Abstract
BACKGROUND Nyssorhynchus dunhami, a member of the Nuneztovari Complex, has been collected in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru and described as zoophilic. Although to date Ny. dunhami has not been documented to be naturally infected by Plasmodium, it is frequently misidentified as other Oswaldoi subgroup species that are local or regional malaria vectors. OBJECTIVES The current study seeks to verify the morphological identification of Nuneztovari Complex species collected in the peri-Iquitos region of Amazonian Peru, to determine their Plasmodium infection status, and to describe ecological characteristics of their larval habitats. METHODS We collected Ny. nuneztovari s.l. adults in 2011-2012, and Ny. nuneztovari s.l. larvae and adults in 2016-2017. When possible, samples were identified molecularly using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode sequencing. Adult Ny. nuneztovari s.l. from 2011-2012 were tested for Plasmodium using real-time PCR. Environmental characteristics associated with Ny. nuneztovari s.l. larvae-positive water bodies were evaluated. FINDINGS We collected 590 Ny. nuneztovari s.l. adults and 116 larvae from eight villages in peri-Iquitos. Of these, 191 adults and 111 larvae were identified by COI sequencing; all were Ny. dunhami. Three Ny. dunhami were infected with P. falciparum, and one with P. vivax, all collected from one village on one night. Ny. dunhami larvae were collected from natural and artificial water bodies, and their presence was positively associated with other Anophelinae larvae and amphibians, and negatively associated with people living within 250m. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Of Nuneztovari Complex species, we identified only Ny. dunhami across multiple years in eight peri-Iquitos localities. This study is, to our knowledge, the first report of natural infection of molecularly identified Ny. dunhami with Plasmodium. We advocate the use of molecular identification methods in this region to monitor Ny. dunhami and other putative secondary malaria vectors to more precisely evaluate their importance in malaria transmission.
Highlights
Nyssorhynchus dunhami, a member of the Nuneztovari Complex, has been collected in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru and described as zoophilic
Larval and adult mosquito collections: 2016-2017 Collections of Anophelinae larvae and adults were conducted in eight villages in 2016-2017: LUP on the Nanay River, Nuevo Horizonte (NHO) and El Triunfo (TRI) on the Iquitos-Nauta Highway, Santa Emilia (SEM) on the Nahuapa Stream, Salvador (SAL) and Urco Miraño (URC) on the Napo River, and Libertad (LIB) and Visto Bueno (VIB) on the Mazan River [Fig. 2; coordinates in Supplementary data (Table I)]
Adult mosquito collections and Plasmodium infection: 2011-2012 - A total of 587 Ny. nuneztovari s.l. adults were collected from LUP in 2011-2012 (Table II)
Summary
The current study seeks to verify the morphological identification of Nuneztovari Complex species collected in the peri-Iquitos region of Amazonian Peru, to determine their Plasmodium infection status, and to describe ecological characteristics of their larval habitats
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