Abstract
Malaria incidence in urban areas has generally been low compared to rural areas but recent data indicate that urban malaria remains a public health problem. It is therefore important to understand the factors that promote urban malaria to help formulate future vector control strategies. This study compared Anopheles gambiae s.l. (A. gambiae s.l.) species composition, distribution and insecticide resistance mechanisms between vegetable and non-vegetable growing areas in Accra Metropolis. Four sites were selected within the city of Accra which comprised of two vegetable-growing and two non-vegetable growing areas. WHO susceptibility tests were carried out on adults A. gambiae s.l. reared from larvae collected from the sites. Five insecticides were tested and the A. gambiae complex, resistance genotypes and enzyme activities of each population were characterized. All A. gambiae s.l. populations tested were resistant to all the insecticides, but relatively lower mortalities were observed in the vegetable growing areas. The mortality against 0.05% deltamethrin was 2.6% (Opeibea) and 12.5% (Korle-Bu) for the vegetable growing areas and 36.2% (Achimota) and 38.9% (Mataheko) in the non-vegetable growing areas. Anopheles gambiae s.s. (95% of Opeibea population) and Anopheles coluzzii, (98% of Korle-Bu population) were the dominant species in the vegetable growing areas. The voltage-gated sodium channel (Vgsc-1014F) frequencies of all the populations were similar but the acetylcholinesterase (ace-1) frequencies were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in Korle-Bu and Mataheko populations. High level of P450s and esterases were observed in the A. gambiae s.l. from Opeibea than from the other areas. The contribution of urban agriculture in the development of insecticide resistance needs to be considered in the formulation of future vector control strategies alongside other domestic usages.
Highlights
Urban agriculture is a widely practiced farming activity involving more than 800 million people, worldwide [1]
Malaria incidence in urban areas has generally been low compared to rural areas but recent data indicate that urban malaria remains a public health problem
Almost all the classes of insecticides were found within the pesticides and herbicides been used for controlling pests in the vegetable growing areas
Summary
Urban agriculture is a widely practiced farming activity involving more than 800 million people, worldwide [1]. Growing population and rural migration to the cities of African countries have resulted in the practice of urban and peri-urban agriculture to provide food security, to overcome poverty and create employment. Most of these urban inhabitants are engaged in subsistence gardening, more than 200 million practice market-oriented farming on undeveloped urban spaces [2]. The same trend is observed in Ghana where the population of Accra metropolis has grown from 1.6 million people in 2000 to about 2.27 million in 2015 [3] While it is critical meeting urban challenges such as food security and unemployment, these practices present a serious public health problem [4]. Malaria transmission in urban settings such as in Accra is influenced by several factors including housing, availability of health care, knowledge on vector control strategies and vector susceptibility to insecticides
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