Summary
The recent detection of the South Asian malaria vector Anopheles stephensi in Ethiopia and other regions in the Horn of Africa has raised concerns about its potential impact on malaria transmission. The South Asian vector Anopheles stephensi was recently discovered in Ethiopia and is raising concerns about the impact on malaria transmission in the country and the Understanding the distribution of An. stephensi in Ethiopia is critical to evaluating the threat it poses to malaria control in Ethiopia and the rest of the Horn of Africa [9]. It is important during initial surveillance of a potential new vector to evaluate the accuracy of species
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