Relationships between anopheline mosquitoes and topography in West Timor and Java, Indonesia

Ermi Ndoen,Pat Dale,Neil Sipe,Clyde Wild,Mike Dale

doi:10.1186/1475-2875-9-242

Abstract

BackgroundMalaria is a serious health issue in Indonesia. Mosquito control is one aspect of an integrated malaria management programme. To focus resources on priority areas, information is needed about the vectors and their habitats. This research aimed to identify the relationship between anopheline mosquitoes and topography in West Timor and Java.MethodsStudy areas were selected in three topographic types in West Timor and Java. These were: coastal plain, hilly (rice field) and highland. Adult mosquitoes were captured landing on humans identified to species level and counted.ResultsEleven species were recorded, four of which were significant for malaria transmission: Anopheles aconitus, Anopheles barbirostris, Anopheles subpictus and Anopheles sundaicus. Each species occupied different topographies, but only five were significantly associated: Anopheles annularis, Anopheles vagus and Anopheles subpictus (Java only) with hilly rice fields; Anopheles barbirostris, Anopheles maculatus and Anopheles subpictus (West Timor only) with coastal areas.ConclusionInformation on significant malaria vectors associated with specific topography is useful for planning the mosquito control aspect of malaria management.

Highlights

Malaria is a serious health issue in Indonesia
Of the 24 Anopheles species recorded in Indonesia, ten are major malaria vectors [4,5,6]
Study areas Ten villages were chosen to represent different types of topography adapted from the habitat information provided by Sandosham and Thomas [19]

Summary

Introduction

Malaria is a serious health issue in Indonesia. Mosquito control is one aspect of an integrated malaria management programme. Of the 24 Anopheles species recorded in Indonesia, ten are major malaria vectors [4,5,6]. These include: Anopheles aconitus, Anopheles balabacensis, Anopheles barbirostris, Anopheles farauti, Anopheles koliensis, Anopheles letifer, Anopheles maculatus, Anopheles punctulatus, Anopheles subpictus and Anopheles sundaicus [5]. The most extensively occurring malaria vectors in Indonesia are An. sundaicus, An. subpictus, An. barbirostris, An. maculatus, An. aconitus, and An. balabacensis [5,7]. Anopheles sundaicus is associated with coastal, brackish water and is widely distributed from Sumatra through Java to Bali [8].

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